Ahmad N. AlHadi

Assessment of Caregiving Constructs: Toward a Personal, Familial, Group, and Cultural Construction of Dementia Care through the Eyes of Personal Construct Psychology

Conditions that cause cognitive impairment and behavioural and personality changes, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementia, have global impact across cultures. However, the experience of dementia care can vary between individuals, families, formal caregivers, and social groups from various cultures. Self-reported measures, caregiving stress models, and conceptual theories have been developed to address the physical, financial, psychological, and social factors associated with the experience of dementia care. Given the cross-cultural variability in the experience of dementia care, it is important for such methodologies to take individual and cultural construct systems into account. We contend that personal and group constructs associated with dementia care should be explored in both the formal and informal caregiving contexts. Therefore, in this paper we introduce the theory of Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) with its explicit philosophy, well-elaborated theory, and derived assessment methods as a potential constructivist research approach to examine the personal, familial, group, and cultural construct systems that determine the experience of dementia caregiving. These concepts and assessment procedures are illustrated in this paper through case study examples and scenarios from the context of dementia care with a focus on family home caregivers. This paper elaborates the assessment and therapeutic approaches of personal construct theory (PCT) to further expand alternatives for support services and program interventions and to amplify policies for dementia care within and across cultures.

Arabic Translation, Validation and Cultural Adaptation of the 7-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale in Two Community Samples

Objectives Depression is a common mental disorder, the severity of which is frequently assessed via interview-based clinical scales such as the 7-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-7). The current study aimed to translate and examine the validity of an Arabic version of the HAMD-7 scale. Methods This study took place between February and March 2016 in the Psychiatry Department of King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The HAMD-7 scale was translated into Arabic using forward and backward translation methods. A total of 153 Arabic speakers were recruited to test the translated scale, including 57 medical students and 96 members of the general public. The Arabic version of the HAMD-7 scale was completed by trained investigators during face-to-face interviews with the participants. In order to assess convergent validity, participants also completed an Arabic version of the self-assessed Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale. Subsequently, the test-retest reliability of the translated HAMD-7 scale was evaluated two weeks later during a second interview. Results Overall, HAMD-7 scores were positively correlated with PHQ-9 scores (r = 0.633-0.749). Moreover, the translated HAMD-7 scale proved to be reliable in terms of test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.807; P <0.001). With regards to internal consistency, the Cronbachs α values ranged between 0.607-0.756. Conclusion The Arabic HAMD-7 scale was found to be reliable and valid among two samples of Arabic speakers in Saudi Arabia. However, further research among Arab-speaking patients diagnosed with depression is needed in order to establish its usefulness in assessing the severity of depressive symptoms.

The impact of culture on anxiety related cognitions: an exploration with Saudi-Arabian individuals

ABSTRACT This study aimed to improve our understanding of the experience of anxiety and panic related cognitions among Saudi-Arabian individuals and to examine the potential role that culture might have in influencing their symptom expression. Given the lack of previous research, this study adopted an exploratory, qualitative approach using Thematic Analysis. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 14 participants with an ICD diagnosis of panic and anxiety from Saudi Arabia. The results uncovered two unique cognitions associated with Saudi-Arabian participants: separation & loss from loved ones, and Jinn possession. In addition, Saudi-Arabian participants placed more emphasis on negative social evaluation compared to a Western sample. The results also demonstrated that Saudi-Arabian participants misinterpret their symptoms in the way predicted by CBT, and that the majority of the cognitions and their content was similar to a Western sample. This supports the notion of delivering culturally sensitive CBT for panic disorder to Saudi-Arabian clients.

Impact of shift work on sleep and daytime performance among health care professionals

Objectives: To evaluate sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in health care professionals who are performing shift work. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 510 health care professionals at Prince Sultan Military Medical City and King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between December 2015 and April 2016. Data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Participants were divided into 2 groups: shift workers and non-shift workers. Results: We compared both groups regarding the effect of shift work on the total score of PSQI and ESS. We found that the PSQI global score (p<0.001) and the total ESS score (p=0.003) were significantly higher in shift work health care professionals. Conclusion: Shift work among health care professionals is associated with poor sleep quality but not excessive daytime sleepiness. Health care professionals performing shift work have PSQI and ESS scores slightly higher than non-shift work health professionals.

