The study of the relationship between social capital and mental disorders in children and adolescents in Kohgiloyeh and Boyer Ahmad province, Iran

Abstract

Background and aims: Social capital, by encouraging people to collaborate and engage in social interactions, has been considered as an effective factor for development of mental disorders. In the preset study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between different aspects of social capital and psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Methods: This study was conducted between 2016 and 2017 in Kohgiloyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, Iran. A total of 1001 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years and their parents were randomly selected using multistage cluster sampling to participate in the study. The data in the present study were compiled using a Persian translated version of the Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) semi-structured questionnaire as well as the Social Capital Questionnaire of Nahapiet and Ghoshal. The raw data were analyzed statistically using Fisher and chi-square tests. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 16.0 version. Results: Our results show that better relationship, cooperation, mutual understanding, and commitment are significantly and inversely correlated to psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents. In this regard we found that the mutual understanding (P=0.008) and relationships (P=0.001) are strongly related to social capital, while other components may have more or less effects. Conclusion: Our findings show that various aspects of social capital are associated with development of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Some of the social capital components including better relationship, cooperation, mutual understanding, and obligation have significant effects; however, others including networks, values and trust could not exert significant effects on mental health.