Journal of School of Public Health and

Background and Aim: Communication is one of the oldest and greatest human achievements underlying our social life. Available literature show factors such as self-esteem, interpersonal skills, establishing desirable communication, goal setting and determining individual values have effective roles in the prevention and reduction of susceptibility to behavioral abnormalities and mental disorders (anxiety, depression, etc.), as well as in the promotion of mental health. The objective of this study was to determine associations between communication skills and mental health in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS), Mashhad, Iran.

Methods and Materials: This was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted in 2011. The statistical population was all the MUMS students. A sample of 210 students was selected by stratified sampling and signed an informed consent. Data were collected using Communication Skills and General Health Questionnaires and analyzed using the SPSS 16 software, the statistical tests being Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square. In all tests the significance level was 5%. To determine correlations between the variables the Spearman coefficient was used.

Results: The findings showed that 130 of the 210 students (61.9%) were suspected of having a mental disorder. Based on the Spearman correlation coefficient there were no statistically significant relationships between mental health and age (p=0.727) or skills such as listening (p=0.653), understanding verbal and nonverbal messages (p=0.857), awareness of the communication process (p=0.626) and assertiveness (p=0.477). However, a significant correlation was observed between mental health and emotion control skill (p=0.010). Furthermore, the Spearman correlation coefficient indicated no relationships between communication skills and age (p=0.228) or social dysfunction (p=0.074), while significant inverse correlations were found between communication skills and anxiety (p=0.043), physical symptoms (p=0.049) and depression (p=0.049). According to Mann-Whitney test no significant relationships were observed between communication skills and field of study (p=0.806), level of education (p=0.406), sex (p=0.404), place of residence (p=0.277), marital status (p=0.875) or employment status (p=0.274), but significant relationships did exist between mental health and sex (p=0.006), field of study (p=0.036)r and marital status (p<0.001). Finally, no significant correlations were found between mental health and level of education (p=0.080), place of residence (p=0.951) or employment status (p=0.978).

Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, in an attempt to promote the mental health of the students it is recommended to make psychological assessments of the students, provide consultative services to them, and organize communication skills educational workshops for them.