Parental Attitude Towards the Prescription of Psychotropic Medications for Mental Disorders in Children in a Tertiary Care University Hospital in Oman.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate parental attitude towards psychotropic drugs' use for children's mental disorders. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2020 to March 2021 at the Department of Behavioural Medicine, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman. A questionnaire was used to determine parents' opinions and attitudes about use of psychotropic medications on their children and, in a small proportion, other caregivers if the child attended with them. Risk factors associated with parents who preferred to consult a folk healer (FH) for children with mental disorders were identified by the logistic regression model. Results: A total of 299 parents participating in the study (response rate: 95.2%). Most (n = 244, 81.6%) agreed to give their child psychotropic medications if necessary, but 25.4% (n = 76) would consult an FH before a psychiatrist. Married parents were 14.5 times (P = 0.011) more likely than separated or divorced parents to consult an FH. Caregivers with a monthly income below 500 OMR and between 500 and 1,000 OMR were 2.5 (P = 0.016) and 3.2 times (P <0.001), respectively, more likely than those with more than 1,000 OMR to consult an FH. Parents who disagreed with giving their children psychotropic medications were 3.8 times (P <0.001) more likely to consult an FH than parents who agreed to give them if necessary. Conclusion: Most parents agreed to give their children psychotropic medications if necessary. However, a proportion of parents and caregivers preferred to consult an FH before accessing mental health services.

Exploring Factors Associated With Depressive Symptoms Among Patients With Chronic Pain: A Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study.

ABSTRACT: This cross-sectional study examined the factors associated with depression among people with chronic pain (PwCP) attending specialized pain clinics in Muscat, Oman. Two-hundred eighty-seven participants were recruited for the study, and univariate analyses were used to investigate the difference between individuals who scored above/below the cutoff points for depressive symptoms. A multiple regression analysis was used to detect the independent predictors. Twenty-six percent of participants scored above the cutoff point. Further analysis indicated that unstable family relationships pre-existing depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 2.86; p = 0.044), a family history of depression (OR, 4.75; p = 0.019), severe pain (OR, 4.21; p < 0.006), having fibromyalgia (OR, 28.29; p = 0.005), and lumbago/truck (OR, 2.41; p = 0.039) were independent predictors of depressive symptoms. This study indicates that one in four patients with chronic pain also presents with depressive symptoms. However, the role of culture needs to be taken into consideration when interpreting these findings and when building on these data.