International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Exploring the Contributions of Social Support, Locus of Control, and Sociodemographic Factors to Quality of Life in Older Adults

Quality of life (QOL) is influenced by a combination of psychosocial and sociodemographic factors. Understanding the relative contributions of social support, locus of control, and demographic characteristics is important for identifying determinants of well-being. This study examined the relationships among social support, locus of control, sociodemographic factors, and quality of life and evaluated their relative contributions to the prediction of overall quality of life. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed with 209 adult participants. Data were collected using a sociodemographic information sheet, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, a locus of control measure, and the WHOQOL-BREF. Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank-order correlations, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Social support was positively associated with physical (rₛ = .227, p < .001), psychological (rₛ = .250, p < .001), social (rₛ = .320, p < .001), environmental (rₛ = .372, p < .001), and overall quality of life (rₛ = .375, p < .001). Locus of control was significantly associated only with social quality of life (rₛ = −.186, p < .01). Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that social support significantly improved the prediction model, explaining an additional 9.4% of the variance in quality of life. Social support emerged as the strongest positive predictor (β = .326, p < .001). Social support is an important factor that can influence quality of life just as much as sociodemographic factors. Social support network strengthening interventions can have a positive impact on social well-being and quality of life.