Volume 22, Issue 85 (8-2022)
refahj 2022, 22(85): 301-337 |
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Valadbeigi E, Zamani M, Nahalgar P, Safari S. (2022). Analyzing the Psycho-social Processes of Transgender Students in University of Tehran. refahj. 22(85), 301-337.
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3726-en.html
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3726-en.html
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Introduction: In 1393, a research project entitled “National Survey of Mental Health and Social Capital of Iran in 1393” was conducted in 31 provinces of Iran. In this research project the participants were randomly selected and surveyed in each province, in the center of the province and in the three cities and villages of that province. The two concepts of mental health and social capital were measured and studied. This project is a national research and in continuation of the national research entitled “Study of mental health status in people 15 years and older in the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1378”. Therefore, the current study can be considered as the continuation of the research project of 1378, but the difference between the two research projects is that in the research of 1393, in addition to the components related to the concept of mental health, the components related to the concept of social capital have also been measured. In this article, what we are trying to describe is the state of social capital in Iranian society.
Social capital is a complex and multidimensional structure or concept and refers to a phenomenon whose main source of creation is society i.e., the field of social interactions. In any society, the social sub-system in relation to other sub-systems is the main source of social relations and interactions with feelings and emotions that generate mutual obligations to establish ties and communication between actors and build trust, solidarity, cohesion, and synergy, which is necessary to facilitate social action. Social capital in general has two main dimensions: objective (structural) and subjective (cognitive). The objective or structural dimension of social capital includes social interactions and connections, such as individual, intergroup, and social relations; however, the subjective dimension represents mental interactions and connections, such as social trust.
In this article, we describe social capital as a “network of relationships based on interpersonal and intergroup social trust and the interaction of individuals with groups, organizations and social institutions that are accompanied by social solidarity social cohesion and the use of individuals and groups from social support and Energy is needed to facilitate actions to achieve individual and collective goals”. In this study, we try to examine the structure of social capital according to the four components of social participation, social network, social trust and social norms in the country. Therefore, these four components form the theoretical framework of this research.
Method: The present research is a quantitative-descriptive study. This means that this study does not seek to test hypotheses, but only describes the data obtained from a national survey that has been done through survey questionnaires. This research has been conducted in the form of a cross-sectional study in Azar and Dey 1393 (December 2014 and January 2015). The statistical population of the study includes people aged 15 years and older living in urban and rural areas of Iran. Considering that the statistical population in this study comprises the people living in urban and rural areas of Iran, the sampling framework includes a list consisting of all areas, and building blocks of each area in urban and rural areas are selected accordingly. In this list, in addition to the address of the areas and blocks, there is also the number of households living in each block. For this purpose, subsidiary information and detailed maps of the Statistics Center of Iran were used. Also, the unit of this research is each member of the households living in the 31 provinces of the country who were over 15 years old at the time of conducting the project. The research sample in this study was 37,200 people, and the sample was selected by systematic and cluster random sampling. The sampling was conducted in such a way that in each of the 31 provinces of the country, two cities were selected in addition to the center of province and individuals from those cities were randomly selected. It should be noted that data collection began in Azar 1393 (December 2014) and lasted until the end of Dey of the same year (January 2015). The data collection method was such that the questioning team went to the door according to the cluster head (10-digit postal code). Each questioning team consisted of 2 people (a woman and a man) who interviewed 12 adults (People 15 years and older) in each cluster according to the study completion guide. The method of selecting these 12 people is based on six age groups (15 to 25 years, 26 to 35 years, 36 to 45 years, 46 to 55 years, 56 to 65 years, and 66 years and above) so that in each age group, one male and one female were studied.
Findings: Regarding the status of social participation, the findings show that in 1393, the Iranians mostly participated in the collective activities of family members (average 3.4), then kinsfolk members (average 3.1), after these two groups, in activities of groups of friends (average 2.5), nearby neighbors (average 2.3), neighborhood people, and people of the same ethnicity and religion (average 2.0), colleagues, and fellow citizens (average 1.9) and finally compatriots (average 1.8).
Findings related to the social relations network indicate that in 1393, Iranians primarlily communicate more than any other group with colleagues (average 3.8), neighbors (average 3.4), and friends (average 3.2). Then, they Communicate with family members (average 2.8) and family members (average 1.8).
