Social Determinants of Health for Positive Mental Health of Iranian Adults

Considering the importance of positive mental health promotion for preventing psychosocial disorders and increasing physical health and productivity, it is necessary to identify the social determinants of health (SDH) to implement the necessary interventions to improve community health. The present study aims to identify the SDH of positive mental health in Iranian adults.

This is a quantitative and correlational study that was conducted on adults aged 30-60 years living in Tehran, Iran. The sample size was estimated to be 547 people using G*Power software. The samples were selected using a multi-stage random sampling method. After reviewing the literature and meeting with a panel of experts, the SDH list was extracted, and the conceptual model was plotted. The criteria for entering the model was a significance level (P≥0.2). At the end, the structural equation modeling method was applied. The tools used included the mental health continuum–short form, the socioeconomic status questionnaire, multidimensional scale of perceived social support, perceived stress scale-10 items, international physical activity questionnaire-short form, Neissi’s job security questionnaire, Ten Horn’s job security questionnaire, the visual analogue scale for occupational stress assessment, the neighborhood status checklist, Internet use checklist, and social security insurance checklist. The data was analyzed in SPSS software, version 21 and LISREL version 8.8.

The data of 607 questionnaires were analyzed. The mean age of participants was 44.04±9.4 years. The mean score of positive mental health was 45.96±8.65. Among structural determinants, the social class (B=0.181), socio-economic status (B=0.114), job position (B=0.08), building volume per capita (B=0.092) had positive effect on positive mental health, while education (B=-0.071) had negative effect. Among intermediary determinants, job satisfaction (B=0.16), social support (B=0.23) and insurance (B=0.14) had positive effect on positive mental health, while perceived stress (B=-0.62) had negative effect.

Improving socioeconomic status by increasing social support and job satisfaction can increase Iranian adults' positive mental health. On the other hand, the reduction of perceived stress can determine the positive mental health of Iranian adults both directly and indirectly.