Displaying publications 41 - 60 of 74 in total

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  1. Khoshaim HB, Al-Sukayt A, Chinna K, Nurunnabi M, Sundarasen S, Kamaludin K, et al.
    Front Psychiatry, 2020;11:579750.
    PMID: 33362601 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.579750
    COVID-19 is the worst pandemic of this millennium, and it is considered to be the "public enemy number one." This catastrophe has changed the way we live in the blink of an eye. Not only has it threatened our existence and health status, but the damage associated with it could equally affect our economic, social, and educational systems. The focus of this study was on the anxiety level of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted between March and June 2020. A questionnaire was administered online, and 400 completed questionnaires were returned. In this study, the Zung self-rating anxiety scale was used to determine the anxiety levels among the respondents. The results indicated that about 35% of the students experienced moderate to extreme levels of anxiety. Anxiety was highly associated with age, sex, and level of education. These findings can enlighten government agencies and policy makers on the importance of making prompt, effective decisions to address students' anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are encouraged to focus their future studies on how to develop strategies to boost students' resilience and enhance their adaptability skills for similar disasters in the future.
  2. Nawaz A, Nielsen S, Mehmood T, Abdullah A, Ahmed A, Ullah W, et al.
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1133606.
    PMID: 37324815 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1133606
    BACKGROUND: Dependence on prescription drugs and illicit drugs imposes a global health and social burden. Despite accumulating evidence of prescription drugs and illicit drugs dependence, none of the systematized studies has explored the magnitude of this problem in Pakistan. The aim is to investigate the extent and associated factors of prescription drug dependence (PDD), as opposed to concomitant prescription drug dependence and illicit drug use (PIDU), within a sample of individuals seeking addiction treatment.

    METHODS: The cross sectional study was conducted on the sample recruited from three drug treatment centers in Pakistan. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants who met ICD-10 criteria for prescription drug dependence. Several aspects like substance use histories, negative health outcomes, patient attitude, pharmacy and physician practices also collected to predict the determinants of (PDD). Binomial logistic regression models examined the factors associated with PDD and PIDU.

    RESULTS: Of the 537 treatment seeking individuals interviewed at baseline, close to one third (178, 33.3%) met criteria for dependence on prescription drugs. The majority of the participants were male (93.3%), average age of 31 years, having urban residence (67.4%). Among participants who met criteria for dependence on prescription drugs (71.9%), reported benzodiazepines as the most frequently used drug, followed by narcotic analgesics (56.8%), cannabis/marijuana (45.5%), and heroin (41.5%). The patients reported alprazolam, buprenorphine, nalbuphine, and pentazocin use as alternatives to illicit drugs. PDD was significantly negatively associated with injectable route (OR = 0.281, 95% CI, 0.079-0.993) and psychotic symptoms (OR = 0.315, 95% CI, 0.100, 0.986). This implies that PDD is less likely to be associated with an injectable route and psychotic symptoms in contrast to PIDU. Pain, depression and sleep disorder were primary reasons for PDD. PDD was associated with the attitude that prescription drugs are safer than illicit drugs (OR = 4.057, 95%CI, 1.254-13.122) and PDD was associated with being on professional terms (i.e., having an established relationship) with pharmaceutical drugs retailers for acquisition of prescription drugs.

    DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The study found benzodiazepine and opioid dependence in sub sample of addiction treatment seekers. The results have implications for drug policy and intervention strategies for preventing and treating drug use disorders.

  3. He L, Soh KL, Yu J, Chen A, Dong X
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1094360.
    PMID: 37324817 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1094360
    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate and conclude the quality of critically systematic reviews (SRs) of the efficacy of family-centered interventions on perinatal depression.

    METHODS: SRs of the efficacy of family-centered interventions on perinatal depression were systematically searched in nine databases. The retrieval period was from the inception of the database to December 31, 2022. In addition, two reviewers conducted an independent evaluation of the quality of reporting, bias risk, methodologies, and evidence using ROBIS (an instrument for evaluating the bias risk of SRs), Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), AMSTAR 2 (an assessment tool for SRs), and grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluations (GRADE).

