Validation of the Arabic version of the Cohen perceived stress scale (PSS-10) among pregnant and postpartum women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study was conducted to evaluate the validity of the Arabic translation of the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) in pregnant and postpartum women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A sample of 268 women participated. These included 113 women in their third trimester of pregnancy, 97 in the postpartum period and 58 healthy female university students. GHQ-12 and EPDS were also administered to the participants. Internal consistency reliability, assessed using Cronbach's α, was 0.74.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PSS-10 significantly correlated with both EPDS and GHQ12 (ρ = 0.58 and ρ = 0.48 respectively), and significantly increased with higher scores on stressful life events. PSS-10 scores were higher among university students who also recorded higher stressful life events scores.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Arabic translated version of the PSS-10 showed reasonably adequate psychometric properties.</p

Cognitive Reserve Factors in a Developing Country: Education and Occupational Attainment Lower the Risk of Dementia in a Sample of Lebanese Older Adults.

Background: Dementia secondary to neurodegenerative diseases is prevalent among older adults and leads to social, psychological and economic burden on patients, caregivers and the community as a whole. Cognitive reserve factors such as education, and mental stimulation among others were hypothesized to contribute to the resilience against age-related cognitive impairment. Educational attainment, occupation complexity, physical activity, and leisure activity are explored in the context of protecting the older adults' cognitive function. We investigated the cognitive reserve effect on dementia, cognitive decline and impairment, and global cognitive function. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional, community-based cohort study that aimed at investigating factors associated with dementia and their prevalence. The sample was of 508 community based older adults in Lebanon, aged 65 years and above in addition to 502 informants designated by these older adults. Older adults and informants answered structured questionnaires administered by interviewers, as well as a physical assessment and a neurological examination. Older adults were diagnosed for dementia. Global cognitive function, depression, and cognitive decline were assessed. Results: Older adults with dementia had lower levels of education, and attained lower occupational complexity. Factors such as high education, complex occupation attainment, and leisure activity, significantly predicted better global cognitive function. An older adult who attained high education levels or high complexity level occupation was 7.1 or 4.6 times more likely to have better global cognitive function than another who attained lower education or complexity level occupation respectively. Conclusion: These results suggest that cognitive reserve factors ought to be taken into consideration clinically during the course of dementia diagnosis and when initiating community-based preventive strategies.The study was funded by the Fogarty International Center, American National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Aging, grant no. 1R21AG039333-01, under the program Brain Disorders in the Developing World: Research across the Lifespan (BRAIN). The content is exclusively the responsibility of the authors and is not representative of the funding agencies' views. The funding agency had no roles in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication

Smoke-free policies in Lebanon : lessons learned from existing experiences and recommendations for the future; final report

The research evaluates implementation and enforcement of smoke-free policies in Lebanon, and more specifically worked to identify barriers to implementation, enforcement and compliance with smoke free areas in various institutions in Lebanon, such as the educational, workplace, and hospitality industries. A list of individuals, non-governmental organizations and other institutions interested in tobacco control was developed as a main contact list for workshop invitations as well as for the dissemination of the policy brief outlining results of the research

Malocclusion in Elementary School Children in Beirut: Severity and Related Social/Behavioral Factors

Aim. To assess severity of malocclusion in Lebanese elementary school children and the relationship between components of malocclusion and sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Methods. Dental screening was performed on 655 school children aged 6–11 from 2 public (PB) and 5 private (PV) schools in Beirut. A calibrated examiner recorded occlusion, overjet, overbite, posterior crossbite, midline diastema, and crowding. Another examiner determined the DMFT (Decayed/Missing/Filled Teeth) score. A questionnaire filled by the parents provided data on sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Multinomial, binomial, and multiple linear regressions tested the association of these factors with occlusal indices. Results. Malocclusion was more severe in PB students. Age and sucking habit were associated with various components of malocclusion. Crowding was more prevalent among males and significantly associated with the DMFT score. Income and educational level were significantly higher (P<0.05) in PV pupils and deleterious habits were more frequent in PB children. Conclusions. Children of lower socioeconomic background had more severe malocclusions and poorer general dental health. Compared to Western and WHO norms, the findings prompt health policy suggestions to improve dental care of particularly public school children through regular screenings in schools, prevention methods when applicable, and cost effective practices through public and private enabling agencies

