a survey on the relation between social support and mental health in students of tehran university

background: this study sought the relationship between social support, mental health and demographic factors in new students of tehran university (2005-06). methods: this cross-sectional descriptive study enrolled 2916 university students. subjects were evaluated using demographic questionnaire, general health questionnaire-12 and social support scale. statistical analysis was performed by anova, regression and two sample t tests. findings: this study showed that female students, married, high school science experiment field, location of tehran , shahed high school ,first district contribution for entrance, arts faculty and prediction of residence with family have higher social support. conclusion: social support and mental health have significant and positive relationship. change policies aimed at improving quality and quantity of supportive networks, especially for vulnerable students can strengthen the protective effect of social support.