    RESULTS: A total of eight papers satisfied the inclusion criteria. In particular, AMSTAR 2 rated five SRs as extremely low quality and three SRs as low quality. ROBIS graded four out of eight SRs as "low risk." Regarding PRISMA, four of the eight SRs were rated over 50%. Based on the GRADE tool, two out of six SRs rated maternal depressive symptoms as "moderate;" one out of five SRs rated paternal depressive symptoms as "moderate;" one out of six SRs estimated family functioning as "moderate," and the other evidence was rated as "very low" or "low." Of the eight SRs, six (75%) reported that maternal depressive symptoms were significantly reduced, and two SRs (25%) were not reported.

    CONCLUSION: Family-centered interventions may improve maternal depressive symptoms and family function, but not paternal depressive symptoms. However, the quality of methodologies, evidence, reporting, and bias of risk in the included SRs of family-centered interventions for perinatal depression was not satisfactory. The above-mentioned demerits may negatively affect SRs and then cause inconsistent outcomes. Therefore, SRs with a low risk of bias, high-quality evidence, standard reporting, and strict methodology are necessary to provide evidence of the efficacy of family-centered interventions for perinatal depression.

  4. Lakshman SJ, Mohd Daud TI, Midin M, Ahmad F, Tommy K
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1078423.
    PMID: 37383615 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1078423
    BACKGROUND: The Recovery Knowledge Inventory (RKI) is a widely used self-report instrument that assesses recovery-oriented knowledge among mental health professionals. The purpose of this study is to translate the RKI into the Malay language (RKI-M) and to examine its psychometric properties among Malaysian health care workers.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 143 participants was conducted at an urban teaching hospital, an urban government hospital, and a rural government hospital. Following the translation of the RKI, its internal reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was also determined using confirmatory factor analysis.

    RESULTS: The Malay-Version RKI (RKI-M) has good internal reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.83. However, the Malay-version RKI failed to replicate the original four-factor structure. The final model only achieved the best model fit after the removal of 9 items with two-factor loadings: (GFI = 0.92; AGFI = 0 0.87; CFI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.074).

    CONCLUSION: The 20-item RKI-M is reliable but has poor construct validity. However, the modified 11-item Malay-version RKI is a more reliable measure as it has good construct validity, with room for future studies to examine the psychometric properties of the modified 11-item RKI among mental health care workers. More training on recovery knowledge should be done, and a simple worded questionnaire should be developed in keeping with local practitioners.

  5. Wong LP, Farid NDN, Alias H, Yusop SM, Musa Z, Hu Z, et al.
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1165023.
    PMID: 37255690 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1165023
    INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to shed light on how young people from low-income families were responding to COVID-19.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited young people aged between 18 and 24 years from the low-income-group communities. A convenience sampling approach was used. Google Surveys were used to gather data from the survey. The questionnaire consisted of an assessment of demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, parent-youth conflict (Parental Environment Questionnaire, PEQ), resilient coping (Brief Resilient Coping Scale, BRCS), and psychological distress (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-short form, DASS-21).

    RESULTS: A total of 561 complete responses were received. The results showed a low level of parent-child conflict in the overall study population, with a median PEQ of 48.0 [interquartile range (IQR) 36-48]. Higher parent-child conflicts were found in females than in males (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.19-2.57) and in youth from households with an income below MYR 2000 than those earning MYR 3,001-5,000 (OR = 4.39, 95% CI 2.40-8.03). A low prevalence of depression (12.5%), anxiety (15.2%), and stress (6.4%) was found. Parent-child conflict remains the strongest significant predictor for higher levels of depression (OR = 10.90, 95% CI 4.31-27.57), anxiety (OR = 11.92, 95% CI 5.05-28.14), and stress (OR = 4.79, 95% CI 1.41-16.33) symptoms. Poor resilient coping was the second strongest predictor for depression and anxiety symptoms. Regarding lifestyle factors, a lower level of physical exercise was associated with higher symptoms of depression. By demographics, females reported more severe symptoms of depression and anxiety than males. Young people from low-income households reported greater severity in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress than those from high-income households. Young people who are employed also reported greater severity of anxiety symptoms than those who are unemployed.

    DISCUSSION: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an unpredictable impact on the lives of vulnerable youth in low-income families that warrants attention in future advocacy efforts.

