Relationship between social support and stressors in the elderly in Gonabad city

Introduction: Nowadays due to the growing amount of attention of elderly people in Iran, more than ever, it is important to maintain and improve the health and quality of life of the elderly as a vulnerable population group. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social support and stressors in the elderly in Gonabad city.  Methods: In this cross-sectional study was performed on, 153 elderly people referred to Gonabad health centers in Iran in 2017. Participants were selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected over 6 months through demographic information questionnaires,Norbeck social support and stressors of aging period. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 20 and Pearson test. Significant level was considered less than 0/05.  Results: The case studies 50/98 % were female,72/55% were married, the mean age of the elderly was 70/05 years. According to the finding ,the mean score of total stressors was 76/36, which indicates severe stress in the elderly. The result of the pearson test showed that there is significant association and inverse between total stressors of aging with Emotional and material dimension. But there is not significant association between total stressors of aging with functional, structural and total lack of dimensions.  Conclusion: The result of this study indicate that increasing social support has a significant role in reducing the stressors of aging period. With this in mind, the role of support for elderly health care providers, training of specialists in the field of elderly and family counseling and mental health for the elderly and their families , it becomes more pronounced.  Keywords: social support, stressors, elderly people.