Background: One of the symptoms of mental health disorders is social isolation which refers to unfavorable social relationships with other people. Today, Internet use is an important predictor of social isolation. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between Internet use and social isolation (objective-subjective) in young and middle-aged individuals in the city of Shiraz. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 600 young and middle-aged (15 - 65 years old) individuals in Shiraz, Iran. Data were collected using three questionnaires (objective isolation with four subscales, subjective isolation with two subscales, and the amount of Internet use). Regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Results: Regression analysis showed that in objective isolation, Internet use increased just two subscales, including network diversity (P < 0.001) and the level of social participation (P < 0.001). It can be argued that the Internet has partly reduced social isolation in the objective dimension. In the subjective dimension, Internet use has increased the received social support (P < 0.001). Thus, Internet use would reduce the level of social isolation in the subjective dimension (P < 0.001). Although the significance level of the relationship between Internet use and social isolation is almost the same in both generations, the intensity of middle-aged relationships is higher than that in young people. Conclusions: Internet use has reduced social isolation; however, considering the low intensity of the reduction of isolation, it is argued that Internet use does not isolate people but just does not upgrade them much.

Spiritual health represents the last dimension introduced to the overall notion of health and could even be regarded as the most critical dimension. This study investigates spiritual health and social factors associated with it among students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). The study was cross-sectional research in which the respondents were 400 enrolled students of different disciplines at SUMS selected through random multistage sampling. Electronic questionnaires were used to collect data. Due to COVID-19 restrictions when the study was conducted in 2021, the classes were held online, and the whole process lasted about two months. The data collected were analyzed in SPSS 19 based on such statistical procedures as mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The results revealed that, the students’ spiritual health was generally above average, and based on the respondents’ views, the most important dimensions of spiritual health were “behavior”, “orientation”, and “insight”, respectively. The findings also showed a significant difference in the participants’ spiritual health about their marital status, place of residence, and respective school (P<0.05); Being married, living in rural regions, studying nursing, and having completed fewer semesters could contribute to increased spiritual health. The more semesters the students completed, the less spiritual health they experienced (r=-0.134; P<0.001). The reason for this is that increasing the levels of spiritual health would depend on an individual’s ability to change his/her intellectual insights and emotional orientations. However, these two factors may decline as students begin their academic studies. The level of hypochondriasis was low, and this variable variable was not significantly associated with spiritual health (P>0.05). In response, policymakers must find solutions to this problem by formulating plans that could ideally enhance students’ levels of spiritual health.

Introduction Social capital is critical to organizational dynamics, particularly in developing countries. This study explored strategies for enhancing social capital among faculty members at seven medical universities in the south of Iran. Methods This qualitative study was conducted in 2021. We used a purposeful sampling technique to recruit faculty members and conducted individual semi‐structured interviews with them. Thematic analysis was used to analyze and describe the collected data. Results A total of 49 faculty members (34 males; 15 females) participated in this study. The participants expressed satisfaction with their affiliations with medical universities. Social capital was related to the feeling of belonging to the organization, as well as to interpersonal and intra‐organizational relations. Social capital was associated with three components: empowerment, organizational policy change, and organizational identification. Additionally, a dynamic relationship between the individual, interpersonal, and macro‐organizational levels reinforced the organization's social capital. This means that, just as the macro‐organizational level affects the members' identities, the members' activism affects the macro‐organizational level. Conclusion To strengthen the organization's social capital, managers should work on the mentioned components at the individual, interpersonal, and macro‐organizational levels.

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