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Public knowledge and beliefs about depression among urban and rural Chinese in Malaysia

Loo PW, Furnham A

Asian J Psychiatr, 2012 Sep;5(3):236-45.
PMID: 22981052 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2012.02.003

The study compared knowledge and beliefs about depression among urban and rural Chinese in a Malaysian sample. A total of 409 participants were asked to identify cases of depression varying in intensity from two vignettes and rate their beliefs regarding a list of possible causes and treatments for depression. The urban Chinese were more likely to identify depression as the problem in the vignette. Beliefs about causes of depression were factored into five components, whereas beliefs about treatment for depression factored into four components. The results indicated that the causes most strongly endorsed were stress and pressure, and standard treatments rated the highest as treatments for depression. Overall, depression literacy was moderate for Chinese Malaysians. The results are discussed in relation to Chinese cultural beliefs about depression. Limitations of this preliminary study were acknowledged.

Matched MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder/ethnology*
Fulltext Sociodemographic correlates of unipolar major depression among the Chinese elderly in Klang Valley, Malaysia: an epidemiological study

Verma RK, Min TH, Chakravarthy S, Barua A, Kar N

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:812712.
PMID: 25544962 DOI: 10.1155/2014/812712

BACKGROUND: Depression, as one of the most disabling diseases around the world, had caught the global concern with its rising prevalence rate. There is a growing need of detecting depression, particularly in the old age population which is often left being overlooked.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional community-based study which included 150 Chinese elderly aged 60 and above within Klang Valley area. We obtained the sociodemographic profiles and assessed the status of well-being, depression, and cognitive function of the participants with the help of instruments: WHO Five-Item Well-Being Index, Major (ICD-10) Depression Inventory, and 6-Item Cognitive Impairment Test.
RESULTS: We found that the prevalence of depression among the Chinese elderly within Klang Valley region was 10.7%. With multiple logistic regression, decision to consult doctor on depressed mood or memory problem and presence of cognitive impairment were shown to be significantly associated with unipolar major depression, whereas wellbeing status was also found to be statistically correlated with depression in univariate analysis.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of unipolar depression among Chinese elderly within Klang Valley, Malaysia presented that there was an increased trend compared to the previous studies..

Matched MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder/ethnology
Somatic and non-affective symptoms of old age depression: ethnic differences among Chinese, Indians and Malays

Soh KC, Kua EH, Ng TP

Int J Geriatr Psychiatry, 2009 Jul;24(7):723-30.
PMID: 19089846 DOI: 10.1002/gps.2188

Somatic and other non-affective symptomatology characterizes late life depression and contributes to its under-diagnosis, especially in some ethnic groups.

Matched MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder/ethnology
A comparative study of sertraline dosages, plasma concentrations, efficacy and adverse reactions in Chinese versus Caucasian patients

Hong Ng C, Norman TR, Naing KO, Schweitzer I, Kong Wai Ho B, Fan A, et al.

Int Clin Psychopharmacol, 2006 Mar;21(2):87-92.
PMID: 16421459

This prospective 6-week study examined the differences in dosage and steady state plasma concentrations of sertraline in Chinese versus Caucasian depressed patients. Two groups of Chinese patients from different geographical sites and a group of Caucasian patients were evaluated with clinical measures during an initial dose of 50 mg/day, with subsequent doses adjusted clinically. The results of 17 Australian Chinese (ACHI), 13 Malaysian Chinese (MCHI) and 15 Australian Caucasians (AC) were analysed. Despite controlling for weight, the AC subjects received a significantly higher dose than both the ACHI (P = 0.002) and the MCHI groups (P = 0.012). However, the mean sertraline concentration to dose ratios at weeks 1 and 6 were not significantly different between the three groups. Sertraline was effective and well tolerated in both ethnic groups with few adverse events. Although there was a lack of difference between groups in the pharmacokinetic results, Chinese depressed patients appeared to require lower dosages with consequently lower plasma concentrations of sertraline compared to Caucasian patients to achieve clinical efficacy. Further studies of the dosages, kinetics and adverse effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors linked with genotyping are necessary.

