Investigating the Correlation Between Spiritual Well-Being and Loneliness in Elderly Individuals in Turkey During the Covid 19 Pandemic

Abstract

Aim: In the pandemi process, it is about examining the relationship between the spiritual well-being and the loneliness of the elderly in Turkey.Methods: The population of the descriptive study consisted of elderly individuals aged 65 and over in Turkey. The research was carried out between 15.02.2021 and 15.03.2021 with 582 individuals using the snowball sampling method, which is one of the non-probability sampling methods. Data were collected with Personal Information Form, the Loneliness Scale for the Elderly, and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale.Results: It was determined that 84.5% of the elderly people in the study were in the 65-74 age range, 58.2% were female, 80.1% were single, 76.8% were ≤ primary school graduates. The mean score of the mental well-being scale of the elderly is 125.52±7.40, and the total mean score of the Loneliness Scale for the Elderly is 16.60±3.70. A negative correlation was found between the Spiritual Well-Being Scale and the Loneliness Scale for the Elderly. It has been determined that there is a significant difference between the spiritual well-being scale mean scores of the elderly individuals according to age and marital status, and there is a significant difference between the Elderly Loneliness Scale mean scores according to their age.Conclusion: It has been determined that the mental well-being and loneliness levels of the elderly are high, and as their spiritual well-being levels increase, the loneliness levels decrease.