Introduction
With the progress in medicine, and technology, and the consequent rise in life expectancy, the elderly demographic has been expanding in recent times [1, 4]. In old age, individuals undergo significant life changes, experience declines in physical and cognitive capabilities, and are susceptible to various physical and mental ailments. Neglecting these concerns can lead to substantial economic and social burdens for societies [5, 9]. Therefore, researching the psychological challenges faced by the elderly holds growing significance and merit. Factors such as religiosity and resilience are known to enhance the psychological health and well-being of older individuals in their later years [3, 18]. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of resilience in the correlation between religiosity and the psychological well-being of the elderly. The objective is to enhance understanding and fortify these variables among the elderly, ultimately contributing to an improvement in their quality of life.

Methods
This current study is cross-sectional in nature, classified as applied research based on its objectives, and utilizes correlation analysis, particularly path analysis, as the primary method of data collection. The statistical population comprised individuals aged 60 and above, both male and female, residing in the city of Mianeh in 2021. A total of 319 participants (comprising 162 women and 157 men) were selected using convenience sampling by approaching individuals in public settings. The inclusion criteria were not having severe physical and mental illnesses and also having informed consent to complete the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics, including Pearson’s correlation coefficient and path analysis were used for data analysis, and SPSS software, version 26 and LISREL software, version 10.2 were used for analysis at a significance level of 0.05. In order to collect information, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale [30], the Religiosity Scale developed by Glock and Stark [33], and the Ryff’s Psychological WellBeing Scale [11] were used.

Results
The data were analyzed in two parts, descriptive and inferential statistics. First, the descriptive findings, including the mean and standard deviation for the research variables, followed by the matrix of correlation coefficients, and then the findings from the path analysis to test the research hypotheses are presented. The results of the correlation analysis showed that all correlation coefficients obtained were significant at the level of P>0.05 or P>0.01, and high religiosity and resilience were associated with higher psychological well-being. Table 1 shows the results of examining direct, indirect, and total relationships between variables.


The results of direct, indirect, and total relationship path analysis are shown in Table 1. The significance of the impact of each relationship is evaluated by t values. All t values ​​except the indirect effect of the consequence dimension on psychological well-being are above 1.96 and significant. To test the mediation hypothesis, considering the significance of belief, consequence, and ritual dimensions with resilience, as well as their significance in relation to psychological well-being, it can be concluded that resilience plays a mediating role between belief, consequence, and ritual with psychological well-being. 

Conclusion
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between religiosity and the psychological well-being of the elderly. The results showed that religiosity has a positive relationship with resilience in the elderly, religiosity is often associated with the expression of positive feelings and experiences, and gives meaning to people’s lives in critical situations, thereby improving people’s resilience [40]. According to the obtained results, religiosity has a positive relationship with the psychological well-being of the elderly; the elderly may consider their problems as an integral part of life and deal with them by trusting in God, leading to an improvement in their psychological well-being [3]. Furthermore, the findings indicated a positive correlation between resilience and psychological well-being in the elderly. Resilient individuals exhibit positive emotions when confronted with unfamiliar emotional situations, and these positive emotions play a crucial role in restoring favorable conditions, ultimately leading to an enhancement in the psychological well-being of resilient individuals [22]. Based on the results, resilience has a mediating role in the relationship between religiosity and the psychological well-being of the elderly, and as a result, the influence of religiosity through increasing resilience can improve people’s psychological well-being.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the research ethics committee of Zanjan University (Code: IR.ZNU.REC.1401.030). In this study, all ethical considerations, such as explaining the study objectives to the participants, ensuring the confidentiality of their information, their right to leave the study, and obtaining their informed consent were considered.

Funding
This article was extracted from the master’s thesis of Saeideh Mohammadi in general psychology at Zanjan University. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Authors' contributions
All authors participated in all stages of the research.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest in publishing this article.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all seniors who participated in this study for their cooperation.


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