The home environment plays a crucial role in supporting the health and well-being of older adults. As populations age, there is a growing emphasis on environmental factors as a non-pharmacological intervention that support health. This study extends the concept of salutogenesis by investigating the relationship between residential in-between spaces and older adults’ environmental sense of coherence. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted with 150 older residents from Shahid Beheshti Township, Tehran. Participants completed questionnaires on their perceptions of in-between spaces and their environmental sense of coherence. Data analysis involved Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) for validation, followed by Pearson correlation and multiple regression. We also assessed the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) and used k-fold cross-validation to ensure model robustness. Results showed a strong positive correlation between all three in-between space capabilities and environmental sense of coherence: connector ( r = .730), separator ( r = .771), and integrator ( r = .793), all at p < .001. Regression analysis revealed that the integrator capability was the strongest predictor, accounting for 62.7% of the variance in environmental sense of coherence. These findings suggest that in-between spaces, particularly those with features that seamlessly integrate indoor and outdoor environments, are crucial for fostering a sense of coherence and, consequently, promoting health and well-being in older adults. We recommend architectural and design strategies that prioritize physical characteristics such as proportions, scale, and material harmony to achieve this integration.
Rakhshani et al. (Wed,) studied this question.