The Relationship of Bonding Social Capital with Mental Health among Slum dwellers

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of components of social capital on the mental health of slum dwellers living in the slums of Arzanan and Zeinabieh. Coleman''s and Putnam''s point of views were used as the theoretical base and W. H. O. 28-item General Health Questionnaire was used to measure mental health. This study is a survey research and the technique of data collection has been questionnaire. The research population consisted of all the residents of Arzanan and Zeinabieh regions of Isfahan who were 16 years old and above، whom 357 individuals، were selected via a cluster sampling technique. The independent variables consisted of trust، participation in local activities and organizations، social solidarity، and informal norms. The dependent variable has been mental health. The findings have shown the mean of trust has been 2. 62 and participation is 2. 63، which were below the theoretical average of 3. The mean for solidarity was 3. 21 and for informal norms was 3. 06، which were above the theoretical average of 3. The mean for mental health was also 3. 06. The results indicated that trust (r=0. 115)، social solidarity (r=0. 187)، and informal norms (r=0. 289) were significantly related to mental health. There was no such relation between participation or age and mental health. Regression analysis showed that social capital could explain about 13. 5 percent of the variance of mental health.