Parental Psychopathology: An Exploratory Study of Parenting and Behavioral Problems among Adolescents

Mental health problems are reflected in the family and parent–child interactions disrupting the quality of caregiving and consequently resulting in adverse emotional behavioral child outcomes. Despite the incredible work on parent–child interactions and emotional behavioral outcomes in children of parents with psychopathology in Western countries, there is an extreme scarcity in Pakistan for empirical support in this area of research. Hence the present study is designed to fill this gap. The current study is an effort to empirically explore the parenting and behavioral problems among a sample of adolescents having parents with psychopathology (Major Depressive Disorder & Schizophrenia) and without psychopathology. For this purpose, 348 parents participated in the study with their adolescent children divided into two groups: Parents who suffered from Psychopathology and those who did not suffer from any kind of Psychopathology. Twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi (Pakistan) were selected to approach the participants. Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) and Youth Self Report (YSR) were used to collect the data. The findings of the study revealed that parents with psychopathology reported less positive involvement/parenting and more negative/ineffective discipline as well as deficient monitoring. Likewise, their children (adolescents) scored higher on internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems as compared to those whose parents did not suffer from any psychopathology. Despite limitations, the results of current study are promising and significantly contribute to the existing literature. Implications have been discussed for planning the appropriate interventional strategies and specialized services for the affected children and their familiest (AU)

Premenstrual symptoms as predictor of quality of life in reproductive-aged women of Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir: A cross sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive role of premenstrual symptoms in reproductive-aged women's quality of life. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted in Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, from September 2017 to January 2018, and comprised married women aged 20-45 years. Urdu versions of Greene Climacteric Symptoms Scale and World Health Organisation Quality of Life scale were used. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. RESULTS: Of the 300 women with a mean age of 32.59±7.12 years, 245(81.7%) had a regular menstrual cycle. There was significant negative relationship between premenstrual symptoms and all domains of quality of life (p<0.05). Somatic symptoms were predominantly affecting the quality of life in more negative manners compared to other symptoms (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Premenstrual symptoms disturb the daily activities of reproductive-aged women and adversely affect their educational, occupational and psychosocial functioning.

Preliminary Effectiveness Study of Coping Power Program for Aggressive Children in Pakistan.

Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders. To address the scarceness for evidence-based interventions for behavioral problems in Pakistan, we evaluated the effectiveness of culturally adapted version of Coping Power Program. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which Coping Power Program is capable of reducing aggressive behavior and improving competent behavior, when delivered in a different culture, i.e., Pakistan. With randomized control trial (RCT) of pre- and post-testing, 112 fourth grade boys were allocated to Coping Power intervention condition and waitlist control condition. The intervention group showed significant reduction in aggression at post assessment, in comparison to control group. Boys who received Coping Power intervention also showed improvements in behavior, social skills, and social cognitive processes, with better anger control and problem solving strategies, in comparison to the control group. The results of the study provide preliminary evidence, supporting the effectiveness of Coping Power Program for Pakistani children. Despite its limitations, the results of this study are promising and suggest that Coping Power is an effective intervention to reduce behavioral problems and promote healthy and positive behaviors in children, even when implemented in different contexts with greater potential for violence exposure.

Assessment of stress among physiotherapy students at Riphah Centre of Rehabilitation Sciences.

OBJECTIVE: To assess stress and psychological morbidity in undergraduate students of physiotherapy at Riphah Centre of Rehabilitation Sciences (RCRS). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2008 to 2010 at RCRS. Two hundred and thirty one students from first semester to fourth semester were included in the study. The data was collected through a semi-structured proforma and the Student Life Stress Inventory (SLSI) scale. Data was analysed by applying t-test and ANOVA with SPSS version 17. RESULTS: Two hundred and three respondents (88%) reported feeling stressed: 97(42%) students were mildly stressed, 92(40%) were moderately stressed, and 14 (6%) were severely stressed. Significant gender differences were found on the total score of stress, stressors and reactions. The findings revealed that females face more stressors especially pressures (p<0.001), physiological, emotional (p<0.01) and behavioural (p<0.05). An analysis of variance on SLSI is significant, F = 3.747 (p<.05). Mean difference indicates that prevalence of stress is higher in 4th semester RCRS students. CONCLUSION: The findings reveal the higher level of stress in undergraduate physiotherapy students. The high psychological morbidity necessitates the need for interventions like counseling and psychological support to improve the quality of life for these allied health care professionals.