Mental illness stigma as a moderator in the relationship between religiosity and help-seeking attitudes among Muslims from 16 Arab countries

Background: Determining the potential barriers responsible for delaying access to care, and elucidating pathways to early intervention should be a priority, especially in Arab countries where mental health resources are limited. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have examined the relationship between religiosity, stigma and help-seeking in an Arab Muslim cultural background. Hence, we propose in the present study to test the moderating role of stigma toward mental illness in the relationship between religiosity and help-seeking attitudes among Muslim community people living in different Arab countries. Method: The current survey is part of a large-scale multinational collaborative project (StIgma of Mental Problems in Arab CounTries [The IMPACT Project]). We carried-out a web-based cross-sectional, and multi-country study between June and November 2021. The final sample comprised 9782 Arab Muslim participants (mean age 29.67 ± 10.80 years, 77.1% females). Results: Bivariate analyses showed that less stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness and higher religiosity levels were significantly associated with more favorable help-seeking attitudes. Moderation analyses revealed that the interaction religiosity by mental illness stigma was significantly associated with help-seeking attitudes (Beta =.005; p \u3c.001); at low and moderate levels of stigma, higher religiosity was significantly associated with more favorable help-seeking attitudes. Conclusion: Our findings preliminarily suggest that mental illness stigma is a modifiable individual factor that seems to strengthen the direct positive effect of religiosity on help-seeking attitudes. This provides potential insights on possible anti-stigma interventions that might help overcome reluctance to counseling in highly religious Arab Muslim communities

Cross-cultural comparison of mental illness stigma and help-seeking attitudes: a multinational population-based study from 16 Arab countries and 10,036 individuals

BackgroundThere is evidence that culture deeply affects beliefs about mental illnesses\u27 causes, treatment, and help-seeking. We aimed to explore and compare knowledge, attitudes toward mental illness and help-seeking, causal attributions, and help-seeking recommendations for mental illnesses across various Arab countries and investigate factors related to attitudes toward help-seeking.MethodsWe carried out a multinational cross-sectional study using online self-administered surveys in the Arabic language from June to November 2021 across 16 Arab countries among participants from the general public.ResultsMore than one in four individuals exhibited stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness (26.5%), had poor knowledge (31.7%), and hold negative attitudes toward help-seeking (28.0%). ANOVA tests revealed a significant difference between countries regarding attitudes (F = 194.8, p \u3c .001), knowledge (F = 88.7, p \u3c .001), and help-seeking attitudes (F = 32.4, p \u3c .001). Three multivariate regression analysis models were performed for overall sample, as well as Palestinian and Sudanese samples that displayed the lowest and highest ATSPPH-SF scores, respectively. In the overall sample, being female, older, having higher knowledge and more positive attitudes toward mental illness, and endorsing biomedical and psychosocial causations were associated with more favorable help-seeking attitudes; whereas having a family psychiatric history and endorsing religious/supernatural causations were associated with more negative help-seeking attitudes. The same results have been found in the Palestinian sample, while only stigma dimensions helped predict help-seeking attitudes in Sudanese participants.ConclusionInterventions aiming at improving help-seeking attitudes and behaviors and promoting early access to care need to be culturally tailored, and congruent with public beliefs about mental illnesses and their causations

Mental illness stigma as a moderator in the relationship between religiosity and help-seeking attitudes among Muslims from 16 Arab countries

