روانشناسی پیری (Nov 2017)
Structural Model of relationship between Spirituality and Mental Health and Death Anxiety: Mediation Role of Control Source and Social Support
Abstract
Given the increase in Iranian elderly population, the study of the determiners of mental health and death anxiety is required. So, present study seeks to study the structural model of relationship between spirituality and mental health and death anxiety: mediation role of control source and social support. The statistical community of present study included the elderly men and women of Tehran of which 350 subjects were selected using available sampling method. They responded the spirituality questionnaire of Parsiyan and Donning, General health questionnaire of Goldberg and Hiller, death anxiety questionnaire of Templer, Control source Questionnaire of Levinson, and Social Support Questionnaire of wax, Phillips and Helli. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling with SPSS and AMOS softwares. Findings showed that spirituality, Control source, and social support predict mental health and death anxiety. All path coefficients except those of regression between internal source control on death anxiety were statistically significant and spirituality was effective on the mental health and death anxiety of the elderly through mediator variables in addition to its direct effect. Social support had direct effect on mental health and death anxiety. But the effect of internal source control was not confirmed. Predictive variables affected indirectly 41 percent of the general health variance and 19 percent of the death anxiety variance. Internal source control and social support mediate the relationship between spirituality and mental health and death anxiety relatively. This model was desirably fitted with data. The growth and reinforcement of internal source control, social and spiritual support were the appropriate methods for preventing and reducing vulnerability of mental health problems in the elderly. It is recommended that these variables be considered for reducing the death anxiety in the elderly and improving their psychological well-being
