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The Effectiveness of Spiritual Self-Care Education on the Happiness of Iranian Older Adults: An Experimental Study
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Hossein RashidiKarsalary   , Afsaneh Sadooghiasl * , Aliakbar RAsekhi |
| , a.sadooghi@modares.ac.ir |
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Abstract: (31 Views) |
Background: The growing elderly population in Iran highlights the urgency of addressing older adults’ health and well-being. Self-care plays an important role in elderly health, and spiritual self-care is one of its crucial dimensions. This study assesses the impact of a structured spiritual self-care program on happiness among older adults in Iran.
Methods: An experimental study with a pretest–posttest–follow-up design was conducted in 2025 on 70 participants aged 60 years and above from two community centers in Iran. Two community centers (Amirabad and Fatemi) from District 6 of Tehran were selected, and Amirabad was randomly assigned as the intervention group while Fatemi served as the control group. In each center, 35 eligible participants were randomly selected. The intervention group received a six-week spiritual self-care program consisting of six sessions on gratitude, prayer, stress management, and social engagement, supported by follow-up via WhatsApp. The control group received no intervention. Happiness was measured using the Oxford Happiness Inventory at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and two months later. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni corrections conducted through SPSS ver.18 software.
Results: The two groups were comparable in baseline variables before the study. The intervention group showed a significant improvement in happiness scores compared to the control group (adjusted mean difference = 8.445, p = 0.003). Mean scores in the intervention group increased from 1.22 to 1.53, while scores in the control group remained stable or declined. A strong time × group interaction effect (p < 0.001) confirmed the lasting benefit of the intervention. The program’s multidimensional approach, targeting emotional and social well-being, likely drove these improvements.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that the mean happiness scores of older adults before and after the self-care program differed significantly between the control and intervention groups. In other words, both the overall changes over time and the pattern of change across the two groups were statistically significant.
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| Keywords: Happiness, Older Adults, Spiritual Self-Care, Psychological Well-Being |
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Type of Study: Community Health Nursing |
Subject:
nursing
Received: 2025/12/7 | Accepted: 2025/12/12 | Published: 2025/12/1
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