Introduction
The rate of population aging in Iran is high. The increase in aged population creates challenges and needs in various areas. Less attention has been paid to psychosocial health challenges of older adults in Iran. According to studies, the most important psychological needs of the elderly include emotional well-being, independence, and life satisfaction. Also, their most important social needs include maintaining relationships with family members or friends and participation in social activities. However, older adults do not have the same needs. Some community-dwelling older adults live independently and often do not receive organized support. By recognizing the psychosocial needs of the elderly, it can be ensured that older adults receive the necessary support. This study aimed to investigate the psychosocial needs of community-dwelling older adults in Kerman, southeast of Iran.

Methods
This is a qualitative study conducted in 2023 using the conventional content analysis method. Participants included 16 community-dwelling older adults in Kerman and 9 people with expertise and experience in management and policy-making in this field who were selected purposefully and with maximum variation. To use data triangulation strategy, focused groups of five people discussed the data. The data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interviews continued until the data saturation. 
Data analysis was done using the conventional content analysis method. To assess the trustworthiness of the data, Guba and Lincoln’s four criteria were used. For credibility, the triangulation technique was used by employing individual interviews and focused group discussion to collect data. Also, the data source triangulation technique was used to achieve maximum diversity in data collection. Moreover, we employed gerontologists and social workers (researcher triangulation) for determining credibility. In terms of data transferability, a clear description of data was provided in the text so that the findings can be transferred to other contexts. For confirmability, the external audit method was used, which was conducted by two researchers. For dependability, we tried to avoid the prolongation of the data collection time. All participants were asked about a topic using general questions, such as “What psychosocial needs do you feel at this age?” The data was also constantly compared and the prolonged engagement and several initial analyses were done by the first and second researchers.

Results
The mean age of the elderly was 71 years, and the mean age of the experts was 53 years. Analysis of the interviews led to the extraction of five main themes and 25 sub-themes. 
The first main theme was “social inclusion and aging excellence”. It indicates that older adults need to actively participate in communities. This theme had six sub-themes: the need for maintaining self-esteem, the need to perform meaningful and purposeful activities, the need for power and independence, the need for social participation and interactions, the need for welfare-recreational services, and the need for learning new skills. 
The second main theme was “safe and peaceful life”. It indicates that older adults need a safe place to live peacefully. This theme had five sub-themes: Reduced pervasive fears and concerns of old age, Reduced experience of elder abuse, the need for psycho-social services alongside medical services, physical and social adaptation of the environment, and family support.
The third main theme was “reduction of structural problems”. It is important to pay attention to reducing structural problems to improve the performance of support systems for the elderly. This theme had six sub-themes: Attention to aging considerations in laws, integration of organizations’ psycho-social services, providing age-appropriate services, the need for service follow-up, reducing psycho-social harms, and legal services.
The forth main theme was “age-conscious society”. This refers to a society that is aware of the values and needs of older adults and shows them special respect. This theme had three sub-themes: Awareness about the needs and characteristics of old age, expanding caregivers’ knowledge of aging, and rejection of ageism.
The last main theme was “Attention to the double problems of aging”. The aging process is accompanied by problems that can be doubled in case of the presence of other problems, such as loneliness, poverty, etc. This theme had four sub-themes: Reducing loneliness, reducing economic problems, management of physical illnesses, and increased need for home care.

Conclusion
The findings of this study showed that the psycho-social needs of community-dwelling older adults in Kerman have not been adequately addressed. These needs include social inclusion and aging excellence, safe and peaceful life, reduced structural problems, age-conscious society, and attention to the double problems of aging. It is necessary to pay more attention to these needs and take appropriate measures to meet them.

Ethical Considerations

Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (Code: IR.USWR.REC.1402.026).

Funding
This article was a extracted from PhD thesis of Monire Baloochi at the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences.This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for profit sectors.

Authors' contributions
All authors contributed equally to the conception and design of the study, data collection and analysis, interpretation of the results, and drafting of the manuscript. Each author approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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



 

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