Civic engagement and social wellbeing among aged people in Ahwaz City, Iran

Iran and its aged society are facing some issues i.e. decreasing civic engagement and social participation, reducing social well-being and quality of life that significantly impact the current social structures in Iran and will continue to do so in the future. If such issues are ignored, Iranian society will be faced with the consequences of having problems among the aged population. As a result, there will be negative implications on communal relations, discrimination, and unjust distribution of resources based on a gender-ethnic basis that will affect the well-being and quality of life. This study describes the current situation of the elderly in Iranian society from a gender-ethnic perspective, analysing civic engagement, social wellbeing, background issues of the aged, their social interactions, and makes recommendations to enhance their social life. The theories used include social well-being theory of Keyes and Shapiro (1998-2009), civic engagement in the theories of Putnam and Knock (2002), and activity theory. Also, demographic-individual inquiries were used i.e. socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, economic and health status, and aging in place. The population of the study is aged citizens 60 years old and above (N=51594) in Ahwaz city, the provincial capital of Khuzistan in southwest of Iran. Sampling method was cluster-ratio based on municipal zones, ethnicity, and gender. The sample size was 382 (195 male and 187 female) according to the Cochran formula and adapted to Morgan’s table. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, F test, ANOVA, the generalized linear model, and multiple regression analysis. Also, the reliability of inventories was examined by Cronbach’s alpha and the results were (α=.65 for loneliness scale, .70 for scale of social well-being, .66 for civic engagement, and .84 for scale of aging in place). Descriptive findings indicated the economically poor situation of the aged samples, and while their health status was moderated, there were some issues. The majority of them were officially illiterate with low quality of nutrition and high prevalence of chronic conditions. Total Measure of basic variables showed civic engagement as low, social well-being as moderate, and loneliness as high. Multiple regression analysis and its assumptions were carried out and the predictor variables i.e. civic engagement and background variables on social well-being were estimated and discussed. Ethnicity and gender were found to enhance both civic engagement and social well-being at the first step. The AiP and demographic issue on civic engagement, health and economic status on SWB were the next items that enhanced the basic variables. The generalized linear model reported gender-ethnic discrimination that directly affected civic engagement and social well-being of aged samples and the objectives of the study were confirmed as well. The results indicated that some predictors enhanced the social well-being indicators. Gender and ethnicity affected on social well-being in the highest level. Based on the findings, discussions and suggestions are made for future research on social gerontology and aging policymaking. Future research therefore needs to focus on ethnicity, gender-related issues, and community level of the lifestyle of aging in the society, especially in developing countries like Iran.

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