Also, regarding the situation of social support, the findings indicate that Iranians, more than any other group, have helped to solve the acute problems of their family members (average 4.3) and after them to solve the problems of kinsfolk members (average 3.7). While helping to solve the acute problems of friends (average 3.3), close neighbors (average 3.1) and local members (average 2.9) are in the next ranks. It should be noted that the participation of the Iranian people in solving the acute problems of colleagues, people of the same ethnicity and religion, fellow citizens and Iranians (countrymen) has the same average of 2.8.
As regards the status of social trust as the most important component of social capital, the research findings show that Iranians trust their family members more than any other groups (average 4.6) and after this group, in the second degree, they trust kinship groups (average 3.6) and friends (average 3.1). In terms of trust, the Iranian people in the group of nearby neighbors (average 2.8) are in the next rank. But the level of trust of the Iranian people in other groups is lower than the average (2.5) so that the level of public trust that they hold towards colleagues, residents, and people of both ethnicity and religion is 2.4; and the level of trust towards the citizens and other people of Iran is 2.3. But the level of trust of the Iranian people in other groups is lower than the average (i.e 2.5) so that the level of people’s trust in colleagues, neighborhood residents and people of the same ethnicity and religion is 2.4; and the level of trust in the fellow citizens and other people of Iran is 2.3.
In addition to the situation of feelings of belonging and friendship, the data show that in 1393, the people of Iranian society, in the first degree, felt a sense of belonging and friendship towards family members (average 4.5) and kinsfolk members (average 3.8), and after these two groups, they had the highest sense of belonging to friends (mean 3.3) and the people living nearby (mean 2.9). Also, the feeling of belonging of Iranians to the groups of residents of the neighborhood (average 2.6) and other groups of colleagues, people of the same ethnicity and religion, fellow citizens and the people of Iran (average 2.5) is in the next rank.
Findings on the status of social norms and values show that among social values, the highest level of adherence of individuals pertains to the value of respect to elders (average 2.9) and then the value of respect to others (average 2.8).Besides, values of adherence to the law, and fiduciary duty with an average of 2.6, and values of forgiveness and sacrifice; courage in telling the truth; and the observance of the rights of others with an average of 2.5 are in the next ranks in terms of people’s commitment. Also, people’s adherence to the values of truthfulness and observance of justice and fairness, as well as honesty and avoidance of fraud are below average and are in the next ranks.
Meanwhile, in 1393, research findings show that the people of Iranian society have better assessed the political situation (average 3.1) of the country than other conditions. Also, after the political situation, Iranians’ assessment of social and cultural conditions with an average of 3.0 is in second place in terms of performance, while the environmental situation with an average of 2.7 is in next place. It should be noted that people’s assessment of the economic situation compared to other situations with an average value lower than the mean (2.3) was the weakest.
Discussion: According to the findings of this study, women’s social capital is more concentrated in participatory activities that are informal, and they have more voluntary participation in health, education, and social services; however, men participate in activities that are more general (for example, sports clubs, political parties and trade :union:s). This result has been confirmed in the present study. In connection with informal networks of relationships, members of a family usually consider the problems in the family as their problem and try to solve it by relying on family members. The collective activity of individuals is done first with family members, then with relatives. Also, people communicate in the first place with family and then close relatives. The collective activity of people with friends, local members, close neighbors, colleagues, and fellow citizens is very weak. In the field of participation and association relations, the results show that despite having a sense of responsibility for the fate of their family, individuals have limited cooperation with the civil society organizations, associations and other relevant institutions. In general, the more we distance from the circle of interaction with family and close relatives, the more limited the amount of participation in activities is likely to be, which indicates the dominance of bonding social capital in the study community. It seems that the new urban lifestyle has made people have more limited opportunities to be together and feel less belonging with others than in the past;therefore, the farther we go from the family circle, the less the feeling of friendship and belonging appear to be. This distance manifests itself in a larger space of society in a different way, so that the principles of values such as fidelity, honesty, forgiveness, fairness, and justice, etc. are observed by citizens in moderation. However, in Iranian society, people still feel responsibility towards others.
In general, according to the results of research on the amount of social capital in society, it can be said that the amount of social capital within the group (bonding social capital) of people is more than extragroup social capital (bridging social capital). This result provides policy makers and planners with policy points so as to promote social capital and its consequences, including improving mental and social health.
Ethical considerations
Contribution of authors
All authors have been actively involved in writing all sections of this article.
Funds
This article is part of the results of a research project entitled “National Survey of Measuring Mental Health and Social Capital of Iran in 2014” which was conducted with the financial support of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran.
Conflict of interest
According to the authors, there is no conflict of interest in this article.
