Investigating the relationship between spiritual well-being, resilience, and depression: a cross-sectional study of the elderly

Abstract

Background: Mental health of the elderly is one of the health problems in most societies. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB), resilience, and depression among the elderly.

Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 384 elderly selected by convenience-sampling method. Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT), SWB, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were used to collect the data. Pearson correlation coefficient, analysis of variance and independent t-test were used to analyze the data. A path analysis was also run to test the direct and indirect effects of SWB and resilience on the depression variable.

Results: The results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between SWB and resilience (r = 0.458, P < 0.001), a statistically significant negative correlation between SWB and depression (r = -0.471, P < 0.001) and between resilience and depression (r = -0.371, P < 0.001). Path analysis showed that SWB and resilience directly affected depression while SWB indirectly affected depression.

Conclusions: The results indicated there was an inverse relationship between SWB and resilience with depression. Religious programs and appropriate educational programs can help improve SWB and promote resilience in the elderly, which will reduce their depression symptoms.

Keywords: depression; elderly; resilience; spiritual well-being.