Evaluation of social capital among students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2016

Background: Social capital includes a series of issues and values, which is potentially in relation with social groups and organizations. Due to the importance of social capital as a determining factor in the health, this study aimed to evaluate the social capital in the students of the Isfahan University of Medical Science.   Methods: This survey was the first phase of a survey that was carried out in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences on 700 students. Students were selected by a stratified random sampling method. Data on social capital of students were collected using Bullen questionnaire. For data analysis, IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. software was used.     Results: The mean (SD) score of social capital of the students in this study were 62.11 (14.6), in which the lowest score belonged to the cooperation domain and the highest one belonged to the identity. The most important factors that related to the social capital of the students, included the gender (male: 58.82 (15.87) vs. female: 65.44 (15.87), P=0.028), residency (dormitory: 62.89 (14.3), live with family: 62.22 (14.27), personal home: 50.53 (20.63), P=0.006) and educational level (doctorate degree: 60.48 (13.79) vs. bachelor degree: 63.27 (15.07), P=0.019).    Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the social capital score of college students was in a moderate level and policymakers need to design interventions in order to improve students' social capital especially in the level of their participation in the society

Mental Health of Healthcare Workers During the Third Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Did We Forget them after the First Wave?

Background: Since December 2019, countries experienced different numbers of COVID-19 pandemic waves. The COVID-19 pandemic led to adverse psychologic problems in the communities and among healthcare workers (HCWs), but the dynamic of these problems through different waves needs to be established more. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2020, through the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Isfahan, Iran. We studied HCWs' depression, anxiety, and stress using Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and insomnia using Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) questionnaires. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the association of some characteristic factors with different psychologic symptoms. Results: Our results showed that about 80% of HCWs had one or more psychological problems. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia was 46.0%, 50.2%, 44.6%, and 66.5%, respectively. Female sex, working in ICU, and having a history of chronic disease were predictors of psychological symptoms in our participants. Conclusion: HCWs' mental health state could be underestimated or neglected. The third pandemic wave negatively affected the mental health of the HCWs. Since mental health problems of HCWs may reduce the quality of care, the potential impact of not addressing this issue should be highlighted