Principles of research ethics
Researchers in this study followed all the principles of research ethics in all stages.
Introduction: In 1393, a research project entitled “National Survey of Mental Health and Social Capital of Iran in 1393” was conducted in 31 provinces of Iran. In this research project the participants were randomly selected and surveyed in each province, in the center of the province and in the three cities and villages of that province. The two concepts of mental health and social capital were measured and studied. This project is a national research and in continuation of the national research entitled “Study of mental health status in people 15 years and older in the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1378”. Therefore, the current study can be considered as the continuation of the research project of 1378, but the difference between the two research projects is that in the research of 1393, in addition to the components related to the concept of mental health, the components related to the concept of social capital have also been measured. In this article, what we are trying to describe is the state of social capital in Iranian society.
Social capital is a complex and multidimensional structure or concept and refers to a phenomenon whose main source of creation is society i.e., the field of social interactions. In any society, the social sub-system in relation to other sub-systems is the main source of social relations and interactions with feelings and emotions that generate mutual obligations to establish ties and communication between actors and build trust, solidarity, cohesion, and synergy, which is necessary to facilitate social action. Social capital in general has two main dimensions: objective (structural) and subjective (cognitive). The objective or structural dimension of social capital includes social interactions and connections, such as individual, intergroup, and social relations; however, the subjective dimension represents mental interactions and connections, such as social trust.
In this article, we describe social capital as a “network of relationships based on interpersonal and intergroup social trust and the interaction of individuals with groups, organizations and social institutions that are accompanied by social solidarity social cohesion and the use of individuals and groups from social support and Energy is needed to facilitate actions to achieve individual and collective goals”. In this study, we try to examine the structure of social capital according to the four components of social participation, social network, social trust and social norms in the country. Therefore, these four components form the theoretical framework of this research.
Method: The present research is a quantitative-descriptive study. This means that this study does not seek to test hypotheses, but only describes the data obtained from a national survey that has been done through survey questionnaires. This research has been conducted in the form of a cross-sectional study in Azar and Dey 1393 (December 2014 and January 2015). The statistical population of the study includes people aged 15 years and older living in urban and rural areas of Iran. Considering that the statistical population in this study comprises the people living in urban and rural areas of Iran, the sampling framework includes a list consisting of all areas, and building blocks of each area in urban and rural areas are selected accordingly. In this list, in addition to the address of the areas and blocks, there is also the number of households living in each block. For this purpose, subsidiary information and detailed maps of the Statistics Center of Iran were used. Also, the unit of this research is each member of the households living in the 31 provinces of the country who were over 15 years old at the time of conducting the project. The research sample in this study was 37,200 people, and the sample was selected by systematic and cluster random sampling. The sampling was conducted in such a way that in each of the 31 provinces of the country, two cities were selected in addition to the center of province and individuals from those cities were randomly selected. It should be noted that data collection began in Azar 1393 (December 2014) and lasted until the end of Dey of the same year (January 2015). The data collection method was such that the questioning team went to the door according to the cluster head (10-digit postal code). Each questioning team consisted of 2 people (a woman and a man) who interviewed 12 adults (People 15 years and older) in each cluster according to the study completion guide. The method of selecting these 12 people is based on six age groups (15 to 25 years, 26 to 35 years, 36 to 45 years, 46 to 55 years, 56 to 65 years, and 66 years and above) so that in each age group, one male and one female were studied.
Findings: Regarding the status of social participation, the findings show that in 1393, the Iranians mostly participated in the collective activities of family members (average 3.4), then kinsfolk members (average 3.1), after these two groups, in activities of groups of friends (average 2.5), nearby neighbors (average 2.3), neighborhood people, and people of the same ethnicity and religion (average 2.0), colleagues, and fellow citizens (average 1.9) and finally compatriots (average 1.8).
Findings related to the social relations network indicate that in 1393, Iranians primarlily communicate more than any other group with colleagues (average 3.8), neighbors (average 3.4), and friends (average 3.2). Then, they Communicate with family members (average 2.8) and family members (average 1.8).
Also, regarding the situation of social support, the findings indicate that Iranians, more than any other group, have helped to solve the acute problems of their family members (average 4.3) and after them to solve the problems of kinsfolk members (average 3.7). While helping to solve the acute problems of friends (average 3.3), close neighbors (average 3.1) and local members (average 2.9) are in the next ranks. It should be noted that the participation of the Iranian people in solving the acute problems of colleagues, people of the same ethnicity and religion, fellow citizens and Iranians (countrymen) has the same average of 2.8.