Alternative forms of tobacco use

Outcomes from the project results will inform tobacco control policy, and aid in the design and implementation of waterpipe /nargile smoking treatment and prevention strategies. This project was led by The American University of Beirut Tobacco Control Research Group and focused on laboratory and clinical research regarding toxicant exposure related to first- and second-hand narghile smoking, and epidemiology and determinants research on the epidemiology of narghile-use, which include cultural, social, and economic determinants. The report provides details and findings from six studies

Determinants of poor cognitive function using A-IQCODE among Lebanese older adults: a cross-sectional study

Ibrahim Bou-Orm - ORCID: 0000-0003-3563-4014 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3563-4014Item is not available in this repository.Introduction: Dementia characterized by gradual cognitive decline is an increasing public health problem due to population ageing. This study aims at assessing the prevalence and determinants of cognitive decline among Lebanese older adults. Methods: Secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional sample of 502 elders from two Lebanese governorates was conducted. Cognitive decline was assessed using the Arabic Version of 16-item Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline for the older adults (A-IQCODE 16). A multivariable logistic regression model assessed the associations of socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral factors with the presence of cognitive decline. Results: Almost one of six Lebanese older adults (14.8%) scored below 3.34. Higher odds of cognitive decline were associated with higher age, being female, having heart disease and suffering from depression. Pack-years of cigarette smoking showed a protective effect and this relationship seems to be only statistically significant among older adults aged more than 75 years. Conclusions: Screening programs of cardiovascular risk factors and early detection of depression are ‘best buy’ public health interventions that could prevent cognitive decline among Lebanese older adults. Differential survival bias seems the reasonable explanation for the protective effect of smoking that is not the common finding from the literature.https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2017.130187922pubpub

Inadequacies of death certification in Beirut: who is responsible?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the completeness of data on death certificates over the past 25 years in Beirut, Lebanon, and to examine factors associated with the absence of certifiers' signatures and the non-reporting of the underlying cause of death. METHODS: A systematic 20% sample comprising 2607 death certificates covering the 1974, 1984, 1994, 1997 and 1998 registration periods was retrospectively reviewed for certification practices and missing data. FINDINGS: The information on the death certificates was almost complete in respect of all demographic characteristics of the deceased persons except for occupation and month of birth. Data relating to these variables were missing on approximately 95% and 78% of the certificates, respectively. Around half of the certificates did not carry a certifier's signature. Of those bearing such a signature, 21.6% lacked documentation of the underlying cause of death. The certifier's signature was more likely to be absent on: certificates corresponding to the younger and older age groups than on those of persons aged 15-44 years; those of females than on those of males; those of persons who had been living remotely from the registration governorate than on those of other deceased persons; and those for which there had been delays in registration exceeding six months than on certificates for which registration had been quicker. For certificates that carried the certifier's signature there was no evidence that any of the demographic characteristics of the deceased person was associated with decreased likelihood of reporting an underlying cause of death. CONCLUSION: The responsibility for failure to report causes of death in Beirut lies with families who lack an incentive to call for a physician and with certifying physicians who do not carry out this duty. The deficiencies in death certification are rectifiable. However, any changes should be sensitive to the constraints of the organizational and legal infrastructure governing death registration practices and the medical educational systems in the country

Predictors of psychological distress in Lebanese hostages of war

A cross-sectional study addressed the experience of Lebanese hostages of war in Lebanon. It specifically assessed the prevalence of general distress and its relationship to captivity-related factors and selected psychosocial variables. Trained field researchers using standard measurements interviewed 118 Lebanese hostages released from Khiam prison, an Israeli detention center in Lebanon. Questionnaires administered included the GHQ-12 and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Individuals were detained for 3.4 years on average, and 86% were tortured. Psychological distress was present in 42.1% of the sample compared to 27.8% among the control group. In the multivariate analysis, the significant predictors for distress were: years of education and increase in religiosity after release. In conclusion, even after 2 years of release, more than one-third of the Lebanese hostages released from Khiam prison were found to have psychological distress. Caregivers need to pay special attention to the mental health of hostages of war. The paper discusses the meaning and implications of the factors predicting resilience and vulnerability in this particular population.POW Torture Psychiatric distress Hostage Trauma Lebanon