Relationship between Social Health and Spiritual Health in Diabetic Elderly in 2023

Introduction and purpose: In today's world, care and health in different dimensions for the elderly are important health goals. Considering the great importance of social and spiritual health and the existence of challenges in these topics, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between social and spiritual health in diabetic elderly in 2023. Methods: The current research is cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical), and its statistical population involves all diabetic elderly people in Golestan province, Iran, in 2023. The samples included 199 elderly people who were selected based on the conditions of entry into the study and by multi-stage cluster random sampling method. The data collection tools in this study included questions related to demographic characteristics, Keyes's Social Well-Being Questionnaire (KSWBQ), and Paloutzian & Ellison's Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire (SWBS). After explaining the objectives of the study and how to complete the questionnaire to the research units and assuring them regarding the confidentiality of the answers, the researcher, after obtaining written consent, asked the participants to complete the questionnaires. Finally, the data were collected from the completed questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS (version 26) software. A significant level of less than 0.05 was considered. Results: The results indicated that 54.3% of the participants were females and 45.7% were males. Most (35.4%) were between 65 and 70 years old, and 89.9% were married. The majority of the participants were housewives (43.4%) and retired (41.2%). In addition, 45.2% were consuming more than five medications, and 63.5% had at least two chronic diseases. Moreover, analytical results indicated that the total social health score increased significantly with improved spiritual health under flourishing, solidarity, and social cohesion scales (P<0.05). With increasing age and a higher number of children (P<0.05), as well as a lower number of medications consumed (P<0.05), individuals with chronic diseases (P<0.05) and those reporting decreased self-perceived health (P<0.05) exhibited better spiritual health. Furthermore, individuals who use medications 1-2 times (P<0.05) and have a duration of illness between 1 and 5 years (P<0.05) demonstrate higher levels of social health. Conclusion: The result of the present study revealed a relationship between spiritual health and some subscales of social health in diabetic elderly people, and each of these cases is related to medical, clinical, and demographic characteristics.