The Entanglement of Trust and Its Impact on Social Health (A Case Study of Second Secondary Students in Jahrom City)

The current research aims to investigate the social health status of students and its relationship with specific trust, generalized trust, and institutional trust.

The current research is quantitative and survey-type. Three hundred fifty-nine students were selected as the research sample through Cochran's formula and stratified random method. The data collection tool was Keyes' standard social health questionnaire (1998) and researcher-made social trust questionnaire, whose reliability was estimated through Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability index (CR), and its validity was estimated through average variance extracted (AVE) and diagnostic validity. Data analysis was done at two descriptive levels through SPSS software and inferential through the partial least square (PLS) method.

Descriptive findings showed that the social health status of students is average. Inferential findings showed that all three variables have a positive and significant relationship with social health, but generalized trust has a stronger effect than the other two variables. In addition, institutional trust mediates the effect of specific and generalized trust on social health.

The results emphasize the importance of cultivating trust at different levels to increase social health. Educational institutions and policymakers should strive to foster environments that promote trust at all levels.