  6. Kamaruddin IK, Ma'rof AM, Mohd Nazan AIN, Ab Jalil H
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1014258.
    PMID: 36778634 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1014258
    BACKGROUND: Cyberbullying perpetration and victimization are prevalent issues in adolescent development and are a rising public health concern. Numerous interventions have been developed and implemented to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Through an updated systematic review and meta-analysis, this study aimed to tackle a significant gap in the cyberbullying literature by addressing the need to empirically determine the effectiveness of programs with non-school-aged samples with a specific focus on studies conducted within the Asia-Pacific region.

    METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify intervention research to reduce cyberbullying perpetration and victimization published from January 1995 to February 2022. Ten electronic databases-Cambridge Journal Online, EBSCOHOST, ERIC, IEEE XPLORE, Oxford Journal Online, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, PubMed (Medline), Science Direct, Scopus, Springerlink-and a subsequent manual search were conducted. Detailed information was extracted, including the summary data that could be used to estimate effect sizes. The studies' methodological quality was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) quality assessment tool.

    FINDINGS: Eleven studies were included in the review of the 2,540 studies identified through databases, and 114 additional records were discovered through citation searching. Only four studies were included in the meta-analysis, exploring game-based, skill-building, school-based, and whole-school interventions. The first meta-analysis pooled estimates from these four studies that assessed cyberbullying perpetration frequency using continuous data post-intervention. These studies reported data from 3,273 participants (intervention n = 1,802 and control n = 1,471). A small but not statistically significant improvement favoring the intervention group from pre- to post-intervention was shown by the pooled effect size, -0.04 (95% CI [-0.10,0.03], Z = 1.11, P = 0.27). The second meta-analysis included two qualified studies investigating cyberbullying victimization frequency using continuous data at post-intervention among 2,954 participants (intervention n = 1,623 and control n = 1,331). A very small but non-significant effect favoring the intervention group was discovered.

    CONCLUSION: This research primarily highlights that the endeavor for cyberbullying intervention is still developing in the Asia-Pacific region, currently involving a limited set of stakeholders, settings, and delivery modes. Overall, meta-analyses of cyberbullying interventions conducted in the Asia Pacific found no significant effects in reducing cyberbullying perpetration and victimization.

    SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022313369.

  7. Al-Ezzi A, Kamel N, Al-Shargabi AA, Al-Shargie F, Al-Shargabi A, Yahya N, et al.
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1155812.
    PMID: 37255678 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1155812
    INTRODUCTION: The early diagnosis and classification of social anxiety disorder (SAD) are crucial clinical support tasks for medical practitioners in designing patient treatment programs to better supervise the progression and development of SAD. This paper proposes an effective method to classify the severity of SAD into different grading (severe, moderate, mild, and control) by using the patterns of brain information flow with their corresponding graphical networks.

    METHODS: We quantified the directed information flow using partial directed coherence (PDC) and the topological networks by graph theory measures at four frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, and beta). The PDC assesses the causal interactions between neuronal units of the brain network. Besides, the graph theory of the complex network identifies the topological structure of the network. Resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) data were recorded for 66 patients with different severities of SAD (22 severe, 22 moderate, and 22 mild) and 22 demographically matched healthy controls (HC).

    RESULTS: PDC results have found significant differences between SAD groups and HCs in theta and alpha frequency bands (p < 0.05). Severe and moderate SAD groups have shown greater enhanced information flow than mild and HC groups in all frequency bands. Furthermore, the PDC and graph theory features have been used to discriminate three classes of SAD from HCs using several machine learning classifiers. In comparison to the features obtained by PDC, graph theory network features combined with PDC have achieved maximum classification performance with accuracy (92.78%), sensitivity (95.25%), and specificity (94.12%) using Support Vector Machine (SVM).

    DISCUSSION: Based on the results, it can be concluded that the combination of graph theory features and PDC values may be considered an effective tool for SAD identification. Our outcomes may provide new insights into developing biomarkers for SAD diagnosis based on topological brain networks and machine learning algorithms.

