Background: Body image is one of the most important psychological factors that affects adolescent... more Background: Body image is one of the most important psychological factors that affects adolescents’ personality and behavior. Body image can be defined as the person’s perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about his or her body. Objectives: to identify the prevalence of body image concerns among secondary school students and its relation to different factors. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in which 796 secondary school students participated and body shape concerns was investigated using the body shape questionnaire (BSQ-34). Results: The prevalence of moderate/marked concern was (21.6%). Moderate/ marked body shape concern was significantly associated with unemployed fathers and mothers, low level of maternal education, lower socioeconomic status, concern with body weight or problematic eating, increased BMI, increased anxiety and depression. Conclusions: The high prevalence of moderate/marked dissatisfaction with body shape and its possible relation to subseq...
ABSTRACT Objective: Reports about medication adherence in Arab patients with schizophrenia and th... more ABSTRACT Objective: Reports about medication adherence in Arab patients with schizophrenia and the possible confounding factors are lacking. The aim of the present study was to determine whether insight, spirituality and patient beliefs about the necessity and concerns about medication were associated with adherence among those presenting with schizophrenia in an outpatient facility. Methods: At the end of a routine follow up with their psychiatrist, patients completed questionnaires, including the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight (SAI-E), Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), Arabic Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) and Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ). Results: A sample of 92 patients with schizophrenia was studied. On the basis of the MMAS results, 24 (26%) patients were categorized as medication adherent and 68 (74%) as medication non-adherent. Logistic regression analysis showed that the SAI and DSES sores were positive predictors of adherence whereas the BMQ concern subscale score was a negative predictor of adherence. Conclusions: The present study extended prior research in western cultures on the role of insight, patient beliefs and spirituality in medication adherence in a sample of Arab patients with schizophrenia. Further examination of the influence of spirituality on adherence is required to explicate this relationship.
ABSTRACT Background: Mental health problems among college students represent an important and gro... more ABSTRACT Background: Mental health problems among college students represent an important and growing public health concern for which epidemiological data are needed. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of mental health problems among undergraduate college students at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia and to determine the socio-demographic and other potential correlates for mental health problems. Materials and Methods: A total of 1696 undergraduate students of both genders from ten colleges at King Faisal University were selected using a random sampling method. Participants were assessed for depression and anxiety using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) anonymously. Information was also collected for the socio-demographics, presence of chronic disease conditions and other potential correlates as financial, personal and family problems. Results: The prevalence of symptoms of any depression or anxiety was 21.9%. Symptoms of major depression were present in 9.9%, other depression in 19.4% and any depression among 24.4%. Panic and generalized anxiety symptoms were found in 4.0% and in 14.0% respectively. Suicidal ideation in the past four weeks was reported by 1.1% of students. Major depression and anxiety were significantly higher among females. Multivariate regression logistic models revealed that the type of college (nature of received education), female gender, financial and personal problems were significant predictors for major depression. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need to address mental health problems in young adult populations, particularly among those of lower socioeconomic status. Keywords: Depression, anxiety, university students, correlates.
Background: The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is particularly common in the younger age groups and,... more Background: The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is particularly common in the younger age groups and, therefore represents a significant public health problem in young girls. This study aims to estimate the prevalence, severity, determinants of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and its impact among the female medical students in
Skin disorders such as acne, which have significant cosmetic implications, can affect the self-pe... more Skin disorders such as acne, which have significant cosmetic implications, can affect the self-perception of cutaneous body image. There are many scales which measure self-perception of cutaneous body image. We evaluated the use of a simple Cutaneous Body Image (CBI) scale to assess self-perception of body image in a sample of young Arab patients affected with acne. A total of 70 patients with acne answered the CBI questionnaire. The CBI score was correlated with the severity of acne and acne scarring, gender, and history of retinoids use. There was no statistically significant correlation between CBI and the other parameters - gender, acne/acne scarring severity, and use of retinoids. Our study suggests that cutaneous body image perception in Arab patients with acne was not dependent on variables like gender and severity of acne or acne scarring. A simple CBI scale alone is not a sufficiently reliable tool to assess self-perception of body image in patients with acne vulgaris.
Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons--Pakistan : JCPSP, 2010
To determine the prevalence of postpartum psychiatric disorders in young mothers using a brief st... more To determine the prevalence of postpartum psychiatric disorders in young mothers using a brief structured psychiatric interview, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). A cross-sectional study. The Primary Health Care Centres (PHCCs) in Al-Ahsa region, Saudi Arabia, during the period 2008 to 2009. Young primigravid mothers (in their teen age) were interviewed using MINI. Psychiatric morbidity was analyzed in relation to the different sociodemographic, psychiatric and obstetric characteristics. The distribution and frequency of the MINI subscales were presented in number and percentage. To quantify the risk, Univariate analysis was employed with reporting of crude Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI); p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 22.6% with preponderance of anxiety disorders due to increased prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and social phobia. Postpartum anxiety disorders were sign...
Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP, 2010
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and social determinants of waterpipe (WP) smoking am... more This study aimed to determine the prevalence and social determinants of waterpipe (WP) smoking among secondary school students in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia and to assess their health related knowledge and attitudes toward WP. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,652 Saudi secondary school students of both genders aged between 15-19 years selected by multistage sampling method. A self-administered anonymous Arabic version of Global Youth Tobacco Survey modified with items dedicated to WP smoking and to assess perception of health related hazards and attitudes towards WP was employed for data collection. Prevalence of current smokers 'all forms' was 30.3% among males (C.I= 27.5- 33.2%) and 8.5% in females (C.I= 6.6-10.9%). WP was used by 53.9% of the current tobacco users, significantly higher among older age students. Of the regular WP smokers, 20.7% smoked WP on daily basis, 23.8% weekly, 64.2% stated using flavored " Muassel " tobacco. Primary motives for WP ...
Background: Increasing longevity and a growing older population is associated with a higher preva... more Background: Increasing longevity and a growing older population is associated with a higher prevalence of dementia. However; research on dementia in the Gulf region is relatively scanty compared to the western world. Objects: This is a cross sectional study to evaluate the clinical and demographic profile among 53 patients with dementia seen at the outpatient clinics of a tertiary care hospital (King Fahd Hospital), in Saudi Arabia between June 2007 and May 2011. Method: Evaluation of patients consisted of medical history, cognitive testing, assessment of functional status (Activities of Daily Living Scale-ADL; Instrumental Activities Daily Living-IADL) and application of the Neuropsychiatry Inventory (NPI) for behavioral symptoms. Severity of dementia was evaluated based on the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR). Results: Of the whole sample, 73.6% were males. Age was 71 ± 5.8 years (mean ± SD). The types of dementia were: Alzheimer's disease (56.6%), vascular dementia (24.5%), mixed cases of Alzheimer and vascular dementia (18.9%). At least one neuropsychiatric symptom was diagnosed in 98.1% of the sample. There were significant differences on some NPI symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, apathy and aberrant motor activity. Conclusions: Dementia is expected to be a growing problem in Saudi Arabia and the overall prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms has been found to be high. These findings suggest that a screening program focused on identifying symptoms of early cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms should be included amongst the tools employed by physicians for diagnosing dementia.
Background: Substance abuse and dependence are frequently encountered in emergency hospitals. The... more Background: Substance abuse and dependence are frequently encountered in emergency hospitals. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of drug abuse and dependence among patients attending Emergency Hospitals and to describe the sociodemographic, clinical and psychiatric features of these patients .Secondary aims were to evaluate the type of medical care given to these patients and to assess the predictors of substance abuse and dependence Methods: All 1,526 patients attending the Mansoura emergency hospital during the month of April 2012 were included in this study. Alcohol and illicit drug use were assessed using a questionnaire filled in by the patients and their relatives followed by an interview based on the Arabic version of Mini international neuropsychiatric interview (MINI) for the diagnosis of comorbid psychiatric disorders. Results: After exclusion of 155 cases, 1,317 patients were included: 108 (8%) with substance abuse and 47(3.5%) with substance dependence .Cannabis was the most common drug abused for 3.6% of patients followed by tramadol and polysubstance in1.8%, 1.7% of patients respectively, whereas, tramadol ranked the first in the dependence group in 1.2% of patients followed by the cannabi and stimulants in 1% and 0.5% of patients respectively). Multivariate regression analysis showed that being of younger age (< 30 years) (Odds ratio OR=1.74), male and single with unsatisfactory income (OR= 3.71, 1.59 and 2.66 respectively) and diagnosed with psychiatric illness OR=2.08) positively predict the abuse status included. Those with status of drug dependence had features similar to the status of abuse patients except regarding reason for hospital referral and the presence of psychiatric illness. Conclusion: About one in ten of the attendants presented with either substance abuse or dependence .This should be considered during history taking and clinical examination of patients referred to an emergency hospital particularly in male gender, single, younger age group with unsatisfactory income.
