Abstract
BACKGROUND: The worldwide rise in life expectancy has resulted in an expanding elderly population, particularly in developing nations, amplifying the demand for social support to manage the challenges associated with aging. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate social support and its associated factors among older adults in the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN) Guilan Cohort study (PGCS) population. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 389 participants of the PGCS population. The social support was measured using 10-item Duke Social Support Index (DSSI-10). Data analysis was performed in SPSS v16 with a significance level of < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of the elderly people was 69.88 (SD = 2.62) and 51.4% were female. The mean total DSSI-10 score was 20.05 (SD = 4.61). Based on the multiple linear regression analysis, lower age (P = 0.001), residency in rural area (P = 0.002) and being in the third tertile of wealth score index (P = 0.011) was statistically associated with lower total DSSI-10 scores. The coefficient of determination (R(2)) was 9.2%, indicating that 9.2% of the variation in the total DSSI-10 scores was explained by the demographic characteristics. CONCLUSION: Based on the results, it can be concluded that younger elderly individuals, those living in rural areas, and those with lower socioeconomic status experience significantly lower levels of overall social support. These findings highlight the need for focused strategies and interventions to improve social support among these vulnerable subgroups to promote better health and well-being in aging populations.