Predictors of Quality of Life Among Middle-Aged Saudi Women: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis

Middle-aged women in Saudi Arabia are navigating a significant period of life transition during the rapid socioeconomic shift driven by the Saudi Vision 2030. Evidence indicates that chronic diseases are associated with poor quality of life (QoL), whereas competing employment and family responsibilities may further influence well-being. Psychosocial resources, including life satisfaction, family role satisfaction, and social support, are important predictors of QoL. Although clinical research often focuses on the physiological changes during this stage, the hierarchical influence of sociodemographic, health-related, and psychosocial factors on their QoL remains underexplored. This study aimed to identify the incremental predictors of QoL among middle-aged Saudi women using a hierarchical regression analysis.

This cross-sectional study included 310 Saudi women aged 40-65 years recruited through online convenience sampling. A three-block hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the incremental variance explained by the predictors.

The hierarchical regression analysis showed that predictors of QoL were multilayered and progressively significant. In the initial step, employment status emerged as a significant positive predictor, although it explained only 1.4% of the variance. The addition of health-related factors in the second step significantly increased the explained variance to 5.6%, identifying the presence of at least one chronic condition as a substantial negative predictor. The final psychosocial block, including self-satisfaction, life satisfaction, family role satisfaction, and social support, contributed to the most dramatic incremental increase, with the full model explaining 43% of the total variance in QoL (R²=0.43, F=22.42, p<0.001).

Psychosocial variables demonstrated the strongest association with QoL and accounted for the largest incremental increase in explained variance. These findings underscore the necessity for nursing and public health interventions to transition toward a holistic, patient-centered model that prioritizes psychosocial factors.