Spiritual Health and Outcomes in Muslim ICU Patients: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of the present study is to describe how religiosity and spirituality affect the psychiatric morbidity of Muslim intensive care unit (ICU) patients. We conducted a prospective nationwide cross-sectional study of ICU patients discharged from 45 medical centers spanning 31 proivinces in Iran. Adults (age ≥ 18 years) admitted to the ICU and treated with invasive mechanical ventilation were eligible. Nine validated survey tools were administered to detect direct and indirect associations between spiritual health (SH) and depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic disorder. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Impact of Event Scale—Revised (IES-R), Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome 14 question (PTSS-14) quality-of-life (QoL), and quality of patient to physician or nurse communication (PP-QoC and PN-QoC) scales were modeled through two mediators by structural equation modeling (SEM). Sex, ICU type, LOS, and APACHE II score were added in the independent variable list. 338 eligible patients were discharged from the ICUs during the study period. 56 were excluded (clinical status), and 282 were administered the survey. 278 returned it, with 272 complete and 6 partial responses. SH displayed no direct or indirect association to QoL. SH was indirectly associated with decreased depression and anxiety (B = ? 0.081, p < 0.05) via PP-QoC mediator. Both direct and indirect positive associations were observed between SH and IES-R (B = 0.293, p < 0.05; via PP-QoC) and PTSS-14 scores (B = 0.267, p < 0.001; via PP-QoC). Medical ICU location was associated with decreased PTSS-14 scores via the same mediator. In this survey of Muslim ICU patients treated with invasive mechanical ventilation, SH correlated with decreased depression and anxiety, but paradoxically increased post-traumatic stress. The most influential mediator was patient–physician quality-of-communication.     

Ayodhya and the Hindu resurgence

It is usually accepted that although cosmological references in the early Pali Buddhist texts refer metaphorically to meditative states of mind, they should at the same time be understood as referring in literal terms to an externally existent cosmos. Because the ontological status of the cosmos appears to be tangential to what the Buddha taught, however, it is not clear that this literal interpretation is appropriate. From a study of the early textual material, this paper suggests that an alternative understanding of the cosmos is more compatible with the Buddha's teachings.     

Personal Construct System of a Runaway Adolescent: An Illustrative Case Study

Personal constructs of an 18-year-old adolescent were explored by the use of a repertory grid focusing on the domains of family, self, and world. Results indicated that the runaway adolescent construed his family in a negative and rejecting way, whereas important people outside the family were perceived in a more accepting and friendly manner. It was also found that although the young man construed himself in a positive manner, at the same time he perceived himself as aloof and distant from both family and nonfamily members. The findings indicate that a young adolescent's decision to run away from home and jump into the world of the unknown is the consequence of certain push factors in the home environment and pull factors in the external world. Results of the grid are discussed in light of key elements in construct space.     

Student mental health: how can psychiatrists better support the work of university medical centres and university counselling services?

Student psychiatric morbidity is rising. Whilst the influence of university counselling services is widely reported, NHS involvement by psychiatrists and general practitioners is not so well described. Counselling and mental health service providers for students at the University of Leeds were approached for numerical data and a university Group on Student Mental Health discussed the findings. The Student Counselling Centre, the University Medical Practice and a dedicated student psychiatric clinic have all seen a rise in referral rates. The University Medical Practice has also seen a rise in the prescribing of psychoactive medication. Collaborative links at the University of Leeds are explored and options for the future discussed. These include self-help over the internet, a research project to assess student mental health needs and the provision of a dedicated NHS psychiatric team for the university.     

A qualitative investigation of Muslim and Christian women's views of religion and feminism in their lives

This qualitative investigation explored a relatively understudied aspect of cultural diversity: feminism and religion in the lives of religiously diverse women. More specifically, structured interviews were used to investigate views of religion, women's issues, gender roles, culture, and feminism for a small group of Muslim and Christian women living in the United States. The data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). Findings indicated a complex relationship between feminism, gender roles, culture, and religion for these women with the majority of the Muslim women reporting that their religion supports feminist principles and identifying themselves as feminist. Christian women were less willing to endorse the feminist label. Implications for multicultural feminist practice are discussed.     

