Objective: Today, due to the high growth rate of aging, protecting
and improving the health and quality of life of elderly as a vulnerable
group of the population are taken into more consideration. This study
was performed to determine the relationship between social support
and anxiety level in the elderly.
Materials & Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, 380 older
adults of Hamedan city were selected through random sampling. To
gather the data, Social Support Appraisals Scale and Geriatric Anxiety
Scale were used as well as Demographic Variables Questionnaire. Data
were analyzed by Correlation Coefficient and Independent T-test.
Results: The sample consisted of 68. 9% male and 90% were married.
The mean age of the elders was 68.06 ± 6.72 years. Results showed
that social support has significant relationships with anxiety and its
subscales, of which cognitive subscale had the highest correlation
(P-value<0.001, r=-0.494).
Conclusion: Because of the increasing rate of aging, the importance of
the social determinants of health such as social support is important in
reducing anxiety in elderly