MyMedR

Displaying publications 21 - 32 of 32 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Somatization of depression in psychiatric out-patients

Salleh MR

Med J Malaysia, 1989 Dec;44(4):275-82.
PMID: 2520035

The severity of anxiety and depression in 72 patients presenting with somatic complaints to the psychiatric clinic were assessed after excluding organic illnesses. Majority of the patients were females, between 15 to 34 years of age and came from lower socio-economic background. A high percentage of patients were brought up by dominant mothers and the married patients had passive husbands or active wives controlling the family. Generally the severity of depression was correlated with the severity of anxiety (C.C = 0.704, P less than 0.01). Majority of the patients were found to have both mixed anxiety depressive symptoms and the anxiety symptoms masking the underlying depressive symptomatology.
Study site: Psychiatric Clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis
Psychological morbidities amongst house officers in Sarawak General Hospital Kuching

Yeoh CM, Thong KS, Seed HF, Nur Iwana AT, Maruzairi H

Med J Malaysia, 2019 08;74(4):307-311.
PMID: 31424038

INTRODUCTION: Psychological morbidities are common amongst healthcare professionals particularly among junior house officers (HO) who are in a transitional stage from being a medical student to a doctor. They undergo many stressors during this period and hence might suffer from higher psychological morbidities such as depression, anxiety and stress.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among HO in Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), Kuching, Sarawak. The socialdemographic factors were also evaluated to identify the high-risk groups.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 227 house officers in SGH over a period of three months. The social-demographic data such as age, sex, marital status, current posting, duration of posting, place of graduate and state of origin were obtained from interviews with the respondents. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale (DASS) questionnaire was completed to assess the psychological morbidities.
RESULTS: HO were found to have high prevalence of psychiatric morbidities such as depression (42%), anxiety (50%) and stress (42.7%). Foreign graduates showed a significantly higher odds of depression (odds ratio, OR: 3.851; 95% confidence interval, 95%CI: 2.165, 6.851), anxiety (OR: 2.427; 95%CI: 1.394, 4.225) and stress (OR: 2.524; 95%CI: 1.439, 4.427) as compared to local graduates.. Further, non-Sarawakians were observed to have higher odds of developing anxiety (OR: 1.772; 95%CI: 1.022, 3.073) as compared to the Sarawakians.
CONCLUSION: HO in SGH had high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress. Therefore, psychiatric morbidities should be screened regularly amongst the HOs in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis
Fulltext The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health of Asians: A study of seven middle-income countries in Asia

Wang C, Tee M, Roy AE, Fardin MA, Srichokchatchawan W, Habib HA, et al.

PLoS One, 2021;16(2):e0246824.
PMID: 33571297 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246824

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the economy, livelihood, and physical and mental well-being of people worldwide. This study aimed to compare the mental health status during the pandemic in the general population of seven middle income countries (MICs) in Asia (China, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). All the countries used the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to measure mental health. There were 4479 Asians completed the questionnaire with demographic characteristics, physical symptoms and health service utilization, contact history, knowledge and concern, precautionary measure, and rated their mental health with the IES-R and DASS-21. Descriptive statistics, One-Way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and linear regression were used to identify protective and risk factors associated with mental health parameters. There were significant differences in IES-R and DASS-21 scores between 7 MICs (p<0.05). Thailand had all the highest scores of IES-R, DASS-21 stress, anxiety, and depression scores whereas Vietnam had all the lowest scores. The risk factors for adverse mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic include age <30 years, high education background, single and separated status, discrimination by other countries and contact with people with COVID-19 (p<0.05). The protective factors for mental health include male gender, staying with children or more than 6 people in the same household, employment, confidence in doctors, high perceived likelihood of survival, and spending less time on health information (p<0.05). This comparative study among 7 MICs enhanced the understanding of metal health in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis
Fulltext Psychological problems and psychosocial predictors of cigarette smoking behavior among undergraduate students in Malaysia

Saravanan C, Heidhy I

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(18):7629-34.
PMID: 25292039

