Examining the Protective Role of Spiritual-wellbeing on Fear of COVID-19 among Community-dwelling Older Adults in 2021

Introduction: Fear has been one of the most frequent emotions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Older people are at risk for severe COVID-19 infection. Spiritual-wellbeing can play an important role in patients' coping and adaptation to stressful conditions related to disorders. Therefore, the present study was aimed to determine the predictive role of spiritual-wellbeing on reducing the fear of COVID-19 among older adults residing in Qazvin, Iran. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 older adults in 2021. Cluster sampling method was used to select eligible older adults. Accordingly, first Qazvin city was divided into 3 urban areas. Then, from each district, the eligible older adults were selected from public places. Data were collected using the demographic checklist, Fear of Covid-19 Scale and Palutzian and Ellison Spiritual Health questionnaire. The multivariate regression model was used to determine the predictors of fear of Covid-19. Results:  The mean age of 400 older adults who participated in this study was 69.70 ± 6.99 years old. The rate of fear of COVID-19 among older participants was at a high level (MD= 22/00±8/82). The results of analysis showed that gender (β=0.186, p=0.001), hypertension (β=0.130, p=0.006), diabetes mellitus (β=0.097, p=0.037), stroke (β=0.091, p=0.048), level of education (β=-0.142, p=0.007), financial status (β=0.145, p=0.007), and spiritual wellbeing (β=-0.117, p=0.013) were predictors of fear of COVID-19. Conclusions: The results of the present study showed the important role of education, chronic diseases, financial status, and spiritual-wellbeing in predicting fear of Covid-19 among older adults. Therefore, the implementation of spiritual care programs can be an appropriate approach for reducing the fear and anxiety of the older adults in the Covid-19 epidemic.