Are the Spiritual Needs of the Urban Elders different from the Rural Elders

Introduction: Considering the sensitivity of the elderly period and the existence of periods of loneliness, depression, isolation and confrontation, reduction of autonomy, dignity and the role of spiritual needs in promoting physical and mental health of the elderly, This study was conducted to compare the spiritual needs of urban and rural elders in Kermanshah in 2016. Method: This research was descriptive-comparative Study. 384 elderly (192 urban elderly and 192 rural) were selected by random cluster sampling method from health centers of Kermanshah. Two Part questionnaires including demographic and support needs were used for data collection. To analyze the data, t-test and Chi-square was used. Results: The results of the study showed that 44.2% of the participants in this study were male and 55.8% were female. 42.2% of urban elderly people aged 65-69 and 36% of rural elderly were 75 years old. Significant differences were observed in terms of marital status, number of children, source of income, type of occupation and type of insurance between urban and rural elders (p<.001).Result showed that rural elders had more spiritual needs than the urban elderly (P<0.02 T=1.21). Conclusion: According to the findings, developing educational programs and, religious camps and trips, for rural elders will be effective in meeting their spiritual needs.