Mental health of faculty members of physical education and other fields in Islamic Azad University

Introduction:Many researchers believe that mental challenges, such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and physical and social dysfunction may be improved with physical training. The aim of the present study is to compare faculty members of Islamic Azad University in physical education and other field in terms of mental health.Material and Methods:This is a descriptive analytic survey on 600 male and female faculty members of the eleven branches of Islamic Azad University in physical education and other fields. Participants were selected through multistage cluster sampling. We used general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) with its 28 questions to measure the participants’ mental health, and independent t-test to compare means. Results: Statistical analysis indicated that faculty members of physical education and other fields are significantly different in depression, social dysfunction and anxiety; however, no significant difference was found in somatization. Moreover, the rate of depression and anxiety was significantly lower in faculty members of physical education compared to those in other fields.Conclusion:Considering the role of physical exercise in maintenance of physical-mental health and prevention of mental disorder, as well as the fact that faculty members of physical education are more involved in physical training compared to other faculty members, the former are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety and have better mental health. Thus, it is recommendable to instructors of other fields to participate in physical training programs.