The relationship between meaning in life and resilience in older adults: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Meaning in life has been considered necessary for the psychological well-being of older adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between meaning in life and resilience in the elderly in Kerman, Iran. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE In this cross-sectional study, 300 older adults (aged more than 60 years) were included using the multistage sampling method in Kerman in 2018. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) was used to investigate the resilience status, and for assessing meaning of life, Steger's meaning in life questionnaire was employed. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, chi-square, t-test, ANOVA and linear regression by IBM SPSS V21. RESULTS The mean age of participants was 67.3 +/- 7.9 years. Resilience status was significantly different in terms of gender (p = .021), educational status (p =.032), and self-reported health status (p =.003). There was a significant positive relationship between meaning in life and resilience (r = .38, p =.012). Independent variables (meaning in life, self-reported health status, gender) accounted for 31% of the variance in resilience (p = .001). CONCLUSIONS Considering meaning in life and resilience in older adults helps to improve psychological health and wellness and create a unique potential ability to confront the pitfalls of old age, which result in better physical, mental, social, and spiritual health in older adults.