Relationships of the Practice of Hijab,Workplace Discrimination,Social Class,Job Stress,and Job Satisfaction Among Muslim American Women

Religious discrimination in the workplace has received little attention in the research. The present study is an exploratory study that investigated the impact of workplace discrimination on a self‐selected sample of diverse Muslim women living across the United States (N = 129). The results of this study revealed that workplace discrimination, job stress, social class, and religiosity were related to lower levels of job satisfaction. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of clinical intervention strategies.     

Women’s Perspectives Related to Occupational Performance Following Participation in Substance Use Recovery Programs

Very little research has examined how substance abuse programs affect occupational performance. The progression of addiction and its etiology for women are still under-reported. This study aimed to explore perceived effects of substance use and participation in peer-based programs on women’s occupational performance. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were completed with seven women. Four themes were identified: (1) substance use did not markedly inhibit participation in daily life; (2) recovery was supported by replacing substance related occupations with non-substance related occupations; (3) perceived value of shared perspectives and experiences with others; and (4) the embracing of new perspectives as part of recovery.     

The Factor Structure of the Twelve Items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12): a Population Based Study

Mental health is a key component of general health based on world health organization (WHO) definition of health. A short form of the general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) has been widely used as an assessment tool of general and mental health. This study was designed to evaluate the properties of the Persian version of this questionnaire. Of 6140 subjects aged 10–90 years of a cohort study of Northern Iran, the relevant data of 5074 individuals aged ≥18 years were considered for analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the six models including one-dimensional model, one-dimensional model with correlated errors on negative items, two-dimensional model based on negative and positive statement items, two-dimensional model based on social dysfunction and psychological distress, three-dimensional model based on anxiety/depression, social dysfunction and loss of confidence and finally one-dimensional model with an additional factor for the negatively phrased items. The best fit indices belonged to one-dimensional model with correlated errors on negative items with χ2 = 686.8, df = 39, CFI = 0.953, RMSEA = 0.057 (95%CI: 0.054–0.061), SRMR = 0.0317, AGFI = 0.952, TLI = 0.920 and AIC = 764.8 and also three-dimensional model with χ2 = 860.7, df = 51, CFI = 0.941, RMSEA = 0.056 (95%CI: 0.053–0.059), SRMR = 0.0343, AGFI = 0.955, TLI = 0.923 and AIC = 915.0. In the comparison between these two best models we had ?χ2 = 174.2, ?df = 12, p-value < 0.001 in favor of the one-dimensional model. One-dimensional model with correlated errors on negative items showed the best fitting indices with our population.     

Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support between Perceived Parenting Styles and Relational Aggression in Adolescents

This study examined the moderating role of perceived social support between perceived parenting styles and relational aggression (RA). A sample (N = 400) was selected through stratified sampling from public and private schools and colleges. Adolescents (n = 200 boys and n = 200 girls) completed (a) Demographic Performa, (b) Early Memories of Upbringing for Children to measure perceived parenting styles, (c) Social Support Questionnaire to measure perceived social support, and (d) Diverse Adolescent Relational Aggression Scale to measure RA. Statistical analyses showed that perceived social support moderated the relationship between perceived parenting styles and RA. Findings indicated that perceived social support strengthens the negative relationship between perceived father’s Overprotection parenting and RA. Results also showed that perceived social support strengthens positive relationship between perceived father’s Anxious Rearing parenting and RA. Moreover, perceived social support strengthens the positive relationship between perceived mother’s Rejection parenting and RA. Results help in implementing interventions to promote the consolidation or increment of sources that constitute adolescents with concrete and feasible actions in the cultural, educational, and counseling implications.