Introduction There is a critical gap in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) research with respect t... more Introduction There is a critical gap in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) research with respect to manifestations of the condition in developing countries This study examined the influence of sociodemographic variables on the severity of autistic symptoms and behavioral profile in Arab children. Methods The total study sample comprised of 60 Arab children (38 boys and 22 girls) from three Arab countries (22 Jordanians, 19 Saudis and 19 Egyptians). The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) was based on DSM-IV criteria supplemented by direct observation according to the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA) and assessment of Intelligent Quotient (IQ). Finally, parents rated their child on the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results It was found that the housewives and Saudi parents described more autistic symptoms and externalizing behavior problems. A significant negative correlation was found between IQ and each of ISAA, CBCL Internalizing and Externalizing ...
Background: Over the last years, details regarding levels of stress and sources of stress have em... more Background: Over the last years, details regarding levels of stress and sources of stress have emerged in studies of nursing students in Western population To date, there only few similar reports on clinical stress, anxiety, depression among the Arab population .This study was conducted to examine the level of perceived stress among baccalaureate Mansoura nursing students and to highlight the possible predicting factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Data were obtained from 373 students using a self-administered questionnaire, including questions on sociodemographics, list of possible stressors, perceived stress, physical wellbeing factors, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results: Prevalence of high stress level, anxiety and depression were 40.2%, 46.6% and 27.9%, respectively. On average each student reported a mean of 4.6 stressors and academic pressures were the most frequent stressors .In regression analysis the number of stressors and global sickness index score were predictors of high stress level. Conclusion: These findings call for introduction of stress management programs and psychiatric care into nursing health services of the University.
Background: Body image is one of the most important psychological factors that affects adolescent... more Background: Body image is one of the most important psychological factors that affects adolescents’ personality and behavior. Body image can be defined as the person’s perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about his or her body. Objectives: to identify the prevalence of body image concerns among secondary school students and its relation to different factors. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in which 796 secondary school students participated and body shape concerns was investigated using the body shape questionnaire (BSQ-34). Results: The prevalence of moderate/marked concern was (21.6%). Moderate/ marked body shape concern was significantly associated with unemployed fathers and mothers, low level of maternal education, lower socioeconomic status, concern with body weight or problematic eating, increased BMI, increased anxiety and depression. Conclusions: The high prevalence of moderate/marked dissatisfaction with body shape and its possible relation to subseq...
ABSTRACT Objective: Reports about medication adherence in Arab patients with schizophrenia and th... more ABSTRACT Objective: Reports about medication adherence in Arab patients with schizophrenia and the possible confounding factors are lacking. The aim of the present study was to determine whether insight, spirituality and patient beliefs about the necessity and concerns about medication were associated with adherence among those presenting with schizophrenia in an outpatient facility. Methods: At the end of a routine follow up with their psychiatrist, patients completed questionnaires, including the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight (SAI-E), Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), Arabic Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) and Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ). Results: A sample of 92 patients with schizophrenia was studied. On the basis of the MMAS results, 24 (26%) patients were categorized as medication adherent and 68 (74%) as medication non-adherent. Logistic regression analysis showed that the SAI and DSES sores were positive predictors of adherence whereas the BMQ concern subscale score was a negative predictor of adherence. Conclusions: The present study extended prior research in western cultures on the role of insight, patient beliefs and spirituality in medication adherence in a sample of Arab patients with schizophrenia. Further examination of the influence of spirituality on adherence is required to explicate this relationship.
