A Structural Model of Relationships between Stressful Life Events and Older Adults’ Loneliness: Religious Orientation as Mediator

Abstract

Background: Loneliness is an issue, among many, faced by older adults through stressful life events, which may lead them to unbalanced life.Goals: This study aimed to construct a structural model of associations between stressful life events and older adults’ loneliness, with religious orientation functioning as a mediator.Methods: This correlational-descriptive survey involved participants over 60 nursing homes in Hamedan, who were selected by convenience sampling. The tools utilized in this study were the Paykel Life Events Questionnaire, the Allport-Ross Religious Orientation Scale, and the Short Version of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA-S). Data analysis was performed through statistical tests of path analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient.Results: The sample is composed of 92 participants (40 females). Results showed that stressful life events and loneliness have significantly positive and negative relationships, respectively, to religious orientation. Moreover, religious orientation played a mediating role in the association pattern between stressful life events and loneliness. Discussion: These results suggest that although stressful events perform an important role in older adults’ loneliness, religious orientation as a mediating variable have a crucial place in reducing the loneliness in the old age.