Background: Determining the potential barriers responsible for delaying access to care, and elucidating pathways to early intervention should be a priority, especially in Arab countries where mental health resources are limited. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have examined the relationship between religiosity, stigma and help-seeking in an Arab Muslim cultural background. Hence, we propose in the present study to test the moderating role of stigma toward mental illness in the relationship between religiosity and help-seeking attitudes among Muslim community people living in different Arab countries. Method: The current survey is part of a large-scale multinational collaborative project (StIgma of Mental Problems in Arab CounTries [The IMPACT Project]). We carried-out a web-based cross-sectional, and multi-country study between June and November 2021. The final sample comprised 9782 Arab Muslim participants (mean age 29.67 ± 10.80 years, 77.1% females). Results: Bivariate analyses showed that less stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness and higher religiosity levels were significantly associated with more favorable help-seeking attitudes. Moderation analyses revealed that the interaction religiosity by mental illness stigma was significantly associated with help-seeking attitudes (Beta = .005; p < .001); at low and moderate levels of stigma, higher religiosity was significantly associated with more favorable help-seeking attitudes. Conclusion: Our findings preliminarily suggest that mental illness stigma is a modifiable individual factor that seems to strengthen the direct positive effect of religiosity on help-seeking attitudes. This provides potential insights on possible anti-stigma interventions that might help overcome reluctance to counseling in highly religious Arab Muslim communities

Association between Problematic Use of Smartphones and Mental Health in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region: A Systematic Review

Smartphones have become essential components of daily life, and research into the harmful effects of problematic smartphone use (PSU) on mental health is expanding in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This issue has yet to be synthesized and critically evaluated. To find quantitative observational studies on the relationship between PSU and mental health in the MENA region, we developed a search equation and adapted it for four databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed during the selection process. This review included 32 cross-sectional studies and one cohort study. The available language was English. All identified studies published until 8 October 2021, were considered. A modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the quality of the included studies. The studies enrolled 21,487 people and had low-to-moderate methodological quality. The prevalence of PSU ranged from 4.3 to 97.8 percent. The time factor, type of application used on the smartphone, and sociodemographic characteristics were the determinants of PSU. Depression, anxiety, and stress were strongly correlated with PSU. Epidemiological longitudinal studies that respect the quality of evidence are needed in all MENA countries to better plan and implement preventive measures against PSU

Association between Problematic Use of Smartphones and Mental Health in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region: A Systematic Review

Smartphones have become essential components of daily life, and research into the harmful effects of problematic smartphone use (PSU) on mental health is expanding in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This issue has yet to be synthesized and critically evaluated. To find quantitative observational studies on the relationship between PSU and mental health in the MENA region, we developed a search equation and adapted it for four databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed during the selection process. This review included 32 cross-sectional studies and one cohort study. The available language was English. All identified studies published until 8 October 2021, were considered. A modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the quality of the included studies. The studies enrolled 21,487 people and had low-to-moderate methodological quality. The prevalence of PSU ranged from 4.3 to 97.8 percent. The time factor, type of application used on the smartphone, and sociodemographic characteristics were the determinants of PSU. Depression, anxiety, and stress were strongly correlated with PSU. Epidemiological longitudinal studies that respect the quality of evidence are needed in all MENA countries to better plan and implement preventive measures against PSU

Depression and anxiety and its association with problematic social media use in the MENA region: a systematic review

Abstract Background The use of the social media has increased significantly in recent decades, and research on the impact of problematic social media use on mental health is a relatively new and growing area of study in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Social media users are prone to developing addictive behaviors and suffering from mental illness, including depression and anxiety. The present paper aims to systematically review the available research examining the association between problematic social media use (PSMU) and depression and anxiety symptoms that was done in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA region). Methods The academic databases Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane were used to conduct a literature search. Problematic social media use and the MENA region and their synonyms were main keywords in the Boolean search strategy. We selected articles based on the following criteria: (i) addressed the relationship between problematic social media use and depression and anxiety; (ii) MENA region population-based studies; and (iii) published in English. There were no age, gender, or educational status restrictions, and there was no time limit for this review. The literature search was conducted in December 2021. Results The selection criteria led to the retention of 15 articles. The findings of the systematic review demonstrated that most of these studies have found a significant association between problematic social media use and depression and anxiety symptoms. Some studies showed stress, generalized trust, perceived social support, fear of COVID-19, and misunderstanding of COVID-19 mediating the relationship between social media use and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Conclusions While there is evidence that there is a relationship between PSMU and anxiety and depressive symptoms, longitudinal studies are needed to confirm this relationship

Effects of therapeutic patient education program on glycemic control and quality of life among children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus in Fez city, Morocco