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smokers have their own motivation and justification to smoke. For example, smoking reduces their stress or enhances their pleasure. This study aimed to identify the (a) prevalence of cigarette smokers among undergraduates in Malaysia, (b) gender differences in nicotine dependence among current smokers, (c) differences in psychological problems (depression, anxiety and stress) based on the status of smoking cigarettes (current, former and non-smokers) and (d) extent to which precipitating factors (tension reduction, addiction, automatism, handling, social interaction, pleasure, and stimulation) predict the smoking behavior among current smokers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study 780 undergraduate students participated from a private university in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor state in Malaysia. The Depression, Stress and Anxiety Scale, Modified Reason for Smoking Scale and Fagerstrom Nicotine Dependence Test were used to measure psychological problems, predictors of smoking behavior and nicotine dependency among current smokers.

RESULTS: The results showed that 14.7%(n=106) of the students were smokers. Current smokers exhibited more psychological problems (depression, anxiety and stress) compared to former and non-smokers. Addiction, tension reduction, pleasure and automatism were predictors of smoking behavior among the current smoking students. Step wise regression analysis showed that smoking behavior was highly predicted by nicotine dependency or addiction. Smoking students were motivated to smoke cigarettes as they believed that it reduced their tension and enhance pleasure.

CONCLUSIONS: Hence, there is a need for health promotion and anti-tobacco prevention as cigarette smokers experience more psychological problems. Nicotine dependency or addition was one of the major causes for smoking behavior among the student population in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis*
Predictors of parenting stress among Malaysian mothers of children with Down syndrome

Norizan A, Shamsuddin K

J Intellect Disabil Res, 2010 Nov;54(11):992-1003.
PMID: 20868445 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01324.x

Having children with intellectual disability can be stressful for most parents. Currently there are very few studies focusing on parenting stress among mothers of children with Down syndrome (DS) in Asia. The present study examined the level of parenting stress experienced by Malaysian mothers of children with DS and evaluated the child and maternal factors that contributed to parenting stress based on Hill's ABC-X Model (Hill 1949).

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis
Fulltext Psychometric properties of the faces version of the Malay-modified child dental anxiety scale

Esa R, Hashim NA, Ayob Y, Yusof ZY

BMC Oral Health, 2015 Mar 10;15:28.
PMID: 25886943 DOI: 10.1186/s12903-015-0013-y

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDASf) Malay version in 5-6 and 9-12 year-old children.
METHODS: The MCDASf was cross culturally adapted from English into Malay. The Malay version was tested for reliability and validity in 3 studies. In the Study 1, to determine test-retest reliability of MCDASf scale, 166 preschool children aged 5-6 years were asked to rank orders five cartoons faces depicting emotions from 'very happy' to 'very sad' faces on two separate occasions 3 weeks apart. A total of 87 other 5-6 year-old children completed the Malay-MCDASf on two separate occasions 3 weeks apart to determine test-retest reliability for Study 2. In study 3, 239 schoolchildren aged 9-12 years completed the Malay-MCDASf and the Malay-Dental Subscale of the Children Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS) at the same sitting to determine the criterion and construct validity.
RESULTS: In study 1, Kendall W test showed a high degree of concordance in ranking the cartoon faces picture cards on each of the 2 occasions (time 1, W = 0.955 and time 2, W = 0.954). The Malay-MCDASf demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.63, p <0.001) and acceptable internal consistency for all the 6 items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77) and 8 items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.73). The highest MCDASf scores were observed for the items 'injection in the gum' and 'tooth taken out' for both age groups. The MCDASf significantly correlated with the CFSS-DS (Pearson r = 0.67, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: These psychometric findings support for the inclusion of a cartoon faces rating scale to assess child dental anxiety and the Malay-MCDASf is a reliable and valid measure of dental anxiety in 5-12 year-old children.