Matched MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder/ethnology
Fulltext Protocol for a between-group experimental study examining cultural differences in emotion processing between Malay and Caucasian adults with and without major depressive disorder

Mohan SN, Mukhtar F, Jobson L

BMJ Open, 2016 Oct 21;6(10):e012774.
PMID: 27798019 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012774

INTRODUCTION: Depression is a mood disorder that affects a significant proportion of the population worldwide. In Malaysia and Australia, the number of people diagnosed with depression is on the rise. It has been found that impairments in emotion processing and emotion regulation play a role in the development and maintenance of depression. This study is based on Matsumoto and Hwang's biocultural model of emotion and Triandis' Subjective Culture model. It aims to investigate the influence of culture on emotion processing among Malaysians and Australians with and without major depressive disorder (MDD).
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study will adopt a between-group design. Participants will include Malaysian Malays and Caucasian Australians with and without MDD (N=320). There will be four tasks involved in this study, namely: (1) the facial emotion recognition task, (2) the biological motion task, (3) the subjective experience task and (4) the emotion meaning task. It is hypothesised that there will be cultural differences in how participants with and without MDD respond to these emotion tasks and that, pan-culturally, MDD will influence accuracy rates in the facial emotion recognition task and the biological motion task.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study is approved by the Universiti Putra Malaysia Research Ethics Committee (JKEUPM) and the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC). Permission to conduct the study has also been obtained from the National Medical Research Register (NMRR; NMRR-15-2314-26919). On completion of the study, data will be kept by Universiti Putra Malaysia for a specific period of time before they are destroyed. Data will be published in a collective manner in the form of journal articles with no reference to a specific individual.

Matched MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder/ethnology*
Severity of visual impairment and depression among elderly Malaysians

Noran NH, Izzuna MG, Bulgiba AM, Mimiwati Z, Ayu SM

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2009 Jan;21(1):43-50.
PMID: 19124335 DOI: 10.1177/1010539508327353

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at evaluating the relationship between severity of visual impairment and depression among elderly Malaysians attending an eye clinic.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. The study population included patients, aged>or=60 years who attended the Eye Clinic in University Malaya Medical Centre. Exposure measurement was based on ophthalmologic examinations by an ophthalmologist. Data on outcome were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale.
RESULTS: After adjusting for important confounders, severity of visual impairment either having low vision or blind were independent risk factors of depression. The odds of developing depression among elderly with low vision were 2 times more than those with normal vision, and elderly who were blind had almost 5 times the odds to be depressed compared with those having normal vision.
CONCLUSION: Findings from this study suggest a positive relationship between the severity of visual impairment and depression among elderly Malaysians.
Study site: Eye Clinic, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Device, Questionnaire & Scale: Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15)

Matched MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder/ethnology
Community knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs towards depression in the state of Penang, Malaysia

Khan TM, Sulaiman SA, Hassali MA, Anwar M, Wasif G, Khan AH

Community Ment Health J, 2010 Feb;46(1):87-92.
PMID: 20146000 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-009-9262-z

This study was intended to evaluate the mental health literacy vis-à-vis depression among inhabitants of Penang state in North Malaysia. Using a clustered random sampling method, 1,855 respondents were approached to participate in the survey. A total of 1,149 respondents actually participated, for a 61.9% response rate. Face to face interviews were then conducted using a pre-validated 21-item questionnaire. The mean age of the respondents was 30 years (SD +/-11.5). The majority (n = 884; 76.9%) could recognize three or more symptoms of depression. Chinese and/or female respondents performed the best in this domain. Respondents with a personal experience of depression displayed a significantly better knowledge of symptoms of and therapies for depression than those who did not (t = -35.745, P = <0.001). Overall, a moderate knowledge level of the symptoms of depression and a cursory knowledge towards therapy were observed among the general population in Penang. Notably, respondents were generally inclined towards the use of alternative medicine. The study suggests that strong beliefs in alternative and traditional medicines could undermine the respondents' willingness and ability to seek evidence-based mental health care.

Matched MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder/ethnology*
Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms in Malay women

Din MO, Noor NM

Women Health, 2009 Dec;49(8):573-91.
PMID: 20183102 DOI: 10.1080/03630240903495897

Due to a dearth of research on depressive symptoms in Malaysia, particularly in Malay women, a community study was conducted to examine the prevalence and factors associated with current depressive symptoms in rural and urban Malay women with low socioeconomic status.

Matched MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder/ethnology