1.Stress and psychological wellbeing among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder
Azlina Wati Nikmat ; Mahadir Ahmad ; Ng Lai Oon ; Salmi razali
ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry 2008;9(2):65-72
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of parental stress and psychological wellbeing
among parents with autistic children and their associations with dimensions of support system. Methods: This is a preliminary cross sectional study which randomly selected parents
with clinically diagnosed autistic children. Those parents who attended psycho-education session on management of autistic children at Health Psychology Unit were randomly selected to
enroll in the study. Psychological wellbeing, parental stress and dimensions of support system
were assessed by using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the Provision Social Relation (PSR), respectively. Results: Of 52 parents with
autistic children (34 female and 18 male), about 90.4% of parents had significant parenting
stress, and 53.8% of parents showed clinical disturbance in psychological wellbeing. Gender
(t=1.67, p=0.02) and occupation (F=4.78, p=0.01) showed statistically significant association
with psychological wellbeing. No association found between other socio-demographic factors, parental stress and psychological wellbeing with dimensions of support system among
parents with autistic children. Conclusion: Parents with autistic children have high prevalence
of stress and psychological disturbances. Interactions of various factors need to be acknowledged and considered in order to reduce the burden of parents with autistic children
2.Stress and psychological wellbeing among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder
Azlina Wati Nikmat ; Mahadir Ahmad ; Ng Lai Oon ; Salmi Razali
ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry 2007;8(1):65-72
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of parental stress and psychological wellbeing
among parents with autistic children and their associations with dimensions of support system.
Methods: This is a preliminary cross sectional study which randomly selected parents
with clinically diagnosed autistic children. Those parents who attended psycho-education session
on management of autistic children at Health Psychology Unit were randomly selected to
enroll in the study. Psychological wellbeing, parental stress and dimensions of support system
were assessed by using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), the Parenting Stress Index
(PSI) and the Provision Social Relation (PSR), respectively. Results: Of 52 parents with
autistic children (34 female and 18 male), about 90.4% of parents had significant parenting
stress, and 53.8% of parents showed clinical disturbance in psychological wellbeing. Gender
(t=1.67, p=0.02) and occupation (F=4.78, p=0.01) showed statistically significant association
with psychological wellbeing. No association found between other socio-demographic factors,
parental stress and psychological wellbeing with dimensions of support system among
parents with autistic children. Conclusion: Parents with autistic children have high prevalence
of stress and psychological disturbances. Interactions of various factors need to be acknowledged
and considered in order to reduce the burden of parents with autistic children.
3.Obesity among patients with schizophrenia, attending outpatient psychiatric clinic, Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Salmi Razali ; Ainsah Omar ; Osman Che Bakar ; Shamsul Azman Shah
ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry 2007;8(2):90-96
Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity among patients with
schizophrenia and its association with the demographic profile. Methods: This is a cross
sectional study. Subjects were selected using systematic sampling. Patients attending the out
patient psychiatric clinic, Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, who fulfilled the criteria
and able to give consent were included in this study. Diagnosis of schizophrenia was made
using Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) for DSM-IV. Demographic profiles of the patients
were obtained and anthropometric measurements were measured and classified according to
Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Circumference (WC) of Asian population. Results: A total
of 97 patients were included. The prevalence of overweight (BMI: 23.0- 27.4 kg/m2) was
39.2% (n=38), and the prevalence of obesity (BMI: >27.0 kg/m2) was 35.1% (n=34). BMI
was higher among non-Chinese (Malay and Indian, p=.03) and those who had low total
household income (p=.03). Sixty-two patients (63.9%) had high WC, which was associated
with male (p=.003) and non-Chinese (p=.03). Conclusions: Obesity is highly prevalent among
patients with schizophrenia. The risk factors for obesity include male, non-Chinese and those
with low total income. The high WC among non-Chinese and male patients suggests that they
are at a higher risk of developing obesity-related physical illnesses. These findings support
that obesity is a common critical issue among schizophrenic patients, and it warrants serious
clinical interventions.
4.Psychological Distress And Burnout. The Duo Phenomena Among Medical Officers In A Tertiary Hospital In Malaysia
Nur Faizah ALI ; Nor Jannah Nasution RADUAN ; Salmi RAZALI ; Zaliha ISMAIL
ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry 2021;22(6):1-12
Burnout among doctors is an alarming issue causing impairment of function among doctors, leading to failure of optimum healthcare delivery. This study aims to improve the knowledge gap of burnout and psychological distress among medical officers. It is a cross-sectional study involving 250 medical officers, using universal sampling. Of the total 250 participants, 63 (25.2%) were burnout. The presence of burnout was significantly associated with psychological distress (p<0.001). Burnout is prevalent among medical officers. It is vital to maintain good psychological wellbeing in the form of good stress management and resilience training.