Learning environment of the Saudi psychiatry board training program

Objectives: To assess the learning environment of the Saudi psychiatry board program using the Dutch Residency Educational Climate Test (D-RECT) and to explore residents’ perception of different domains of the learning environment. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The D-RECT instrument was distributed to all residents at all training sites of the Saudi psychiatry training program. It is a reliable and valid instrument to measure educational environment at the postgraduate level. Mean scores are presented, t-tests, analysis of variance, and post hoc analysis were used to compare subgroups and pearson’s correlation was used to assess relationships. Results: Seventy-eight out of 96 residents responded (81.25%), one third of them were female. Overall D-RECT score was 2.76±0.55. The supervision subscale scored 2.83±0.83, coaching and assessment scored 2.60±0.73, feedback scored 2.00±0.85, team work scored 2.81±0.86, peer collaboration scored 3.54±0.84, professional relations between consultants scored 2.71±0.95, work is adapted to residents’ competence scored 2.71±0.86, consultants’ attitudes scored 2.71±0.86, formal education scored 2.68±0.72, and patient handover subscales scored 3.25±1.06. Female residents scored significantly higher than their male counterparts and there were no statistical significant difference between years of residency. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.936. Conclusion: Most of the learning climate domains scored poorly, which necessitates a rigorous plan for reevaluation and improvement. Furthermore, D-RECT proved to be a reliable instrument and could help in evaluation and improvement of postgraduate training programs.

Illness Perception of Heart Diseases in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Introduction Patients’ perception of their own illness affects how they follow management plans and how they react to various signs and symptoms of cardiac diseases. Aims to evaluate the perception of heart disease in adults with heart disease in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Objectives To evaluate the perception of symptoms, timeline, cure, consequences and causes of heart disease in adults with heart disease in King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) in Saudi Arabia, and to assess the effects of demographic factors. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted on 59 patients in KKUH using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) with demographic questions added to questionnaire, participants had heart disease and were between the age of 18-75 and were recruited from the inpatient wards and outpatient clinics. Results The majority of the participants were males (78.6%), over the age of 40 (83%), married (81.4%), half of the participants did not reach a high level of education (52.5% secondary or less). no statistical difference in IPQ scores in age, gender, out or in patients and area of residency. More than 70% of the participants recognized ‘Dyspnea”, ‘Chest Pain”, and ‘Loss of strength’ and ”Irregular heartbeat” as symptoms of heart disease. About half of the participants (52.6%) agreed that ‘Heart disease is likely to go on and on”. Three quarters of the total participants (76.2%) agreed that ‘Heart disease is a serious condition”. Almost all (91.5%) agreed that ‘Changing one’s diet (less fat) will help to control heart disease”. Conclusion participants have less misconceptions about their illness than expected.

EPA-0369 – Stressors in university student life and their effects on academic achievements

Introduction Being a student in higher education can be a factor in development of psychosocial distress among university students. Numerous studies have raised a lot of concerns related to the stressors consequences. Different types of stressors can lead to impairment in social and academic performance. Aim to study the prevalence of psychological, social, and academic stress among medical students. Objectives • To explore types & patterns of various stressors affecting medical students. • To determine the impact of these stressors on the students’ academic achievements. • To discuss interventional programs that could help in reducing the levels of stress experienced by students and how to cope with it. Methodology We emailed about 1500 medical students in college of medicine, King Saud University with simple four exploratory questions. The survey evaluated the students’ opinions that addressed their psychological, social and academic difficulties and the need for help. Stage two will be a cross sectional survey which includes various validated scales. It will estimate the prevalence of psychological, social and, academic stressors. It will help us to choose the suitable intervention programs accordingly. Stage three will be designing intervention packages and measure their effects. Results A total of 164 medical students completed the survey (61.5% were female). Percentage of respondents who reported they had experienced stress since college enrollment is 95%. The main factors that causing stress among medical students are displayed in Figure 1. The majority of respondents emphasized on the immense need for well-being programs. Download : Download full-size image