METHODS: Seven psychiatrists from seven countries reviewed recent published and ongoing research in psychiatry in their respective nations, with respect to themes, as well as any barriers or challenges faced by mental health researchers.
RESULTS: While the seven nations included in this review vary in terms of research capabilities and economic development level, they share many similarities both in terms of research direction, and with regards to challenges faced. Limitations in the form of sociocultural differences from the West, and a lack of funding were some of the barriers identified.
DISCUSSION: Mental health research in the region has been progressing well. However, more varied research in the form of qualitative or economic studies are lacking, as are multi-center studies. The similar issues that nations face with regards to research could perhaps benefit from collaborative efforts and initiatives for the furtherance of research in the region.
METHOD: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. We used F and χ2 tests and correlation analyses to report descriptive statistics. Multi-group path models with (i) a zero-inflated Poisson distribution and, (ii) a Binomial distribution were used to model the number of occurrences of suicidal ideation, and occurrence of a suicide attempt, respectively.
RESULTS: Religiosity was negatively associated with acceptability of suicide, but it was positively related to punishment after death across the 11 countries. Religiosity was negatively associated with ever experiencing suicidal ideation, both directly and indirectly through its association with attitudes towards suicide, especially the belief in acceptability of suicide. Neither positive nor negative religious coping were related to suicidal ideation. However, religiosity was negatively related to suicide attempts among those who experienced suicidal ideation at least once. This association was mediated through the belief in acceptability of suicide and religious coping. Negative religious coping was positively associated with suicide attempts probably because it weakened the protective effects of religiosity.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study suggest that the effects of religiosity in the suicidal process operate through attitudes towards suicide. We therefore conclude that clinical assessment as well as research in suicidology may benefit from paying due attention to attitudes towards suicide.
METHODS: The sample consisted of 7427 college students (56% female) who reported to be affiliated with Islam. Data on self-construal, social support, negative life-events, acceptability of suicide, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts were collected with self-administered questionnaires.
RESULTS: Acceptability of suicide and the experience of negative life-events were positively, and perceived social support was negatively associated with suicidal ideation. Interdependent self-construal was negatively related to the acceptability of suicide and positively associated with perceived social support, implying a negative indirect effect on suicidal ideation although its direct effect was positive. The number of negative life-events was the strongest positive predictor of ever attempting suicide. The interdependent self-construal moderated the association of negative life-events with suicide attempts.
LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional and self-report nature of the study were its major limitations. Participants may have suppressed their responses about suicide because of religious and legal reasons.
CONCLUSION: Remarkable similarities across 11 country samples emerged in the linkages between cultural and interpersonal factors with suicidality. Our findings highlight the value of a nuanced approach to suicidality, that can recognize the differences in the processes associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, as well as the need to consider the interplay of a broad range of personal, interpersonal, and cultural influences.
METHODS: The participants were 1478 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia whose EPS was assessed using the DIEPSS in India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan in the 2016 REAP AP-4 study. The records of the participants were randomly divided into two subgroups: the first for exploratory factor analysis of the eight DIEPSS items, and the second for confirmatory factor analysis.
RESULTS: The factor analysis identified three factors: F1 (gait and bradykinesia), F2 (muscle rigidity and tremor), and F3 (sialorrhea, akathisia, dystonia, and dyskinesia).
CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the eight individual items of the DIEPSS could be composed of three different mechanisms: acute parkinsonism observed during action (F1), acute parkinsonism observed at rest (F2), and central dopaminergic mechanisms with pathophysiology other than acute parkinsonism (F3).