The effectiveness of healthy lifestyle education based on the global health model on death anxiety and life satisfaction of the elderly in Ilam

Dissertation for Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of healthy lifestyle education based on the global health model on death anxiety and life satisfaction of the elderly. The statistical population of this research consists of all the elderly living in nursing homes, comprehensive rehabilitation centers and institutions supported by the welfare organization of Ilam city in 2013, and 30 people (15 experimental and 15 control) were selected as a sample of this research using a multi-stage random sampling method. The tools used in this research are Templer's death anxiety questionnaire and Diener's life satisfaction questionnaire. Before the interventions, a pre-test was conducted for both groups; Then, effective healthy lifestyle sessions were conducted for 12 sessions of 45 minutes in the experimental group, no special intervention was done in the control group, after the sessions, the post-test was done immediately for both groups. Again, after three months, in order to follow up the effectiveness of the sessions, research questionnaires were implemented regarding the experimental group. To analyze the data, univariate analysis of covariance and t-test of correlated groups were used. The results of data analysis in the three stages of the test (post-test, pre-test, follow-up) in two experimental and control groups confirmed with 95% of the confidence the effectiveness of healthy lifestyle education on death anxiety and life satisfaction of the elderly. Key words: healthy lifestyle, death anxiety, life satisfaction, elderly They become, which is obtained in the passage of natural growth, so that it is intertwined with the destiny of a person and is considered an inevitable necessity. Old age, according to the definition of the World Health Organization, is crossing the border of sixty years. Every year, 1.7% is added to the world's population and 2.5% to the population aged 65 and over (World Health Organization[1], 2006).  

This phenomenon has existed in all historical periods, but today, unlike the past, medical scientific advances, nutritional status and the application of therapeutic methods have caused an increase in the number of elderly people in different societies. In the words of the European sociologist Suvey [2], "aging is one of the phenomena of our time". The significant increase in the elderly population around the world is a phenomenon that began in the 20th century. In 2006, the United Nations estimated the total number of elderly people in the world to be around 700 million, and it is predicted that this population will double in the next 40 years. In Iran, the population over 60 years old will reach about 10 million people by 2020 and more than 26 million people by 2050 (Alipour et al., 2017).

Aging is a process that is associated with deep transformations in the three physiological, psychological and sociological dimensions of humans. In addition to the downward course of biological processes and the quantitative and qualitative increase of stress during old age, facing death, which is inevitable and the accompanying anxiety, plays an important role in creating mental disorders of this period (Qorbanalipour and Esmaili, 2013). Death anxiety is one of the types of anxiety that may affect the health of the elderly. Death anxiety[3] includes thoughts, fears and emotions related to the end of life. is The conducted research, with a brief overview of the research conducted in the non-clinical population, showed that death anxiety is a common phenomenon among the general population (Kastenbaum[4], 2000).

In late adulthood, the elderly think about death and talk about it. They get more evidence of death from physical changes, higher rates of illness and disability, and the loss of relatives and friends. It is normal to experience some anxiety about death; But, like other fears, if it is too intense, it weakens adaptation and efficiency.

What is certain is that the obvious behavior of humans towards death is to express hatred, hostility and disgust, which are usually mixed with fear. These feelings are different in people and they differ according to intensity, time, race, religion and culture (Mansour, 2008).

One of the main causes of anxiety is failure and dissatisfaction with the person's past and present life, and creating hope for activity and satisfaction with life reduces the person's anxiety. One of the emotional and spiritual methods to reduce the anxiety of death is satisfaction with life (Nadri and Roshni, 2013).

Feelings of satisfaction and satisfaction with life[5] are among the components of attitude.

The feeling of satisfaction and satisfaction with life[5] is one of the components of people's positive attitude towards the world in which they live. Life satisfaction has a close but complicated relationship with values, and the criteria based on which people evaluate their subjective understanding of happiness is different. Life satisfaction in general reflects the balance between a person's desires and his current situation; In other words, the greater the gap between the level of a person's desires and his objective situation, the lower his satisfaction; Also, various factors such as wealth, housing, security, friends, hope, strictness, religious beliefs, family relationships and management, progress and status, social relations and education, self-confidence and self-esteem, generally the health of people, affect their level of satisfaction with life (Shangakuan, Yu and Lee[6], 2012). Health is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of the life of the elderly. The topic of health is the dominant conversation of the elderly. In 1946, the World Health Organization (WHO), in parallel with its establishment, developed the definition of health, and in other words, added the dimension of morals and social values ??to the two physical and mental dimensions. In this way, he confirmed the involvement of these factors in human health (Farshadan, 2009).

The components of a healthy lifestyle include physical activity, recreation and entertainment, healthy nutrition, stress management, social and interpersonal relationships, and spirituality; In other words, the conditions for achieving a "healthy lifestyle[7]" for an elderly person are: compliance with the principles of proper nutrition, sleep hygiene, necessary movement throughout the day and night, not smoking, regular check-ups, having mental health and participation of the elderly person in social activities and living with the family (Wall Coast and Savage[8], 2000).

Since aging is a process that does not stop and only with a healthy life and care Especially, it is possible to turn this period into a favorable and enjoyable period with good health, therefore, adopting a healthy lifestyle in old age is of considerable importance. Considering that the elderly population of Iran is increasing day by day, identifying the factors influencing the improvement of their lifestyle is one of the mental concerns of the policy makers of our country's health system; Therefore, the health of the elderly is one of the health issues in most societies, and dealing with these problems requires accurate and correct policies and planning. The elderly who have a healthy lifestyle have a greater ability to enjoy a healthy life and are likely to enjoy a life free of disease and disability for a longer period of time; In general, choosing a healthy lifestyle is a very vital aspect in everyone's personal life, especially the elderly. 2-1-Statement of the problem In today's era, due to the improvement of living conditions and the expansion of healthcare, there has been a significant increase in the population and life expectancy of the elderly in the world and in Iran, and it is expected to continue in the future. Hence, the problem of old age in terms of health care is facing various problems.

Since the elderly are one of the vulnerable groups, they have an urgent need to provide welfare, social and health services; Therefore, the issue of aging has been raised as a reality and it is necessary to develop a complete relationship between the elderly and social and economic development and to create the conventional understanding of the society about aging (Kirimi Dini, 2013).

Regarding the importance of the elderly, the World Health Organization in 2013 named Mental Health Day as the Day of Health for the Elderly. Considering that the World Health Organization defined health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not only the absence of disease and disability, therefore, the traditional view of health changed towards its multidimensional concept. At present, lifestyle is one of the main indicators of health, the improvement of which will lead to improvement of health, and it has attracted the attention of experts.

Lifestyle is the method that a person chooses for himself during his life and is considered one of the most important factors in the health of a person's body and mind. Jahani sees the lifestyle through living based on specific and definable patterns of behavior that results from the interaction between personality traits, the interaction of social relations, environmental conditions and socio-economic situations.