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Abstract@#Introduction: Caregivers of children with speech-language pathology experience psychological distress as speech impedes communication and interferes children’s development. This study aimed to determine the effects of a oneday mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress for caregivers of children with speech-language pathology in a Malaysian hospital. Methods: Caregivers (n = 62) who fulfilled the selection criteria were recruited and randomly assigned to either MBI or treatment-as-usual control groups. The caregivers completed self-rated questionnaires, namely the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21) and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) before and at one-month post-intervention. Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated significant improvement in DASS 21 and MAAS scores in the intervention group compared to control group. There were significant improvements at one-month post-intervention in all outcome measures: depression (β = 4.20, ΔR2 = 0.09, p = 0.008, f2 = 0.10); anxiety (β = 5.12, ΔR2 = 0.13, p = 0.001, f2 = 0.15); stress (β = 5.36, ΔR2 = 0.14, p <0.001, f2= 0.16); mindfulness (β = -5.89, ΔR2 = 0.05, p = 0.022, f2 = 0.05). Medium effect sizes were observed in anxiety and stress symptoms reduction. Conclusion: The one-day MBI was effective in reducing psychological distress for caregivers of children with speech-language pathology.
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Introduction: The 12- item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) has been translated into many languages and widely used in different settings and countries. Its reliability and psychometric properties were extensively studied in many population groups which suggested that it measures psychological distress in multidimensional construct. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the reliability and factor structure of the Bahasa Malaysia version of the GHQ-12 among university students attending a health program at a Malaysian public university. Method: The cross sectional survey was conducted on 306 undergraduate students aged between 18 to 27 years old who visited the booth set up for mental health screening at a health program. The screening was conducted using a self-administered, validated Bahasa Malaysia version of GHQ-12 questionnaire. Results: Using exploratory factor analysis, the Bahasa Malaysia version of GHQ-12 was found to have a three factor structures namely depressive symptoms, self-esteem and perceived abilities which accounted for 58% of the item variance. The overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale was found to be high (0.84) with each factor having acceptable inter-item consistency ranging from 0.61 to 0.82. Conclusion: The findings of the study show that the Bahasa Malaysia version GHQ-12 is reliable and has good structural characteristics. It can assess a few domains of the psychological status of university students. It also helps in providing more information on the domain which may become a focus target of intervention in the prevention of mental illness.
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Quality of Life , Delivery of Health CareABSTRACT
Objective: According to Malaysian law, defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity may be admitted to a psychiatric hospital and discharge is subject to the state ruler’s assent. The objective of this study is to examine the clinical, socio-demographic and forensic factors that influence inpatient duration of insanity acquittees in a Malaysian mental institution. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of one hundred and twelve insanity acquittee inpatients in Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta from January 2007 to February 2007. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) respectively. Other relevant socio-demographic, clinical and forensic factors were also assessed. Results: The inpatient duration varied widely from three months to forty-seven years with a median of seven years. Seventy five percent of patients were in remission. According to the multiple linear regression model, the strongest predictor of a longer duration of hospital stay for insanity acquittees was older age (p<0.001) followed by murder as the index offence (p=0.005). Good family support predicted a shorter inpatient duration. This model explains 56% of the variance in the inpatient duration. Conclusion: Social factors such as family support may be increasingly important in determining the discharge process of insanity acquittees besides clinical rehabilitation. Issues such as stigma of violent forensic patients and the role of community forensic rehabilitation services need to be further explored.