Evaluation of the Relationship between Perceived Social Support and Mental Health of Students in Tehran

Aim: People receive social support from family, peers, and other social systems. Within this wide spectrum, social networks that support people unofficially involve the group of family and peers. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between perceived social support and mental health of students in Tehran. Methods: This descriptive and analytical study was conducted on 227 students in Tehran using two questionnaires including the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) with 28 questions, and the social support inventory with two scales of Perceived Social Support from Family (PSSFA) and Perceived Social Support from Friends (PSSFR). The collected data were analyzed via SPSS18 software using Pearson correlation test. Findings: The results showed that mental health had significant relationship with the total score of social support (p<0.05, r=0.197). Furthermore, concerning the other subscales, anxiety and sleep disorders (p<0.02, r=0.155) and social functioning (p<0.006, r=0.190) showed significant relationship with mental health. However, there was no significant correlation between PSSFR and mental health. Conclusion: As proved by the results of this study, when social support is stronger, an individual will have a better mental health status. Moreover, people who experience a higher level of family support have a better mental health status.