  8. Al-Ezzi A, Kamel N, Al-Shargabi AA, Al-Shargie F, Al-Shargabi A, Yahya N, et al.
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1257713.
    PMID: 37555003 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1257713
    [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1155812.].
  9. Xie Z, Yan Y, Peng K
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1237005.
    PMID: 37575587 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1237005
    Winnicott is an outstanding representative of the School of Object Relations, and his unique psychoanalytic treatment views have been greatly influential to the psychoanalytical community. Winnicott emphasizes the impact of facilitating environment and the key role of the maternal-child relationship in the early psychological growth of individuals. He puts forward the ideas of the development mechanism of the true self and the false self, which builds a bridge between the characteristics of adult psychopathology and the characteristics of early maternal-child relationships, providing a new perspective for research on individual self-development and psychoanalysis. Winnicott creatively introduces the concepts of the transitional object and the transitional phenomena into the theories of Object Relations. He relates the transitional experience to the field of mental health, and extends it from the relationship between the mother and the child to adult life, which not only has had a revolutionary impact on modern psychoanalysis but also literature, aesthetics, and other fields. Winnicott highlights the importance of the patient's emotional development in the treatment. He advocates holding the patients' sentiments and meeting their emotional needs. He also approves of the emotional reparenting of the patients, to make them gain the ability to establish a relationship with the real world. His treatment views formed through a large number of clinical practices are very practical and full of humanistic care. This review summarizes Winnicott's psychoanalytical treatment views as well as his marvelous original concepts, and analyzes the hot topics of academic research on his theories based on a visualization analysis by using the software CiteSpace, which includes data in the Web of Science Core Collection published from 1978 to 2023 with 365 papers involved. The study provides a macroscopic and panoramic review of Winnicott's theories, and it clearly shows Winnicott's significant influence on the field of psychoanalysis and related fields.
  10. Sharif Nia H, Gorgulu O, Naghavi N, Robles-Bello MA, Sánchez-Teruel D, Khoshnavay Fomani F, et al.
    Front Psychiatry, 2021;12:754831.
    PMID: 34777060 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.754831
    This study investigates the relationship between spiritual well-being, social support, and financial distress with depressive symptoms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A path analysis was used to analyze data collected from 1,156 Iranian participants via an online survey. The results showed that spiritual well-being and social support were negatively related to depressive symptoms and financial distress. The impact of COVID-19 events showed negative associations with depressive symptoms. In addition, the link between spiritual well-being and financial distress with depressive symptoms was partially mediated by the impact of events.
  11. Ransing R, Koh EBY, Ramalho R, de Filippis R, Pinto da Costa M, Pereira-Sanchez V, et al.
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1230059.
    PMID: 37692313 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1230059
  12. Deng H, Zhang R, Wang C, Zhang B, Wang J, Wang S, et al.
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1215963.
    PMID: 37674551 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1215963
    BACKGROUND: This multicenter, three-armed, parallel, single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) primarily aims to compare the efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) with that of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and treatment as usual (TAU) to depreciate the degree of alcohol craving among alcohol use disorder patients who have undergone in-patient detoxification across four timelines (t0 = baseline prior to intervention, t1 = 4 weeks after baseline, t2 = 12 weeks after baseline, and t3 = 24 weeks after baseline). The secondary aims of this RCT are to compare the efficacy of VRET with that of ACT and TAU to alleviate the severity of alcohol use disorder, dissipate comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms, and normalize event-related potential (ERP) in electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring across the four timelines.

    METHODS: Initially, after 2 weeks of in-patient detoxification, 120 patients with alcohol use disorder will be randomized into three groups (VRET, ACT, and TAU control groups) via stratified permuted block randomization in a 1:1:1 ratio. Baseline assessment (t0) commences, whereby all the participants will be administered with sociodemographic, clinical, and alcohol use characteristics questionnaire, such as Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), while event-related potential (ERP) detection in electroencephalogram (EEG) will also be carried out. Then, 4 weeks of VRET, ACT, and non-therapeutic supportive activities will be conducted in the three respective groups. For the subsequent three assessment timelines (t1, t2, and t3), the alcohol use characteristic questionnaire, such as AUDIT, PACS, HAM-D, HAM-A, and ERP monitoring, will be re-administered to all participants.

    DISCUSSION: As data on the effects of non-pharmacological interventions, such as VRET and ACT, on the treatment of alcohol craving and preventing relapse in alcohol use disorder are lacking, this RCT fills the research gap by providing these important data to treating clinicians. If proven efficacious, the efficacy of VRET and ACT for the treatment of other substance use disorders should also be investigated in future.

    CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05841823 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

  13. Ismail MA, Midin M
    Front Psychiatry, 2021;12:680800.
    PMID: 34381387 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.680800
    Introduction: Shared decision-making (SDM) is recognized as a promising strategy for improving collaboration between clinicians and their patients in achieving recovery. In Malaysia, SDM among people with schizophrenia is still lacking both in practice and in research. This study aimed to determine the level of SDM and role preference and their associated factors among patients with schizophrenia in Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 86 outpatient attendees with schizophrenia at a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The nine-item Shared Decision Making Questionnaire and Control Preference Scale were used to assess perceived SDM experience and role preference, respectively. Linear and logistic regression models were used to analyze the factors associated with SDM and role preference, respectively. Factors with a p <0.25 from the simple regression analyses were controlled as the covariates in the multiple regression analyses. Results: The study respondents were predominantly female, single, and unemployed, with a mean age of 44 years. Only 35% of the participants reported having high SDM experiences, even though the majority (56%) preferred autonomous role preference. Among the participants who preferred autonomous roles, only 40% experienced high SDM. High SDM was found to be significantly associated with being younger (B = -0.33, 95% CI = -0.67 to -0.003) and being non-clozapine users (B = 19.90, 95% CI = 9.39-30.41), while autonomous role preference was significantly associated with a lower level of insight [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.72-0.99] and being on oral antipsychotic drugs only (AOR = 2.94, 95% CI = 1.10-7.82). Conclusion: The practice of SDM is still lacking in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia in Malaysia, even though many of them preferred to be involved in the decision-making pertaining to their treatment. This study indicates the need for clinicians to improve their patients' involvement in the treatment process. More research is needed on how SDM can be implemented in patients with schizophrenia, especially in Asian population settings.
  14. Zhang DW
    Front Psychiatry, 2022;13:1100008.
    PMID: 36713921 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1100008
    Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition, posing a severe threat to quality of life. Pharmacological therapies are the front-line treatment; however, their shortages encourage the development of alternative treatments for AD/HD. One promising method of developing alternative treatments is cognitive training (CT). A CT-based therapy was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, due to heterogeneity in AD/HD, a CT protocol is unlikely to provide a one-size-fits-all solution for all patients with AD/HD. Therefore, this article highlights key aspects that need to be considered to further develop CT protocols for AD/HD, regarding training content, timing, suitability, and delivery mode. The perspectives presented here contribute to optimizing CT as an alternative option for treating AD/HD.
  15. Mohd Salleh Sahimi H, Midin M, Lim JTY, Anwar MWA, Abdul Samad FD, Mohamad Kamal NA
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1151482.
    PMID: 37840789 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1151482
    OBJECTIVE: Elderly individuals are among the age groups with the highest risk of suicide. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced isolation and resulted in an increased risk of depression, hopelessness, and perceived burdensomeness among the elderly, thereby increasing the risk of suicide.

    METHODS: This is a case report of an elderly single retired school principal with obsessive-compulsive personality traits who developed depression with psychotic symptoms after being isolated following the movement control order (MCO) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The social isolation led to feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. The patient's depressive symptoms worsened after he developed physical illnesses, such as eye floaters, that affected his daily activities. This caused him to have suicidal ideation to the extent that he attempted suicide by ingesting 90 mL of pesticide. Two weeks prior to the attempt, he updated his will and asked his friend to keep it. After the suicide attempt, he vomited and had diarrhea and epigastric pain. He called his friend, who brought him to the hospital emergency room (ER). He was resuscitated and subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). After being medically stabilized, he was transferred to the psychiatric ward, where further treatment was administered for his depression. His depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation improved after he was administered antidepressants and psychotherapy.

    RESULTS: The impact of the COVID pandemic has led to a surge in mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The elderly are among the highest-risk groups of individuals to contract or die of COVID-19 infection, and they are also the most likely to develop mental health issues related to the pandemic. Furthermore, the risk of death by suicide is highest in this age group due to physical illness, social isolation, and the lack of a support system. This case also highlights the need for awareness of suicidal ideation screening among non-medical healthcare professionals and religious organizations to avoid the treatment gap.

    CONCLUSION: It is essential to enhance suicide risk assessment and management among the elderly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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