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Caregiver coping with the mentally ill: a qualitative study

Azman A, Jamir Singh PS, Sulaiman J

J Ment Health, 2017 Apr;26(2):98-103.
PMID: 26732363 DOI: 10.3109/09638237.2015.1124395

BACKGROUND: Mental illness is a disease that affects millions of people every year. It not only causes stress to the mentally ill patients, but also for the family members who provide them the care. The family caregivers, therefore need some form of coping strategies in dealing with their mentally ill family members.
AIMS: This qualitative study aims at identifying and analysing the coping strategies adopted by the family caregivers in dealing with their mentally ill family members.
METHOD: A total of 15 family caregivers from the state of Kedah, Malaysia participated in the face-to-face semi structured interview.
RESULTS: The study findings identified an array of coping strategies used by the family caregivers, including religious coping, emotional coping, acceptance, becoming engaged in leisure activities, and the use of traditional healing to help them cope with their mentally ill members. Suggestions and conclusions: Study suggests that the family caregivers should engage themselves in social support groups to learn about and obtain the positive coping strategies used by other caregivers who have similar experiences in caring for the mentally ill. Study also suggests that they should get appropriate training from the mental health professionals in order to enhance the caregivers' coping skills.
Factors associated with anxiety among elderly hypertensive in primary care setting

Ismail Z, Mohamad M, Isa MR, Fadzil MA, Yassin SM, Ma KT, et al.

J Ment Health, 2015 Feb;24(1):29-32.
PMID: 25358109 DOI: 10.3109/09638237.2014.971148

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence showing that anxiety is associated with morbidity in the older age group. Factors contributing to anxiety may vary among different diseases and settings.
AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with anxiety symptoms among elderly hypertensive at the primary care level.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study and face-to-face interviews using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were conducted among elderly hypertensive.
RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of subjects was 68.8 (6.76) years and comprised of 49.5% and 50.5% of males and females, respectively. The majority of respondents were Malays (76.1%), followed by Chinese (14.3%), and Indians (9.5%). The mean (SD) duration of hypertension was 8.44 (7.29) years and the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 13.3% (95% CI: 9.9, 16.7). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that elderly hypertensive with a past history of stroke (adjusted OR: 4.472; 95% CI: 1.754, 11.405; p = 0.002) and depression (adjusted OR: 3.715; 95% CI: 2.009, 6.872; p
Public stigma towards patients with schizophrenia of ethnic Malay: a comparison between the general public and patients' relatives

Razali SM, Ismail Z

J Ment Health, 2014 Aug;23(4):176-80.
PMID: 24784779 DOI: 10.3109/09638237.2014.910644

The stigma attached to mental disorders has been recognized as a major concern in healthcare services across societies.
Mental health literacy of maternal and paternal postnatal (postpartum) depression in British adults

Swami V, Barron D, Smith L, Furnham A

J Ment Health, 2019 May 09.
PMID: 31070064 DOI: 10.1080/09638237.2019.1608932

BACKGROUND: Postnatal depression affects between 6 and 13% of new parents, but only a small proportion of individuals who meet diagnostic criteria receive optimal treatment. One reason for this is poor mental health literacy of postnatal depression.
AIMS: Studies have examined mental health literacy of maternal postnatal depression, but there are no similar studies of paternal postnatal depression, which we sought to rectify.
METHODS: A sample of 406 British adults was presented with vignettes describing cases of either maternal or paternal postnatal depression. Based on the vignettes, participants were asked to report if they thought anything was wrong with the targets and, if so, to describe what they thought was wrong. Participants also rated the targets on a range of attitudinal dimensions.
RESULTS: Participants were more likely to indicate that something was wrong when the target was female (97.0%) compared to male (75.9%). Of those who believed something was wrong, 90.1% of participants correctly described the female target as experiencing postnatal depression, but only 46.3% did so for the male target. Participants also held more positive attitudes toward the female target than the male target.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a gender binary in symptom recognition of postnatal depression, which highlights the need for greater awareness of paternal postnatal depression.