Social health in the elderly: a meta-analytic study

Social health in its broadest sense is described by the quantity and quality of human performance in social interactions and positive and negative evaluations of this type of behavior by others. The purpose of the present research is to present a descriptive and analytical model of indicators and metrics that determine social health among the elderly based on the studies of the last decade.

In the present study, the qualitative method of descriptive meta-analysis and systematic review was used. The statistical population of the current research includes 67 selected studies, in this study 26 of them were selected and described, analyzed and compared due to their suitability and relevance to the topic. Collecting information in this study based on the checklist for selecting research studies, through a regular review search in the publications of Gerontology, IRANIAN of AGEING, Social Welfare, social health, Social Development and Welfare Planning, as well as the database of the comprehensive portal of humanities, the scientific information center of academic jihad and Google Scholar occurred.

According to the findings of this research, in most of the studies conducted in the last decade, the unit of analysis has been the elderly, and in most cases, the survey method has been used to collect data. Also, Keyes' theory of social health in relation to social determinants such as House and Fleming-Baum's social support and interactions, Zaff's quality of life, Gidden's social security and Bourdieu's social capital has been the dominant research guide, among the factors mentioned are social support and interactions and its indicators. Compared to other components, they have had a significant impact on the social health of the elderly.

An overview of the studies carried out in the last decade revealed that although the assessment of the social health status based on Keyes' five model is the most decisive in the studies, this model has not been able to provide an analytical model - a detailed description of the assessment of the social health status of the elderly compared to other groups based on background variables. such as age, gender, occupation, education, residence, income, etc. ; Therefore, it is recommended by researchers and policymakers to provide a new and comprehensive model for research and policy making in the field of social health of the elderly.