Moderating Role of Psychological Well-being and Social Support in the Relationship between Psychological Distress and Quality of Life among Retirees
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52053/jpap.v7i1.479Keywords:
Psychological Distress, Psychological Well-being, Quality of Life, Social SupportAbstract
The primary objective of the study was to investigate the moderating roles of psychological well-being and social support in the relationship between psychological distress and quality of life among retirees in the cultural context of Pakistan. Data were collected using a snowball sampling technique from retirees aged 65 and above with at least five years of government service. This correlational study employed standardized questionnaires, including the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (short version, 21 items), a psychological well-being scale, a social support questionnaire, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. Psychological distress showed a significant negative correlation with psychological well-being, social support, and quality of life. Furthermore, psychological well-being was strongly and positively correlated with social support and quality of life, and social support demonstrated a significant positive association with quality of life. Moderation analyses were conducted using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro version 4.2 (Model 1), which revealed that social support significantly moderated the association between psychological distress and quality of life, whereas psychological well-being did not. The study concludes with implications, suggesting that strengthening social support networks may help mitigate the adverse effects of psychological distress on retirees’ quality of life.
References
?ankovi?, S., Nikoli?-A?, E., Mijatovi?-Jovanovi?, V., Kvrgi?, S., Harhaji, S., & Radi?, I. (2016). Quality of life of elderly people living in a retirement home. Vojnosanitetski pregled, 73(1), 42-46. https://doi.org/10.2298/VSP131205126C
Dang, L., Ananthasubramaniam, A., & Mezuk, B. (2022). Spotlight on the challenges of depression following retirement and opportunities for interventions. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 1037-1056. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S336301
Fadeeva, A., Simmons, J., Thomas, L. B., Baker, K., & Ling, F. C. M. (2025). Retirement Adjustment Framework: Understanding the Interplay Between Individual and Contextual Factors. Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion, 6(2), 335-361. https://doi.org/10.1177/26320770241279737
Gutmanis, I., Coleman, B. L., Ramsay, K., Maunder, R., Bondy, S. J., & McGeer, A. (2024). Psychological distress among healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic: patterns over time. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 1214. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11577-w
Haslam, C., Lam, B. C., Branscombe, N. R., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, S. A., Cruwys, T., Fong, P., & Ball, T. C. (2018). Adjusting to life in retirement: The protective role of new group memberships and identification as a retiree. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 27(6), 822-839. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2018.1538127
Henning-Smith, C. (2016). Quality of life and psychological distress among older adults: The role of living arrangements. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 35(1), 39-61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464814530805
Hommelhoff, S., Leickert, T., & Liao, H. W. (2023). Reminiscence About Work Life in Retirement: What Is Remembered? Why Might it Matter? Work, Aging and Retirement, 9(3), 312-322. https://doi.org/10.1093/workar/waac018
Husin, N. A., Saad, M., Mariyanti, E., & Razak, N. A. (2021). What Matters for Retirees to Experience a Great Quality of Life? Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 6(17), 101-107. https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i17.2787
Ili?, I., Šipeti?-Gruji?i?, S., Gruji?i?, J., Živanovi? Ma?uži?, I., Koci?, S., & Ili?, M. (2019). Psychometric properties of the world health organization’s quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire in medical students. Medicina, 55(12), 772. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55120772
Joshi, S. (2017). Graceful Retirement. Journal of Institute of Medicine Nepal, 39(2), 94-97. https://doi.org/10.59779/jiomnepal.959
Lahdenperä, M., Virtanen, M., Myllyntausta, S., Pentti, J., Vahtera, J., & Stenholm, S. (2022). Psychological distress during the retirement transition and the role of psychosocial working conditions and social living environment. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 77(1), 135-148. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbab054
Lovibond, P. F., & Lovibond, S. H. (1995). The structure of negative emotional states: Comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33(3), 335-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-U
Lu, P., & Shelley, M. (2021). Retirement, pensions, and depressive symptoms among older adults in China, England, Mexico, and the United States. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 92(1), 40-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415019868227
Palomäki, L. M., Liukko, J., Riekhoff, A. J., & Tenhunen, S. (2025). Retirement timing and changes in quality of life: a retrospective analysis of transition from employment to old-age retirement in Finland. European Journal of Ageing, 22(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-025-00881-x
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022 3514.69.4.719
Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (2008). Know thyself and become what you are: A eudaimonic approach to psychological well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(1), 13-39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9019-0
?ahin, D. S., Özer, Ö., & Yanarda?, M. Z. (2019). Perceived social support, quality of life and satisfaction with life in elderly people. Educational Gerontology, 45(1), 69-77. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2019.1585065
Sarason, I. G., Shearin, P., & Sarason, B. (1987). Social support questionnaire. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 4(4), 497-510. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407587044007
Sharifi, M., Nodehi, D., & Bazgir, B. (2023). Physical activity and psychological adjustment among retirees: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 194. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15080-5
Sharma, K. N., Karunanidhi, S., & Chitra, T. (2015). Determinants of psychological well-being among retirees. International Research Journal of Social Science, 4(3), 19-26.
Silva, I. G. P., Marquete, V. F., Lino, I. G. T., Batista, V. C., Magnabosco, G., Haddad, M. D. C. F. L., & Marcon, S. S. (2023). Factors associated with quality of life in retirement: a systematic review. Revista brasileira de medicina do trabalho, 20(4), 676. https://doi.org/10.47626/1679-4435-2022-876
Tarkar, P., & Dhamija, S. (2020). The influence of perceived social support on quality of life and intention towards work after retirement. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 9(2), 3520-3524.
Vahedi, S. (2010). World Health Organization Quality-of-Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF): analyses of their item response theory properties based on the graded responses model. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 5(4), 140.
Wu, M., Yang, Y., Zhang, D., Zhao, X., Sun, Y., Xie, H., Jia, J., Su, Y., & Li, Y. (2018). Association between social support and health-related quality of life among Chinese rural elders in nursing homes: the mediating role of resilience. Quality of Life Research, 27(3), 783-792. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-017-1730-2
Yesuf, S. A. (2025). Psychological distress among recently retired individuals in a resource-limited setting: the role of overall functioning and the moderating effect of perceived social support. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 3654. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23825-7
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sehrish Naeem, Awais Khalid, Sara Komal

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License (https://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-Commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the Journal website at (https://iprpk.com/ojs/index.php/jpap)






