Modeling the Structural Equations of Happiness based on Attachment Styles and Communication Skills with the Mediation of Self-Compassion in the Elderly

, the aim of the present study was to present the modeling of structural equations of happiness based on attachment styles and communication skills with the mediation of self-compassion in the elderly.

The research method was analytical and structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all the elderly living in nursing homes located in the cities of Gilan province in 2018-2019 and the sampling method was available. According to the number of research variables, the statistical sample of this research was 210 people. In order to collect data, Oxford's happiness scales (2002), Queen Damm's interpersonal communication skills (2004), Neff et al.'s self-compassion (2003), and Hazen and Shiver's (1987) adult attachment style were used. SPSS version 24 and Amos version 24 and Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data.

The results showed that communication skills were significantly related to self-compassion (P=0.002, Beta=1.3) and self-compassion to happiness (P=0.41, Beta=2.8). But attachment style was not related to self-compassion (P=0.21, Beta=1.2). Also, the indirect effect of attachment style on happiness was equal to 2.7 (P=0.013) and communication skills on happiness was equal to 0.052 (P=0.025). The goodness of fit indices of the fitted conceptual model were obtained as

Therefore, it seems that strengthening the communication skills of the elderly will increase their level of happiness. Also, attachment styles affect the happiness of the elderly.