ABSTRACT Background: Mental health problems among college students represent an important and gro... more ABSTRACT Background: Mental health problems among college students represent an important and growing public health concern for which epidemiological data are needed. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of mental health problems among undergraduate college students at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia and to determine the socio-demographic and other potential correlates for mental health problems. Materials and Methods: A total of 1696 undergraduate students of both genders from ten colleges at King Faisal University were selected using a random sampling method. Participants were assessed for depression and anxiety using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) anonymously. Information was also collected for the socio-demographics, presence of chronic disease conditions and other potential correlates as financial, personal and family problems. Results: The prevalence of symptoms of any depression or anxiety was 21.9%. Symptoms of major depression were present in 9.9%, other depression in 19.4% and any depression among 24.4%. Panic and generalized anxiety symptoms were found in 4.0% and in 14.0% respectively. Suicidal ideation in the past four weeks was reported by 1.1% of students. Major depression and anxiety were significantly higher among females. Multivariate regression logistic models revealed that the type of college (nature of received education), female gender, financial and personal problems were significant predictors for major depression. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need to address mental health problems in young adult populations, particularly among those of lower socioeconomic status. Keywords: Depression, anxiety, university students, correlates.
Background: The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is particularly common in the younger age groups and,... more Background: The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is particularly common in the younger age groups and, therefore represents a significant public health problem in young girls. This study aims to estimate the prevalence, severity, determinants of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and its impact among the female medical students in
Skin disorders such as acne, which have significant cosmetic implications, can affect the self-pe... more Skin disorders such as acne, which have significant cosmetic implications, can affect the self-perception of cutaneous body image. There are many scales which measure self-perception of cutaneous body image. We evaluated the use of a simple Cutaneous Body Image (CBI) scale to assess self-perception of body image in a sample of young Arab patients affected with acne. A total of 70 patients with acne answered the CBI questionnaire. The CBI score was correlated with the severity of acne and acne scarring, gender, and history of retinoids use. There was no statistically significant correlation between CBI and the other parameters - gender, acne/acne scarring severity, and use of retinoids. Our study suggests that cutaneous body image perception in Arab patients with acne was not dependent on variables like gender and severity of acne or acne scarring. A simple CBI scale alone is not a sufficiently reliable tool to assess self-perception of body image in patients with acne vulgaris.
Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons--Pakistan : JCPSP, 2010
To determine the prevalence of postpartum psychiatric disorders in young mothers using a brief st... more To determine the prevalence of postpartum psychiatric disorders in young mothers using a brief structured psychiatric interview, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). A cross-sectional study. The Primary Health Care Centres (PHCCs) in Al-Ahsa region, Saudi Arabia, during the period 2008 to 2009. Young primigravid mothers (in their teen age) were interviewed using MINI. Psychiatric morbidity was analyzed in relation to the different sociodemographic, psychiatric and obstetric characteristics. The distribution and frequency of the MINI subscales were presented in number and percentage. To quantify the risk, Univariate analysis was employed with reporting of crude Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI); p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 22.6% with preponderance of anxiety disorders due to increased prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and social phobia. Postpartum anxiety disorders were sign...
Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP, 2010
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and social determinants of waterpipe (WP) smoking am... more This study aimed to determine the prevalence and social determinants of waterpipe (WP) smoking among secondary school students in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia and to assess their health related knowledge and attitudes toward WP. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,652 Saudi secondary school students of both genders aged between 15-19 years selected by multistage sampling method. A self-administered anonymous Arabic version of Global Youth Tobacco Survey modified with items dedicated to WP smoking and to assess perception of health related hazards and attitudes towards WP was employed for data collection. Prevalence of current smokers 'all forms' was 30.3% among males (C.I= 27.5- 33.2%) and 8.5% in females (C.I= 6.6-10.9%). WP was used by 53.9% of the current tobacco users, significantly higher among older age students. Of the regular WP smokers, 20.7% smoked WP on daily basis, 23.8% weekly, 64.2% stated using flavored " Muassel " tobacco. Primary motives for WP ...
