Investigation of Social Capital among Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences Students

Background & objectives: Social capital is a set of norms and social relationships that enable people to interact together to achieve desirable goals and reduce the cost of interaction and communication. Considering the importance of social capital, the aim of this study was to evaluate the social capital and related factors among students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 400 students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. They were selected using quota sampling based on the students’ population of each faculty. Demographic characteristics and Onyx social capital questionnaire with 8 items were used for data collection. Data were analyzed by one-sample T test and multivariate regression tests using SPSS-20. Results: The mean score of total social capital obtained from the total dimensions was 2.31±0.41. The minimum and maximum means were measured for dimensions of “participation in local community” (1.72) and “family and friends’ connections” (2.68). The study also showed a significant relation between social capital with gender, economic status, age and educational level. Conclusion: Based on the study results, to increase the social capital, it is recommended that manager and administrators of university provide a good context for improving social capital through reinforcing individual and group interactions, and encouraging of involvement in social activities.