Comparing General Health and Happiness in Elderly Women With and Without a Spouse Referring to Health Centers in Bandar Abbas, Iran, in 2018

Background & Aims: Given the increasing elderly population in Iran, it seems necessary to pay attention to the general health of the elderly women without a spouse, who constitute a significant percentage of the elderly population in Iran. This study aimed to compare the general health and happiness of elderly women with and without a spouse referred to Bandar Abbas health centers in 2018. Materials & Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 390 elderly women with and without a spouse, using the quota cluster sampling method. Data were collected using three questionnaires (demographic, Goldberg and Hillier's General Health, and Oxford Happiness) and were processed using SPSS software v. 21.  Results: In this study, out of 260 elderly women with a spouse, 218 (83.8%), and out of 130 elderly women without a spouse, 83 (63.8%) were under 70 years old. Most women without a spouse (67.6%) and a spouse (65%) have 5 to 9 children. About half of women in the two groups (48.5% in the group with a spouse and 50% in the other group) had primary education, most (94.2% in the group with a spouse, and 95.4% in the group without a spouse) were housewives. In terms of economic status, most of the two groups (61.5% of each group) were at a moderate level. The two groups were homogeneous regarding demographic variables except for age and years of living with a spouse (P<0.001).  Conclusion: The results showed that the average general health score in both groups was lower than the cut-off points for the whole test (23), which indicates the excellent health level of most of these women. But the average health score in this study is higher than the results of the Yazdani study in Tehran. (Yazdani, 2010), and Nejati study in Qom (Nejati, 2005). The study also found that the mean happiness score was higher in married women, but this difference was not statistically significant. (P=0.17). Other factors besides having a spouse, such as the quality of marital life, also play a role in the mental health of older women.