رابطه سبک تصمیم‌گیری و انطباق اجتماعی در سالمندان بازنشسته: نقش میانجی معنویت

ABSTRACT 
In the aging period, especially after retirement, the ability to adapt becomes one of the most significant challenges, highlighting the necessity of examining related factors and dimensions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate decision-making styles and social adaptation through the mediating role of spirituality in retired men in Ramshir, Iran. This study employed a descriptive-correlational research design. The statistical population included retired men over 60 years old in Ramshir in 2023-2024, among whom 200 individuals were selected as the sample through convenience sampling, and considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data collection tools included Bosc et al.’s social adaptation questionnaire, Scott and Bruce's decision-making styles questionnaire, and Hall and Edwards’s spirituality scale. For data analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in SPSS-22 and Smart-PLS version 3.2.8 software. The results indicated that the relationship between decision-making style and social adaptation is significant. Additionally, the relationship between spirituality and decision-making style was significant. Moreover, the study results showed that spirituality plays a mediating role in the relationship between decision-making styles and social adaptation. Based on the results of the present study, it is recommended that specialists and consultants in the field of aging focus on decision-making styles to address the maladjustment during the aging period. Given the modifiability of decision-making styles, training and intervention for changing them should be pursued. Additionally, emphasizing logotherapy and engaging in spiritual activities can significantly enhance adaptation and social adaptation.
EXTENDED ABSTRACT
 Introduction
Studies have shown that due to factors such as retirement, loss of family members, and social and cultural changes, social adaptation during the aging period faces various challenges. Although research literature has addressed factors related to adjustment and social adaptation, studies on social adaptation among older adults are limited. Given that decision-making styles in various life domains, including family, work, and education, are highly influential, the manner and style of decision-making can affect an individual’s social adaptation and play a significant role in their life. In the avoidant decision-making style, individuals deny the necessity of decision-making, and in the spontaneous decision-making style, decisions are made immediately upon encountering an issue. In the dependent decision-making style, individuals lack the ability to make decisions independently, leading to incompatibility and lack of adjustment. In contrast, the intuitive decision-making style is based on what an individual’s inner feelings suggest, and the rational decision-making style reflects the decision-maker’s tendency to identify all possible solutions, evaluate the results of each solution from all aspects, and ultimately choose the optimal and most desirable solution when facing decision-making conditions. Considering the knowledge and experiences of older adults, these two styles can be effective in adjustment and social adaptation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate decision-making styles and social adaptation through the mediating role of spirituality.
Method
This study employed a descriptive-correlational design, utilizing a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The statistical population of this study included all retired men over 60 years old in Ramshir, Iran, among whom 200 individuals were selected as the sample using convenience sampling and considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were: (1) gender (male), (2) having retirement status, (3) age over 60, (4) willingness to fill out questionnaires, and (5) literacy. The exclusion criteria were: (1) consumption of psychotropic medicine, (2) addiction to narcotics, and (3) having a physical disability. Data collection tools included Bosc et al.’s social adaptation questionnaire, Scott and Bruce's decision-making styles questionnaire, and Hall and Edwards’s spirituality scale. To gather data, the questionnaires were provided to the retirees of Ramshir city in person. The necessity of the research and necessary explanations regarding responding to the questionnaires were presented to them, and They were assured of the confidentiality of their responses. The data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and SEM in Smart-PLS software version 3.2.8.
Results
The results showed that there are bivariate correlations between the research variables. The correlation between social adaptation and rational decision-making style was .44, social adaptation and intuitive decision-making style was .79, social adaptation and dependent decision-making style was -.69, social adaptation and spontaneous decision-making style was -.56, and social adaptation and avoidant decision-making style was -.54. The relationship between spirituality and social adaptation was found to be .59. The correlation between spirituality and rational decision-making style was .60, spirituality and intuitive decision-making style was .84, spirituality and dependent decision-making style was -.54, and spirituality and avoidant decision-making style was -.75. Before proceeding to path analysis, assumptions related to the examination of outliers, such as the Mahalanobis distance, were used, and the results showed that there were no outliers. Additionally, examining skewness and kurtosis showed that the values were between -2 and +2, so there was no need for data transformation, and path analysis could be conducted. To examine multicollinearity, two indicators, tolerance and variance inflation factor (VIF), were considered. Considering that a VIF greater than 10 indicates multicollinearity, and a tolerance index of .01 or less indicates multicollinearity, there was no multicollinearity present based on the obtained values. The normality of residuals was also examined. For the purpose of examining model fit, goodness-of-fit indices were considered.
The goodness-of-fit indices for the obtained model were as follows: Chi-Square=2.67, Gof=.79, d-G=.69, d-ULS=.64, NFI=.92, and SRMR=.07, indicating a good fit for the model. The results showed that the relationship between decision-making style and social adaptation was significant.  The correlations between rational, intuitive, dependent, spontaneous, and avoidant decision-making styles and social adaptation were .32, .533, -.447, -.445, and -.315, respectively. Additionally, the relationship between spirituality and decision-making style was significant. The correlations between rational, intuitive, dependent, spontaneous, and avoidant decision-making styles and spirituality were .307, .61, -.533, -.757, and -.466, respectively. The correlation between spirituality and social adaptation was reported as .914. Furthermore, the study results of the Sobel test showed that spirituality plays a mediating role in the relationship between decision-making styles and social adaptation. The mediating role of spirituality was significant for the relationships between social adaptation and rational decision-making style (t=5.02, P<.05), spontaneous decision-making style (t=8.74, P< .05), avoidant decision-making style (t=4.52, P<.05), intuitive decision-making style (t=4.61, P<.05), and dependent decision-making style (t=5.58, P<.01).
Conclusion
Individuals with a rational decision-making style actively gather information from diverse sources before making decisions. In summary, the systematic collection of comprehensive information, recognition of limitations, and openness to decision-making—key characteristics of rational decision-making—can facilitate adaptation and social compatibility. Individuals with an intuitive decision-making style can effectively adapt to their environment due to their ability to quickly comprehend dynamic and complex situations. However, individuals with a dependent decision-making style face challenges in social adaptation due to their reliance on external sources and their inability to make independent decisions. Individuals with a spontaneous decision-making style experience significant difficulties in social adaptation due to emotionally driven decisions and insufficient situational assessment. Similarly, individuals with an avoidant decision-making style struggle to adapt effectively due to their tendency to postpone or evade decision-making responsibilities. Simultaneously, spirituality can serve as a protective factor, significantly mitigating potential harm to individuals. Individuals with a stronger adherence to spirituality, guided by their values, spiritual attitudes, and beliefs, tend to make decisions that align more closely with societal norms, thereby enhancing their social adaptation.
Ethical Consideration
Ethical Code
This research was authorized by the Research Deputy of Payame Noor University.
Financial Support
This research did not receive any financial support.
Authors’ Contributions
A.M. and M.A.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data Curation, Writing-Orginal Draft, Project Adminstration; A.A, M.A, and A.M: Software, Validation, Formal Analysis
Conflict of Interest
The author had no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgments
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the esteemed retirees for their cooperation and participation in completing the questionnaires.
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