Social Environment Role in the Relationship between the Residential Environment and Depression of Residents (Case Study: Residents of Isfahan City)

Aim and Background: social environment along with constructed environment can affect mental health. On the other hand depression is the major cause of many illnesses which imposed lots of burden on people and can disturb people’s function. Therefore major aim of this research was to investigate the role of social environment in the relationship between residential environment and depression score of the residents. Methods and Materials: descriptive-correlation research method was used for this research. Statistical society was all residents of 15 regions of Isfahan city. 749 persons were selected using random cluster sampling for this research. In the previous research procedure, data was collected using library studies and then through questionnaires, Lovibond Depression Questionnaire (1995), residential environment qualifications evaluation questionnaire and social environment evaluation questionnaire were used. It should be mentioned that at least 2 questionnaires received from each residential unit. Analysis of covariance method was used to analysis data. Findings: results showed that there is a relationship between residential and social environment and social environment has a trivial mediator role in the relationship between residential environment and depression. Conclusions: based on the findings of current research, social environment had a small mediator effect on the relationship between residential environment and depression so it turned out that a part of predictor variable effect (residential environment) on criterion variable (depression) transferred through social environment variable, therefore paying attention to the variable can be used as an environmental factor in reducing residents depression and it is suggested that social environment should be considered in researches about studying the relationship between residential environment and depression.