Matched MeSH terms: Dental Anxiety/diagnosis*
Fulltext Validation of Brunei's Malay EQ-5D Questionnaire in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Koh D, Abdullah AM, Wang P, Lin N, Luo N

PLoS One, 2016;11(11):e0165555.
PMID: 27835652 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165555

BACKGROUND: The Malay spoken in Brunei a South East Asian country where Malay is the national language is distinctive and different from Malay spoken in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. This study aimed to develop a Brunei Malay version of the 5-level EQ-5D questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) and to assess its psychometric properties among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
METHODS: The Brunei Malay EQ-5D-5L was developed by culturally adapting two existing Malay versions. A total of 154 Bruneians with T2DM completed the questionnaire in two different points of time with one week apart. Known-groups validity of the utility-based EQ-5D-5L index and visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) was evaluated by comparing subgroups of patients known to differ in health status. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) or Cohen's kappa.
RESULTS: As hypothesized, patients known to have 'better' health had higher EQ-5D-5L index scores than those having 'worse' health in all 7 known-groups comparisons. The hypothesized difference in the EQ-VAS scores was observed in only 4 of the 7 known-groups comparisons. Kappa values ranged from 0.206 to 0.446 for the EQ-5D-5L items; the ICC value for the EQ-5D-5L index and EQ-VAS was 0.626 and 0.521, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The utility-based EQ-5D-5L index appears to be valid and reliable for measuring the health of Brunei patients with T2DM. The validity of the EQ-VAS in Brunei requires further investigation.

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis*
Spiritual reminiscence therapy for older people with loneliness, anxiety and depression living in a residential aged care facility, Malaysia: A qualitative approach

Syed Elias SM, Petriwskyj A, Scott T, Neville C

Australas J Ageing, 2019 Mar;38(1):E25-E30.
PMID: 30426630 DOI: 10.1111/ajag.12598

OBJECTIVE: To explore how older people with loneliness, anxiety and depression experience a spiritual reminiscence therapy (SRT) program and to explore its acceptability within the Malaysian population.
METHODS: Unstructured observations and a focus-group discussion were carried out with 18 participants involved in a six-week SRT program in a residential care facility in Kuala Lumpur.
RESULTS: Analysis revealed four themes: (i) Enthusiastic participation; (ii) Connections across boundaries; (iii) Expressing and reflecting; and (iv) Successful use of triggers.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the process of reminiscence, on which the program was based, was enjoyable for the participants and created opportunities to form connections with other members of the group. The use of relevant triggers in the SRT program that related to Malaysian cultures, ethnicities and religions was helpful to engage the participants and was acceptable across the different religions and ethnicities.

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis
Fulltext The effectiveness of psychoeducation and systematic desensitization to reduce test anxiety among first-year pharmacy students

Rajiah K, Saravanan C

Am J Pharm Educ, 2014 Nov 15;78(9):163.
PMID: 25525278 DOI: 10.5688/ajpe789163

To analyze the effect of psychological intervention on reducing performance anxiety and the consequences of the intervention on first-year pharmacy students.

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis
Fulltext Prevalence and determinants of antepartum depressive and anxiety symptoms in expectant mothers and fathers: results from a perinatal psychiatric morbidity cohort study in the east and west coasts of Malaysia

Nasreen HE, Rahman JA, Rus RM, Kartiwi M, Sutan R, Edhborg M

BMC Psychiatry, 2018 06 15;18(1):195.
PMID: 29902985 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-018-1781-0

BACKGROUND: Research on antepartum psychiatric morbidities investigating depressive and anxiety symptoms in expectant mothers and fathers is lacking in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of antepartum depressive, anxiety and co-occurring significant symptoms and explore the associated factors in a cross-section of Malaysian expectant mothers and fathers.

METHODS: We used cross-sectional data from a prospective cohort study of 911 expectant mothers and 587 expectant fathers during their third trimester of pregnancy, from health clinics of two states in the east and west coasts of Malaysia. The validated Malay version of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the anxiety sub-scale of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale were used to measure the depressive and anxiety symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analyses identified the determinants of antepartum depressive and anxiety symptoms (ADS and AAS).