Context: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic disease, mainly observed in children or youth, with a significantly increased incidence in young children. Structured therapeutic patient education (TPE) is a must to help them manage their disease effectively and lead a healthy lifestyle. Aims: This study aimed to assess the effects of a structured TPE program on glycemic markers and quality of life (QOL) of T1DM children and adolescents in Fez city, Morocco. Settings and Design: It is a quasi-experimental study. Materials and Methods: One hundred T1DM children and adolescents, aged 8–18, participated in a TPE intervention at the pediatric department in a hospital center in Fez, Morocco. Glycemic markers were measured and QOL was assessed by a validated questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: Parametric and nonparametric tests were used and statistical significance determined by P < 0.05. Results: At 3 months' follow-up, both global and dimensional QOL mean scores improved significantly (P ≤ 0.0001), whereas glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) decreased (10.28% vs. 10.62%), tough with no statistical significance (P = 0.160). Furthermore, a significant improvement was observed in the maximum preprandial (2, 11 g/L [1.51–2.58] vs. 2, 37 g/L [1.81–3.21], P = 0.001) and postprandial blood glucose levels (2, 50 g/L [1.90–3.27] vs. 2, 95 g/L [2.07–3.99], P = 0.001) after 3 months; with no significant change in their minimum. Conclusion: Although this TPE intervention was more effective in improving patients' QOL than their HbA1c, it is worth striving to implement regular TPE programs for T1DM pediatric patients and adjust them to achieve a better patients' glycemic markers levels

Effects of nutrition education on Metabolic profiles of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus to improve glycated hemoglobin and body mass index

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus is a lifelong condition, in which patient self-management is one of the key aspects of treatment.Therapeutic education is an integral part of the therapeutic strategy for diabetic patients. Changing patients' lifestyles by modifying their diets through nutrition therapeutic education programs can reduce their body mass index (BMI), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and control type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a proposed nutrition therapeutic education program on BMI and HbA1c in patients with T2DM. Methods: The target population was T2DM patients from the Fez-Meknes region of Morocco, consulting at Al Amal diabetic association in Fez, Morocco, from February 2021 to July 2021. Before and after 3 months of the educational session, patients' glycemic profile, BMI and HbA1c were measured. Results: A total of 160 diabetic patients with an average age of 56.8 ± 10.2 years were included in the study. Most participants lived in urban areas (86.3 %), were illiterate (39.4 %), and overweight (49.0 %). The results demonstrated that nutrition therapeutic education sessions reduced BMI and HbA1c of patients. A mean decrease of 0.8 kg/m2 from 28.9 ± 5.2 to 28.1 ± 4.9 was observed for BMI. On average, HbA1c decreased 1.1 % from 8.6 ± 1.7 to 7.5 ± 1.0 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results suggest that the therapeutic education nutrition program was effective in decreasing the BMI and HbA1c of diabetic patients. Implementing such programs in all regions of Morocco is an urgent need

Dietary Fat Intake and KRAS Mutations in Colorectal Cancer in a Moroccan Population

Epidemiologic data support an association between diet and mutations in the Kirsten-ras (KRAS) gene involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. This study aimed to explore the associations between fat intake and KRAS mutations in codons 12 and 13 in cases of CRC in the Moroccan population. A multicenter case-series study nested in a large-scale Moroccan CRC case-control study was conducted. Among all CRC cases recruited, 151 specimens were available for the DNA mutation analysis. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (Cis) for KRAS mutation status according to the fat intake variables. A KRAS mutation was detected in the CRC tumor of 34.4% of the patients among whom 65.4% had a single mutation at codon 12 and 34.6% had a single mutation at codon 13. Compared to low levels of consumption, a positive association was observed between high polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) consumption (>16.9 g/day) and prevalence of KRAS mutations (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.01–4.59). No statistically significant associations were observed for total fat, monounsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids and KRAS mutations. The results of this study suggest that PUFA may be relevant in the etiology of CRC, possibly through the generation of G > A transitions at the KRAS oncogene. Further studies are needed to verify and explain this finding