ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of studies examining the effectiveness of some of the commonly used instruments to elicit the presence of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in Arab-speaking populations, such as those in Oman. The aim of this study was to establish the influence of social anxiety and the role of gender among Omani adolescents. METHODS: A two-phase protocol was used, entailing the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) against the gold standard, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). RESULTS: According to DSM and LSAS, the prevalence of social phobia among Omani students was generally higher compared to what has been reported in other parts of the world and the crosstabs analysis showed a significant correlation between gender and SAD. DISCUSSION: The Arabic version of LSAS proved to be an effective tool for assessing and quantifying the presence of SAD. This study discusses the sociocultural factors affecting social phobia in Omani society.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: There is a dearth of cross-cultural research on hyperactivity. This article aims to quantify the prevalence of hyperactivity in schoolboys residing in an Arab/Islamic country, Oman. METHOD: 1,502 Omani schoolboys from eight randomly selected schools representing the urban population of Oman were screened for various indices of hyperactivity and psychosocial and academic functioning using the short version of Conners' Teacher Rating Scale and other ecologically valid assessment measures. RESULTS: 7.8 % of the sample exhibited hyperactivity, which was strongly associated with indices of conduct disorder, poor school performance, and behavioral disorders (such as aggression, stealing, and lying). Sociodemographic variables such as child's rank, number of siblings, and parental education were not significant. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is one of the few quantifications of the prevalence of hyperactivity in the Arabian Gulf region. The high prevalence of hyperactivity found by this study suggests that it is increasingly becoming a global challenge.
