The Relationship of Social Support and Mental Health in Female Medical Postgraduates

Objective To study the social support for the female postgraduate students and to investigate the effects of social support on their health.Methods 345 female postgraduate students were examined by using the Social Support Rating Scales(SSRS) and Symptom Checklist90(SCL-90).Results Married female medical postgraduates won higher scores when compared with the single ones in terms of Overall Social Support Score(40.34±7.52 to 36.38±6.79),Subjective Support(21.24±5.02to 21.24±5.02) and the Degree of Employing Support(8.72±1.81 to 8.17±1.69),and the differences were significant(P0.05).There was significant difference(P0.05) in the Degree of Employing Support between the students from city and students from countryside as well,that students from city had a higher score(8.48±1.76) comparing with the other group(7.94±1.62).The mental health of the female medical postgraduates was negatively correlated with their Overall Social Support Score,Subjective Support and the Degree of Employing Support.Conclusion Married female postgraduate students had better social support.Their social support had significant effects on their mental health.The enhancement of the social support of female medical postgraduates can benefit their mental health.