Parental Attitude towards the Prescription of Psychotropic Medications for Mental Disorders in Children in a Tertiary Care University Hospital in Oman

Objectives: This study investigated parental attitudes towards psychotropic drugs for children's mental disorders. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to parents of children attending a child psychiatry clinic at a tertiary hospital in Muscat, Oman. Similarly, in a small proportion, other caregivers filled out the questionnaire in case the child attended with them. The questionnaire comprised questions regarding parents' opinions, and attitudes about psychotropic medications use. The logistic regression model was used to identify the risk factors associated with parents who prefer to consult a folk healer (FH) for children with mental disorders. Results: A total of 299 parents agreed to participate in the study. The majority of them (81.6%, n=244) agreed that they would give their child psychotropic medications if necessary, but 25.4% of them (n=76) would consult a FH before consulting a psychiatrist if their child experienced psychiatric symptoms. Married parents were 14 times (OR=14.5, p=0.011) more likely to consult a FH than were separated or divorced parents. Caregivers with a monthly income below 500 OMR and between 500-1,000 OMR were two times (OR=2.5, p=0.016) and three times (OR=3.2, p<.001), respectively, more likely to consult a FH than those with a monthly income of more than 1,000 OMR. Parents who disagreed with giving psychotropic medications to their children were three times (OR=3.7, p<.001) more likely to consult a FH than were parents who agreed to give psychotropic medications to their children if necessary. Conclusion: Most parents agreed to give their children psychotropic medications if it were deemed necessary. However, a sizeable proportion of parents and caregivers preferred to consult a FH before accessing mental health services. Keywords: Parents; Children; Attitudes; Psychotropic Drugs; Oma

The differential mediating roles of resilience in the relationship between meaningful living and stress among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

The current literature, mostly Euro-American based, indicates that the presence of meaning in life (MIL) improves resilience and lowers stress. However, the differential mediating roles of resilience in the relationship between the search for and presence of MIL, and stress have not been explored. This study aimed to investigate the differential mediating roles of resilience in the relationship between the presence of and search for MIL, and stress among Omani college students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study consisted of the Brief Resilience Scale, Perceived Stress Scale 4, and Meaning in Life Questionnaire, as well as socio-demographic questions. A path analysis model was used to examine the hypothesis. A total of 970 Omani college students responded to the questionnaire. Findings indicate that searching for MIL was significantly associated with a high level of stress directly (β = 0.023; p < 0.001) and indirectly, through a negative effect on resilience (β =  0.006; p < 0.001). Conversely, the presence of MIL was significantly associated with a decreased level of stress directly (β = − 0.045; p < 0.001) and indirectly via a positive effect on resilience (β = − 0.151; p < 0.001). In keeping with the proposed hypothesis, this study contributes to the current knowledge, by extrapolating the effect of searching for MIL on resilience and stress, and culturally re-contextualizing MIL research. University counseling centers could adopt meaning-based strategies to mitigate stress by promoting meaningful living and resilience

Burnout Syndrome Among Primary Care Physicians in Oman

Objectives: Medical professionals are exposed to many job stressors everyday, which can lead to psychological disturbances as well as burnout syndrome. We sought to assess the level of burnout among primary care physicians (PCPs) in Oman and explore risk factors for its development. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, analytical study among a random cluster sample of 190 PCP working in Muscat, Oman. Indices of burnout (emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA)) were noted using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). We also used a questionnaire to obtain sociodemographic and job characteristics data. We used a binary logistic regression model and both unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios for statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of burnout in all three dimensions was 6.3%. High levels of MBI-HSS subscales were reported on EE, DP and PA with 17.8%, 38.2%, and 21.5%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that working over 40 hours per week was the most important risk factor for burnout among PCPs. Conclusions: A total of 6.3% of PCPs working in urban areas in Oman suffered burnout. Long working hours was strongly associated with high occupational burnout. Solutions to eliminate or decrease the rate of burnout involve institutional changes, primarily respecting weekly working hours, and in more severe cases psychotherapy help is very important

The Socio-Demographic and Clinical Profiles of Adult ADHD Patients in a University Hospital in Oman

Objectives: Although typically considered a condition affecting children, scientific evidence has shown that 30–50% of those diagnosed with ADHD in childhood continue to suffer from this condition after the age of 18. This study sought to address the gap in the literature, and to describe the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of ADHD patients in a sample of adult patients attending an outpatient clinic at a tertiary care hospital in Oman, and to evaluate their association with the different subtypes of the disorder. Methods: Data from adult patients with ADHD from the outpatient clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), Muscat, Oman, were retrospectively collected from medical records from January 2018 to April 2020. Socio-demographic characteristics, clinical profiles and psychiatric co morbidities were examined. Results: This study included 100 adults who fulfilled the standard diagnosis of ADHD, with 54% (n=54), and 46% (n=46) from the inattentive and combined subtypes, respectively. It was found that ADHD was more prevalent among males (64.0%) compared to females (36%), with the inattentive subtype being more predominant among females. The ADHD patients with the inattentive subtype were associated with co-morbid substance use disorders (OR=11.29, P = 0.049), personality disorders (OR=7.96, P = 0.017), and major depressive disorder (OR=15.94, P = 0.002) compared to patients with the predominantly combined subtype. Conclusion: This study from Oman echoes the findings from the current literature, that adult patients with ADHD commonly have co-morbid psychiatric disorders, leading to significant functional impairment. Psychiatric co-morbidities must be identified and urgently treated, to allow for better clinical and functional outcomes in adult patients with ADHD. Keywords: ADHD, co-morbidity, hyperactivity, Oman, psychiatr

