Happiness and Its Related Factors among the Elderly in Hamadan (Iran): A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Happiness is one of the indicators of mental health that originates from the cognitive and emotional assessment of individuals from their lives. Happiness is believed to evolve from the comparison of the current circumstances related to achievement. However, gerontological literature has been limited to happiness in the elderly. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine happiness status and examine the relationship between happiness and some variables among Iranian elderly. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 411 elderly people (60 - 75 years old) in Hamadan, west of Iran, in 2016, by using multistage random sampling method. Two instruments were used in this study including a demographic questionnaire and Oxford happiness questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation, independent t-test, and One-way ANOVA. Results: The mean score of happiness was 41.17 (+ 15.2), which was evaluated at a moderate level. There was no significant difference between male and female elderly in happiness status. All 5 dimensions of happiness had a positive significant correlation with each other (P 0.01). Results from T-Test and ANOVA indicated that there was a significant relationship between happiness and some socio-demographic characteristics such as age (P = 0.002), educational level (P = 0.001), and income status (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Life satisfaction, financial status, and educational level contributed to the positive feeling in the perception of happiness in the elderly. Thus, adopting programs to increase happiness in the elderly could be useful as one of the strategies to improve all dimensions of health such as physical, mental, and social aspects.