RESULTS: Prevalence of ADS was 12.2% in expectant mothers and 8.4% in expectant fathers, while AAS was 28.8% in expectant mothers and 13.3% in expectant fathers, and co-occurring significant symptoms was 8.0% in expectant mothers and 4.0% in expectant fathers. Expectant mothers and fathers having perceived social/family support were less likely to suffer from ADS. Intimate partner violence, poor relationship with husbands, depression in earlier pregnancy and husband's depression in current pregnancy in expectant mothers, and living in rented house, sex preference for the unborn child, stressful life events and wife's depression in current pregnancy in expectant fathers were associated with a greater likelihood of ADS. The determinants for AAS were living in rented house and with parents/in-laws, poor relationship with husbands, restrictions during pregnancy and stressful life events for expectant mothers, and stressful life events and being unsupportive towards wives in household chores for expectant fathers.

CONCLUSION: Both ADS and AAS are prevalent in expectant mothers and fathers, and largely an undetected problem in Malaysia. Administration of couple-based screening and referral program during antenatal check-up should be universal practices to identify and treat the psychiatric morbidities.

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis
Prevalence of sexual problems and its association with social, psychological and physical factors among men in a Malaysian population: a cross-sectional study

Quek KF, Sallam AA, Ng CH, Chua CB

J Sex Med, 2008 Jan;5(1):70-6.
PMID: 17362280 DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2006.00423.x

INTRODUCTION: Sexual problems are common in the general population. Studies have shown that most of these sexual problems are related to their social lives, medical illnesses, and psychological status. Among the sexual problems in men, premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the most frequent, yet it is the least well-understood of the sexual dysfunctions of men.
AIM: To determine the prevalence of sexual problem particularly PE and erectile dysfunction (ED) among people living in urban areas and to investigate the characteristics associated with these sexual problems in a Malaysian population.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The PE which is defined as an intravaginal ejaculation latency time less than 2 minutes was assessed in the ED and non-ED group.
METHODS: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale is used as a measure of the psychological status [30]. The ED status was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire.
RESULTS: The prevalence of self-reported sexual problems for ED and PE were 41.6% and 22.3%, respectively. In those subjects with ED, 33.5% reported to have PE. Of the total of 430 subjects, anxiety was present in 8.1%, while depression was 5.3%. The prevalence of PE accounted for 25% anxiety and 14.6% for depression respectively in the population. EDs were associated with diabetes and hypertension (OR [95% CI]: 5.33 [2.33, 10.16], 3.40 [1.76, 6.57], P < 0.05), respectively, while factors associated with PE were anxiety and depression (OR [95% CI]: 1.29 [0.68, 2.45], 1.39 [0.69, 2.78]), respectively.
CONCLUSION: Prevalence of ED is associated with medical symptoms such as diabetes and hypertension and a rise in the prevalence of age while psychological distress such as anxiety and depression also contribute to a higher PE rate.

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis
Fulltext Paediatric surgical response to an 'adult' COVID-19 pandemic

Mahat N, Zubaidi SA, Soe HHK, Nah SA

Med J Malaysia, 2021 05;76(3):284-290.
PMID: 34031324

INTRODUCTION: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically affected global healthcare systems. We aimed to determine the response of our paediatric surgical fraternity to a disease that overwhelmingly affects adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study over 6 weeks during a federally mandated lockdown. Using snowball sampling, we recruited paediatric surgeons, trainees and medical officers from paediatric surgical units in Malaysia. The anonymous online questionnaire covered sociodemographic information, changes in patient care, redeployment, concerns regarding family members, and impact on training. Mental well-being was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Kruskal-Wallis, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis was used, with significance level 0.05.

RESULTS: Of the 129 eligible participants, 100(77%) responded. Junior doctors had clinically higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Age <30 years was significantly associated with anxiety. Junior doctors believed that redeployment led to loss of surgical skills (p<0.001) and trainees felt that clinical application of knowledge had reduced (p<0.020).

CONCLUSION: Specific to our paediatric surgical community, this study highlights areas of concern, particularly among junior doctors. It is likely that recurrent cycles of the pandemic will occur soon. These issues must be addressed to preserve the mental and emotional well-being of all health care workers.

Matched MeSH terms: Anxiety/diagnosis

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links