INTRODUCTIONWaiting times for kidney transplant are long in Singapore. Healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL) of patients might be affected as a result of the stress of the long wait and the uncertainty of being called to undergo a surgical operation. This study aimed to measure the HRQoL of patients on the kidney transplant waiting list and to identify factors which could impact on the HRQoL scores in this group of patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThis was a cross-sectional study of kidney transplant waiting list patients managed at a tertiary renal unit using the SF-36. A SF-36 normative calculator was used to generate HRQoL scores for the Singapore general population matched with the study cohort's age, gender and ethnicity.

RESULTSThere were 265 respondents with a response rate was 81%. Our study shows that HRQoL scores for the kidney transplant waiting list patients were lower than the population norms across all subscales and were clinically significant for General Health, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, Social Functioning and Mental Component Summary scores. Factors such as being Chinese, married, employed and undergoing haemodialysis predicted better HRQoL scores after adjusting for possible confounders. Age, gender, educational level, household income, history of kidney transplant, duration on the transplant waiting list and years on dialysis did not significantly influence SF-36 across all subscales scores.

CONCLUSIONKidney transplant waiting list patients had worse HRQoL compared to the general population. Factors such as ethnicity, marital status, employment status, and type of dialysis treatment significantly influenced patients' perception of their HRQoL.

Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; Male ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Waiting Lists

INTRODUCTION: Family history of psychopathology is a risk factor for mood and anxiety disorders in children, but little is known about rates of parental psychopathology among treatment-seeking youth with affective disorders in the Asia Pacific region. This study examined patterns of emotional and behavioural problems in parents of clinically-referred youth in Singapore. We hypothesised that parents would have higher rates of affective disorders compared to the Singapore national prevalence rate of 12%. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 47 families were recruited from affective disorders and community-based psychiatry programmes run by a tertiary child psychiatry clinic. All children had a confirmed primary clinical diagnosis of depression or an anxiety disorder. Parents completed the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to assess for lifetime mood and anxiety disorders. They also completed the Adult Self Report (ASR) and Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL) to assess current internalising and externalising symptoms. RESULTS: Consistent with our hypothesis, 38.5% of mothers and 10.5% of fathers reported a lifetime mood and anxiety disorder. Nearly 1/3 of mothers had clinical/subclinical scores on current internalising and externalising problems. A similar pattern was found for internalising problems among fathers, with a slightly lower rate of clinical/subclinical externalising problems. CONCLUSION Our findings are consistent with previous overseas studies showing elevated rates of affective disorders among parents - particularly mothers - of children seeking outpatient psychiatric care. Routine screening in this population may help to close the current treatment gap for adults with mood and anxiety disorders.
Adult ; Anxiety Disorders ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Family Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mood Disorders ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Parent-Child Relations ; Parenting ; psychology ; Parents ; psychology ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Psychopathology ; Singapore ; epidemiology

Introduction: University students’ perspectives on mental health issues remain scarce despite the growing prevalence of mental illness among this population. Therefore, this study aimed to explore university students’ perceptions and beliefs about mental health and mental illness. Methods: Virtual in-depth interviews were conducted from December 2021 to March 2022. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Sixteen informants from a Malaysian university were interviewed. Four major themes emerged: (1) understanding of mental health and mental illness; (2) perceived causes of mental illness; (3) attitudes towards mental illness; (4) strategies to maintain good mental health. Most informants related mental health to an individual’s thoughts, emotions and behaviours, while a minority equated ‘mental health’ with ‘mental illness’. The majority of informants cited socio-environmental factors as the primary cause of mental illness. Unexpectedly, informants did not view religious factors as a cause of mental illness, although it was thought to be deeply rooted in the older generation. Nearly all informants expressed positive attitudes and willingness to help people with mental illness. However, some informants decided to cover up their mental health problems to avoid the likelihood of experiencing negative emotions. Most informants believed that living a fulfilling and balanced life, staying optimistic and being religious could help them to maintain good mental health. Conclusion: To mitigate the deterioration of students’ mental health, it is necessary to understand their perceptions and beliefs about mental health and mental illness as these may influence their help-seeking behaviours. The study findings showed that university students have a basic understanding of mental health and mental illness and most of them are supportive in handling people with mental illness.

Introduction: In understanding of the general public’s knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on the returning and disposal of unused medications is imperative towards the designing of better educational materials and policy development. The objectives of this study was to validate the Malay version of the Return and Disposal of Unused Medications (ReDiUM) questionnaire for use among Malaysian as well as to gain an understanding on these patterns of behaviour among Malaysians. Methods: The English version of the ReDiUM was translated into Malay language according to international guidelines. Content and face validity of the questionnaire was examined by experts. Subsequently, the questionnaire was pilot tested in 10 native speakers. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The test-retest reliability was measured with Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient and Cohen’s κ coefficient. Public were recruited through convenient sampling for the study. Results: The study recruited 319 respondents. For test-retest reliability, all the correlation coefficient values were >0.5 indicating strong reliability (26 respondents). Except few items, most of the kappa coefficients were >0.61 indicating substantial to almost perfect agreement. Cronbach’s alpha of the KAP domains were 0.585, 0.770 and 0.759, respectively. The median knowledge score was only 50% with some negative attitudes and practices found. Conclusions: The translated questionnaire was valid and reliable for use in Malaysia with acceptable to strong internal consistency and most items with substantial to almost perfect agreement. The findings from the study provide supporting evidence for policy makers to develop interventions to help with reducing wastage and optimize healthcare expenditure.