As regards the status of social trust as the most important component of social capital, the research findings show that Iranians trust their family members more than any other groups (average 4.6) and after this group, in the second degree, they trust kinship groups (average 3.6) and friends (average 3.1). In terms of trust, the Iranian people in the group of nearby neighbors (average 2.8) are in the next rank. But the level of trust of the Iranian people in other groups is lower than the average (2.5) so that the level of public trust that they hold towards colleagues, residents, and people of both ethnicity and religion is 2.4; and the level of trust towards the citizens and other people of Iran is 2.3. But the level of trust of the Iranian people in other groups is lower than the average (i.e 2.5) so that the level of people’s trust in colleagues, neighborhood residents and people of the same ethnicity and religion is 2.4; and the level of trust in the fellow citizens and other people of Iran is 2.3.
In addition to the situation of feelings of belonging and friendship, the data show that in 1393, the people of Iranian society, in the first degree, felt a sense of belonging and friendship towards family members (average 4.5) and kinsfolk members (average 3.8), and after these two groups, they had the highest sense of belonging to friends (mean 3.3) and the people living nearby (mean 2.9). Also, the feeling of belonging of Iranians to the groups of residents of the neighborhood (average 2.6) and other groups of colleagues, people of the same ethnicity and religion, fellow citizens and the people of Iran (average 2.5) is in the next rank.
Findings on the status of social norms and values show that among social values, the highest level of adherence of individuals pertains to the value of respect to elders (average 2.9) and then the value of respect to others (average 2.8).Besides, values of adherence to the law, and fiduciary duty with an average of 2.6, and values of forgiveness and sacrifice; courage in telling the truth; and the observance of the rights of others with an average of 2.5 are in the next ranks in terms of people’s commitment. Also, people’s adherence to the values of truthfulness and observance of justice and fairness, as well as honesty and avoidance of fraud are below average and are in the next ranks.
Meanwhile, in 1393, research findings show that the people of Iranian society have better assessed the political situation (average 3.1) of the country than other conditions. Also, after the political situation, Iranians’ assessment of social and cultural conditions with an average of 3.0 is in second place in terms of performance, while the environmental situation with an average of 2.7 is in next place. It should be noted that people’s assessment of the economic situation compared to other situations with an average value lower than the mean (2.3) was the weakest.
Discussion: According to the findings of this study, women’s social capital is more concentrated in participatory activities that are informal, and they have more voluntary participation in health, education, and social services; however, men participate in activities that are more general (for example, sports clubs, political parties and trade :union:s). This result has been confirmed in the present study. In connection with informal networks of relationships, members of a family usually consider the problems in the family as their problem and try to solve it by relying on family members. The collective activity of individuals is done first with family members, then with relatives. Also, people communicate in the first place with family and then close relatives. The collective activity of people with friends, local members, close neighbors, colleagues, and fellow citizens is very weak. In the field of participation and association relations, the results show that despite having a sense of responsibility for the fate of their family, individuals have limited cooperation with the civil society organizations, associations and other relevant institutions. In general, the more we distance from the circle of interaction with family and close relatives, the more limited the amount of participation in activities is likely to be, which indicates the dominance of bonding social capital in the study community. It seems that the new urban lifestyle has made people have more limited opportunities to be together and feel less belonging with others than in the past;therefore, the farther we go from the family circle, the less the feeling of friendship and belonging appear to be. This distance manifests itself in a larger space of society in a different way, so that the principles of values such as fidelity, honesty, forgiveness, fairness, and justice, etc. are observed by citizens in moderation. However, in Iranian society, people still feel responsibility towards others.
In general, according to the results of research on the amount of social capital in society, it can be said that the amount of social capital within the group (bonding social capital) of people is more than extragroup social capital (bridging social capital). This result provides policy makers and planners with policy points so as to promote social capital and its consequences, including improving mental and social health.
Ethical considerations
Contribution of authors
All authors have been actively involved in writing all sections of this article.
Funds
This article is part of the results of a research project entitled “National Survey of Measuring Mental Health and Social Capital of Iran in 2014” which was conducted with the financial support of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran.
Conflict of interest
According to the authors, there is no conflict of interest in this article.
Principles of research ethics
Researchers in this study followed all the principles of research ethics in all stages.
Type of Study: orginal |
Received: 2020/09/1 | Accepted: 2022/04/4 | Published: 2022/08/8
Received: 2020/09/1 | Accepted: 2022/04/4 | Published: 2022/08/8
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