Mental health, Coping strategies and social support among students of Sirjan college of Medical Sciences: 2012-2013

  Introduction : Entering College is a major change and a critical period in one's social and family life. This study aims to investigate Mental Health Status and some affecting variables Such as coping strategies and social support among students of Sirjan College of Medical Sciences.   Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the entire students enrolled in Sirjan College. Three questionnaires, including mental health (GHQ), social support and coping style, were employed for measuring variables. Data were analyzed by using descriptive and analytical statistics.   Results: The results showed that 11.8% of the students were suspected of mental disorders. Students in health discipline had the best status of mental health among the different disciplines and students of the field of laboratory sciences had the worst. Social support variable was the strongest predictor of students' mental health Overall. In total 20 percent of the variation in mental health was explained by the six independent variables.   Conclusion: According to our findings, effective coping skills and social support can be effective in improving students' mental health. Thus, regarding the fact that this college is newly built, measures and policies are required in order to improve the students' mental health including the reduction of academic stress and life skills workshops.