Background: Increasing longevity and a growing older population is associated with a higher preva... more Background: Increasing longevity and a growing older population is associated with a higher prevalence of dementia. However; research on dementia in the Gulf region is relatively scanty compared to the western world. Objects: This is a cross sectional study to evaluate the clinical and demographic profile among 53 patients with dementia seen at the outpatient clinics of a tertiary care hospital (King Fahd Hospital), in Saudi Arabia between June 2007 and May 2011. Method: Evaluation of patients consisted of medical history, cognitive testing, assessment of functional status (Activities of Daily Living Scale-ADL; Instrumental Activities Daily Living-IADL) and application of the Neuropsychiatry Inventory (NPI) for behavioral symptoms. Severity of dementia was evaluated based on the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR). Results: Of the whole sample, 73.6% were males. Age was 71 ± 5.8 years (mean ± SD). The types of dementia were: Alzheimer's disease (56.6%), vascular dementia (24.5%), mixed cases of Alzheimer and vascular dementia (18.9%). At least one neuropsychiatric symptom was diagnosed in 98.1% of the sample. There were significant differences on some NPI symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, apathy and aberrant motor activity. Conclusions: Dementia is expected to be a growing problem in Saudi Arabia and the overall prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms has been found to be high. These findings suggest that a screening program focused on identifying symptoms of early cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms should be included amongst the tools employed by physicians for diagnosing dementia.
Background: Substance abuse and dependence are frequently encountered in emergency hospitals. The... more Background: Substance abuse and dependence are frequently encountered in emergency hospitals. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of drug abuse and dependence among patients attending Emergency Hospitals and to describe the sociodemographic, clinical and psychiatric features of these patients .Secondary aims were to evaluate the type of medical care given to these patients and to assess the predictors of substance abuse and dependence Methods: All 1,526 patients attending the Mansoura emergency hospital during the month of April 2012 were included in this study. Alcohol and illicit drug use were assessed using a questionnaire filled in by the patients and their relatives followed by an interview based on the Arabic version of Mini international neuropsychiatric interview (MINI) for the diagnosis of comorbid psychiatric disorders. Results: After exclusion of 155 cases, 1,317 patients were included: 108 (8%) with substance abuse and 47(3.5%) with substance dependence .Cannabis was the most common drug abused for 3.6% of patients followed by tramadol and polysubstance in1.8%, 1.7% of patients respectively, whereas, tramadol ranked the first in the dependence group in 1.2% of patients followed by the cannabi and stimulants in 1% and 0.5% of patients respectively). Multivariate regression analysis showed that being of younger age (< 30 years) (Odds ratio OR=1.74), male and single with unsatisfactory income (OR= 3.71, 1.59 and 2.66 respectively) and diagnosed with psychiatric illness OR=2.08) positively predict the abuse status included. Those with status of drug dependence had features similar to the status of abuse patients except regarding reason for hospital referral and the presence of psychiatric illness. Conclusion: About one in ten of the attendants presented with either substance abuse or dependence .This should be considered during history taking and clinical examination of patients referred to an emergency hospital particularly in male gender, single, younger age group with unsatisfactory income.
Introduction There is a critical gap in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) research with respect t... more Introduction There is a critical gap in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) research with respect to manifestations of the condition in developing countries This study examined the influence of sociodemographic variables on the severity of autistic symptoms and behavioral profile in Arab children. Methods The total study sample comprised of 60 Arab children (38 boys and 22 girls) from three Arab countries (22 Jordanians, 19 Saudis and 19 Egyptians). The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) was based on DSM-IV criteria supplemented by direct observation according to the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA) and assessment of Intelligent Quotient (IQ). Finally, parents rated their child on the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results It was found that the housewives and Saudi parents described more autistic symptoms and externalizing behavior problems. A significant negative correlation was found between IQ and each of ISAA, CBCL Internalizing and Externalizing ...
Background: Over the last years, details regarding levels of stress and sources of stress have em... more Background: Over the last years, details regarding levels of stress and sources of stress have emerged in studies of nursing students in Western population To date, there only few similar reports on clinical stress, anxiety, depression among the Arab population .This study was conducted to examine the level of perceived stress among baccalaureate Mansoura nursing students and to highlight the possible predicting factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Data were obtained from 373 students using a self-administered questionnaire, including questions on sociodemographics, list of possible stressors, perceived stress, physical wellbeing factors, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results: Prevalence of high stress level, anxiety and depression were 40.2%, 46.6% and 27.9%, respectively. On average each student reported a mean of 4.6 stressors and academic pressures were the most frequent stressors .In regression analysis the number of stressors and global sickness index score were predictors of high stress level. Conclusion: These findings call for introduction of stress management programs and psychiatric care into nursing health services of the University.
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