Socio-demographic characteristics and clinical profile of suicide attempters attending the Emergency Department at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Oman: a retrospective study

Objective: This study examined socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals who attended the emergency department (Muscat, Oman) following a suicide attempt. Methods: A retrospective study (n= 154) was conducted between January 2015 and June 2018. Information accrued included socio-demographic variables (age, nationality, sex, marital status, and occupation), risk (medical co-morbidities, psychiatric history, substance misuse, alcohol consumption, and previous history of suicide attempts), and precipitating factors, as well as the chosen methods of the suicide attempt. Result: 83.1% were Omanis and women constituted 69.5% of the sample with a mean age of 27 years. 40.9% of the sample had a history of psychiatric disorders. 30% were students, and 42% were unemployed. Family conflict, suffering from chronic illness, and having social problems were the most common precipitating factors for the suicide attempt. The most common method used in the suicide attempt was drug overdose (48.1%) and mainly paracetamol (40%). Significant gender differences emerged to precipitating factors, a history of substance misuse, and methods of suicide. Conclusion: The present data aligns with international trends that suggest that women and younger age groups are the most vulnerable to suicide attempts. Although in its infancy, the present research’s findings could lay the groundwork for preventative interventions and programs

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for the Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression with Somatic Attributes: A Hospital-Based Study in Oman

Depressive illnesses in non-Western societies are often masked by somatic attributes that are sometimes impervious to pharmacological agents. This study explores the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for people experiencing treatment-resistant depression (TRD) accompanied by physical symptoms. Data were obtained from a prospective study conducted among patients with TRD and some somatic manifestations who underwent 20 sessions of rTMS intervention from January to June 2020. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) was used for clinical evaluation. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential techniques (multiple logistic regression) in SPSS. Among the 49 participants (mean age: 42.5 ± 13.3), there was a significant reduction in posttreatment HAMD scores compared to baseline (t = 10.819, p < 0.0001, and 95% CI = 8.574–12.488), indicating a clinical response. Approximately 37% of the patients responded to treatment, with higher response rates among men and those who remained in urban areas, had a history of alcohol use, and were subjected to the standard 10 HZ protocol. After adjusting for all extraneous variables, the rTMS protocol emerged as the only significant predictor of response to the rTMS intervention. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the effectiveness of rTMS in the treatment of somatic depression

Exploring factors associated with depressive symptoms among patients with chronic pain: a cross-sectional multicenter study

This cross-sectional study examined the factors associated with depression among people with chronic pain (PwCP) attending specialized pain clinics in Muscat, Oman. Two-hundred eighty-seven participants were recruited for the study, and univariate analyses were used to investigate the difference between individuals who scored above/below the cutoff points for depressive symptoms. A multiple regression analysis was used to detect the independent predictors. Twenty-six percent of participants scored above the cutoff point. Further analysis indicated that unstable family relationships pre-existing depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 2.86; p = 0.044), a family history of depression (OR, 4.75; p = 0.019), severe pain (OR, 4.21; p < 0.006), having fibromyalgia (OR, 28.29; p = 0.005), and lumbago/truck (OR, 2.41; p = 0.039) were independent predictors of depressive symptoms. This study indicates that one in four patients with chronic pain also presents with depressive symptoms. However, the role of culture needs to be taken into consideration when interpreting these findings and when building on these data. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Trait Emotional Intelligence and Its Correlates in Oman Medical Specialty Board Residents

Background As part of the globalization of medical education, residency programs in Oman have adopted competency-based standards by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I). Correctly perceiving the emotions of others and managing one’s own emotions are essential to high-quality patient care. Objective We tested the reliability and construct validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form (TEIQue-SF), and assessed trait Emotional Intelligence (EI) in Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) residents in multiple specialties. We explored for correlations with trainees’ sociodemographic background data. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study between February and August 2017. Participants were OMSB residents. We administered the TEIQue-SF and collected sociodemographic data from participants. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors of trait EI. Results The present cohort scored high in the trait EI subscale of Well-being, followed by Sociability, Self-control, and Emotionality. Among sociodemographic factors, female gender and high income were significant predictors of TEIQue-SF’s Wellbeing subscale and high income and living in a rented home were significant predictors of the Sociability subscale. Conclusions This is the first study conducted among medical residents in Oman regarding trait EI and its correlates. Our findings of overall high EI and several socioeconomic predictors echo the literature on the assessment of EI in trainees. The findings add to the evidence of cross-cultural applicability of instruments to measure trait EI, and use assessments of EI in resident selection and education