Relationship Between Parental Rejection and Personality

Background: Parental rejection plays an important role in individual's life at different stages of their development. Some types of personality are the major predictors of mental illness and individuals' maladjustment. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to explore the possible relationship between parental rejection and personality of adults in the context of Bangladesh. Methods: A total 100 adults (39 male and 61 female) participated in this study. Their age range was 18 to 60 years. They were selected from Department of Psychiatry, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, University of Dhaka and some residential areas of Dhaka city by purposive sampling. The instruments used in this study were a Demographic questionnaire, validated Bangla version of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), validated Bangla version of Adult version of Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire for Father (Adult PARQ: Father) and Adult version of Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire for Mother (Adult PARQ: Mother). Results: From this study, we found that paternal rejection is positively correlated with psychoticism but negatively correlated with extraversion at the 0.05 levels of significance. The result showed that there was no significant correlation between paternal rejection and neuroticism. Results also showed that maternal rejection is positively correlated with psychoticism and neuroticism at the 0.01 level of significance but negatively correlated with extraversion (at the 0.05 levels). Conclusion: These results suggest that there is an association between parental rejections and individual's personality. Key word: Parental rejection; Personality; Psychoticism; Neuroticism; Extraversion. DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v2i2.4759 BSMMU J 2009; 2(2):61-6

Dhaka stress scale-adolescent: A scale for assessing psychosocial stressors among adolescents

This study was aimed to produce a culturally validated scale to determine the presence of stressful life events among adolescents in Bangladesh, and formulate the relative life change units for each event. The study used qualitative research, including a focus group and questionnaire, and quantitative analysis in the validation process. Researchers first developed a provisional stress scale that was translated in Bangla through a translation exercise. Using an open-ended question along with this provisional scale on a school sample of 449 (228 rated on imagination and 221 on actual experience) adolescents, researchers developed Dhaka stress scale– adolescent with 56 items and predictive interpretation of the overall score was made. Content validity was found excellent as item level content validity index was around 1 and the scale level validity index was 0.93. The correlation coefficient was 0.72 between this scale and adolescent life events stress scale. For reliability, Cronbach’s alpha values were ranged from 0.83 to 0.97. The scale is simple to administer to assess stress in adolescents and usable in both clinical and research settings

Personality Traits of Substance Users in Bangladesh

Background: Drug taking behavior and drug dependence is a multi-factorial disorder. Personality is a very important determining factor of drug dependence. Objectives: To find out the possible relationship between personality traits and substance use disorders. Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional and case-control study conducted in the department of Psychiatry of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Central Drug Addiction Treatment Center, Dhaka for a period of one year (January 2005 to December 2005). From five hundred respondents, 250 had the history of substance use disorders selected as case, and equal number were age, sex, habitat and economic background matched controls were taken. Personality traits of both cases and control were measured by applying Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Results: Mean ± SD psychoticism (8.42±3 vs 4.33±1.8), Neuroticism (11.89±2.3 vs 9.83±2) were significantly higher (P<0.01) in cases than controls. It was found that psychoticism was 2.3 times and neurticism was 1.7 times higher in substance users than that of controls. There were no significant differences of mean distribution of extroversion and lie scales among the cases & controls. This study also revealed that, there was no significant relationship between personality traits and different variables related to substance use except that psychoticism was significantly higher in those substance users who had have positive history of troubles with law than those having no history of trouble with law (8.82±3.2 & 7.95±2.7 respectively). Conclusion: Personality traits may have an influence on persons with substance use disorder which detoriates quality of life. Key words: Drug dependence; Personality; Psychoticism; Neuroticism; Extraversion; Lie scale. DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v3i2.7056BSMMU J 2010; 3(2): 76-8

Personality Traits of Substance Users in Bangladesh

Background: Drug taking behavior and drug dependence is a multi-factorial disorder. Personality is a very important determining factor of drug dependence. Objectives: To find out the possible relationship between personality traits and substance use disorders. Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional and case-control study conducted in the department of Psychiatry of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Central Drug Addiction Treatment Center, Dhaka for a period of one year (January 2005 to December 2005). From five hundred respondents, 250 had the history of substance use disorders selected as case, and equal number were age, sex, habitat and economic background matched controls were taken. Personality traits of both cases and control were measured by applying Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Results: Mean ± SD psychoticism (8.42±3 vs 4.33±1.8), Neuroticism (11.89±2.3 vs 9.83±2) were significantly higher (P<0.01) in cases than controls. It was found that psychoticism was 2.3 times and neurticism was 1.7 times higher in substance users than that of controls. There were no significant differences of mean distribution of extroversion and lie scales among the cases & controls. This study also revealed that, there was no significant relationship between personality traits and different variables related to substance use except that psychoticism was significantly higher in those substance users who had have positive history of troubles with law than those having no history of trouble with law (8.82±3.2 & 7.95±2.7 respectively). Conclusion: Personality traits may have an influence on persons with substance use disorder which detoriates quality of life. Key words: Drug dependence; Personality; Psychoticism; Neuroticism; Extraversion; Lie scale. DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v3i2.7056BSMMU J 2010; 3(2): 76-8

Psychiatric Morbidity Among Suicide Attempters Who Needed ICU Intervention

Background: Suicide is a tragic and serious but preventable public health problem all over the world including Bangladesh. Committing suicide has become a burning issue and mortality rate increases especially in young females. Psychiatric evaluation is needed in suicide attempted patients for better management plan to reduce such unnatural mortality, as well as the impairment related to suicidal thought and psychiatric disorders. Objectives: To assess the psychiatric disorders and conditions that needed sufficient clinical attention among the suicide attempters who needed ICU intervention. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital of Dhaka City from July 2008 to December 2008. Total forty four subjects of attempted suicide were included in the study and psychiatric diagnosis was made by using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV by psychiatrists after initial physical problems subsided. Results: The most common psychiatric diagnosis was Major Depressive Disorder. Female suffered more and among them attention-seeking behaviors were frequent. Thirty-four patients (77.3%) had previous history of psychiatric disorder. Chemicals (like; organophosphorous, kerosene, harpic and other medicine overdose) ingestion was the most frequently used method by the suicide attempters. Conclusion: This study may be helpful for further research regarding suicide attempters and its' association with mental problems. In primary health care setting, the physicians may get a clue to design a system for preventing, early recognition and managing suicidal ideas, thoughts and attempts. Psychiatric consultation should be made mandatory for all patients admitted following attempted suicide. DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v2i2.4761 BSMMU J 2009; 2(2): 73-7

Dhaka Stress Scale-Adult: A scale for assessing psychosocial stressors among adults

Stress is an integral part of daily life and inevitable. This study was aimed to produce a culturally validated scale for measuring stressful life events of adults in Bangladesh and formulate the relative life change units of each event. The study used qualitative research, including a focus group and questionnaire, as well as quantitative statistical analysis in the validation process. Researchers first developed a provisional scale with 62 items that were translated in Bangla through a translation exercise. Using an open-ended question along with this provisional scale on 518 (260 rated on imagination and 258 on experience) subjects, researchers developed Dhaka Stress Scale-Adult with 58 items and the predictive interpretation of the overall score was made. Content validity was found excellent as I-CVI was 1 except 3 items and S-CVI was 0.91. In factor analysis on the two-factor model, no item had salient loading on more than one factor and there were 3 items failed to load on either factor. The correlation coefficient was 0.84 between this scale and the Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale. In term of reliability, Cronbach’s alpha values were ranging from 0.53-0.88. The scale is simple to administer to assess stress and usable for both clinical and research purpose