Volume 20, Issue 4 (Winter 2026)                   Salmand: Iranian Journal of Ageing 2026, 20(4): 578-593 | Back to browse issues page

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Aghajani T, Solhi M, Forughan M, Ezattifard A, Ghahremanzadeh N, Rezaei F et al . Relationship of Social Support With General Health Among Older Adults in the West of Tehran, Iran. Salmand: Iranian Journal of Ageing 2026; 20 (4) :578-593
URL: http://salmandj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-2890-en.html
Relationship of Social Support With General Health Among Older Adults in the West of Tehran, Iran
Tahereh Aghajani1 , Mahnaz Solhi2 , Mahshid Forughan3 , Akram Ezattifard1 , Neda Ghahremanzadeh2 , Fateme Rezaei4 , Hossein Dargahi *5
1- West Health Center of Tehran, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of Health Sciences and Health Education, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
3- Department of Ageing, Iranian Research Center on Ageing, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
4- Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
5- Health Information Management, Health Information Management Research Center, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. , hdargahi@sina.tums.ac.ir
Keywords: Elderly, Mental health, Social support
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Introduction
Aging is a common phenomenon, mainly due to the increase in life expectancy in most countries worldwide [1]. The aging of societies is accompanied by economic, social, and healthcare challenges [2, 3]. It is predicted that older people will constitute 14.4% of the Iranian population by 2030 and 31.2% by 2050 [4]. Older people are at risk of many physical and mental health and chronic diseases [7]. To enhance the quality of life, health, and well-being of the elderly, one influential factor is social support [14-16]. This social determinant of health is a phenomenon that enables older adults to feel respected and loved by others [23]. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between social support and the general health of older adults in the west of Tehran, Iran.

Methods & Materials
This is a descriptive-analytical study with a cross-sectional design conducted on 351 older adults aged 60 years and above, covered by the West Tehran Health Center in 2022-2023. The sample size was determined using the Krejcie & Morgan table. The data collection tools included a sociodemographic checklist surveying age, level of education, employment status, marital status, number of children, and economic status, Goldberg’ 28-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-28), and the social support appraisals (SS-A) scale which reflects Cobb’s definition of social support. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation), independent t-tests, Pearson’s correlation test, analysis of variance, and linear regression analysis in SPSS software, version 26, at a significance level of P<0.05.

Results
Only 300 questionnaires were completed, resulting in an 85% response rate. The results of the Pearson correlation test indicated a positive and significant relationship between the SS-A and GHQ-28 scores in total and in all dimensions (P<0.01) (Table 1).


The results of the linear regression also showed that social support accounted for 50% of the changes in general health. In other words, the social support from others (β=0.287, P<0.001) and the total score of SS-A (β=-0.466, P=0.004) had a negative and significant correlation with the total score of GHQ-28. For one unit decrease in the total score of SS-A, the GHQ-28 score increases (worsens) by 34.5% (Table 2).



Conclusion
The results of the present study showed that social support (from family, friends, and others) is related to the general health aspects in Iranian older adults including mental, psychological, and social aspects. More than 35% had a poor general health and they reported a poor social support. Therefore, given the increase in the elderly population in the country, it is necessary to consider the necessary solutions, including increasing the presence of the elderly among their family, friends, and acquaintances, educating families by psychology and social welfare experts through mass media, and developing educational packages and a social network to provide more support for the elderly. Social support and its impact on the general health of the elderly is multidimensional. Other factors also play a role in this relationship, including welfare and rehabilitation services, financial support, and counselling, that need to be considered by the Iranian government.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.IUMS.REC.1393.1369).

Funding
This study was funded by Iran University of Medical Sciences.

Authors' contributions
Conceptualization: Tahereh Aghajani; Methodology: Tahereh Aghajani and Mahshid Forughan; Investigation: Tahereh Aghajani and Mahnaz Solhi; writing original draft: Tahereh Aghajani and Akram Ezattifard; review & editing: Hossein Dargahi; Resources: Neda Ghahremanzadeh and Fateme Rezaei; Supervision: Hossein Dargahi and Akram Ezattifard.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest 

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the managers and staff of the West Tehran Health Center and all participants in this study for their assistance and cooperation.


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Type of Study: Research | Subject: Rehabilitation Management
Received: 2024/07/31 | Accepted: 2024/11/10 | Published: 2026/03/01
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