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Fulltext Development of parallel scales to measure HIV related stigma in Sabah

Ei KS, Shoesmith WD

Borneo Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016;10(1):19-29.
MyJurnal

In this study parallel scales were constructed to use to measure the levels of HIV-related stigma towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) in populations with different backgrounds in Sabah. The study also explored the components of stigma within the population. We found that there were three principle components of HIV related stigma: “Interpersonal distancing,” “Shame and blame,” and “Positive opinions about PLHIV”. The scales constructed showed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.69 to 0.85) in all samples. The medical students and people with more knowledge about HIV had significantly lower levels of all three factors of personal stigma. Regarding HIV-related knowledge, the non-medical university students and the rural community group were found to have poor knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention. This scale can be used by researchers or public health officials who wish to study HIV related stigma or to evaluate the impact of stigma interventions in the local context.
Study site: Universiti Malaysia Sabah; Rural Medical Education Centre, Sikuati, Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia
Fulltext Unrecorded acohol and acohol-related harm in rural Sabah, Malaysia: a socio-economically deprived region with expensive beer and cheap local spirits

Shoesmith WD, Oo Tha N, Naing KS, Abbas RB, Abdullah AF

Alcohol Alcohol, 2016 Nov;51(6):741-746.
PMID: 26903070

Aims: To identify the characteristics of current drinker and risky alcohol-drinking pattern by profiles in Malaysia.
Methods: We analyzed data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011. It was a cross-sectional population-based with two stages stratified random sampling design. A validated Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test Malay questionnaire was used to assess the alcohol consumption and its alcohol related harms. Analysis of complex survey data using Stata Version 12 was done for descriptive analysis on alcohol use and risky drinking by socio-demography profiles. Logistic regression analysis was used to measure the association of risky drinking status with the socio- demography characteristics.
Results: The prevalence of current alcohol use was 11.6% [95% confidence interval (CI): 10.5, 12.7], among them 23.6% (95% CI: 21.0, 26.4) practiced risky drinking. The onset for alcohol drinking was 21 years old (standard deviation 7.44) and majority preferred Beer. Males significantly consumed more alcohol and practiced risky drinking. Current alcohol use was more prevalent among urbanites, Chinese, those with high household income, and high education. Conversely, risky drinking was more prevalent among rural drinkers, Bumiputera Sabah and Sarawak, low education and low household income. The estimated odds of risky drinking increased by a factor of 3.5 among Males while a factor of 2.7 among Bumiputera Sabah and Sarawak. Education status and household income was not a significant predictor to risky drinking.
Conclusion: There was an inverse drinking pattern between current drinker and risky drinking by the socio-demography profiles. Initiating early screening and focused intervention might avert further alcohol related harms and dependence among the risky drinkers.
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2011)
Development of a scale to measure shared problem-solving and decision-making in mental healthcare

Shoesmith WD, Abdullah AC, Tan BY, Kamu A, Ho CM, Giridharan B, et al.

Patient Educ Couns, 2022 Jan 15.
PMID: 35078681 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2022.01.005

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to create a measure of collaborative processes between healthcare team members, patients, and carers.
METHODS: A shared decision-making scale was developed using a qualitative research derived model and refined using Rasch and factor analysis. The scale was used by staff in the hospital for four consecutive years (n = 152, 121, 119 and 121) and by two independent patients' and carers' samples (n = 223 and 236).
RESULTS: Respondents had difficulty determining what constituted a decision and the scale was redeveloped after first use in patients and carers. The initial focus on shared decision-making was changed to shared problem-solving. Two factors were found in the first staff sample: shared problem-solving and shared decision-making. The structure was confirmed on the second patients' and carers' sample and an independent staff sample consisting of the first data-points for the last three years. The shared problem-solving and decision-making scale (SPSDM) demonstrated evidence of convergent and divergent validity, internal consistency, measurement invariance on longitudinal data and sensitivity to change.
CONCLUSIONS: Shared problem-solving was easier to measure than shared decision-making in this context.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Shared problem-solving is an important component of collaboration, as well as shared decision-making.
Fulltext Ultra Brief Psychological Interventions for COVID-19 Pandemic: Introduction of a Locally-Adapted Brief Intervention for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Service

Ping NPT, Shoesmith WD, James S, Nor Hadi NM, Yau EKB, Lin LJ

Malays J Med Sci, 2020 Mar;27(2):51-56.
PMID: 32788841 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2020.27.2.6

The ultra-brief psychological interventions (UBPI) was created in 2018 to empower healthcare providers with psychological skills that can be delivered within a short period. Techniques used within UBPI were adopted from a variety of well established psychotherapies and distilled into its core essentials. This enabled practitioners of UBPI to deliver specific psychological skills in the appropriate context to the client within a period of 15-20 min. UBPI was also manualised to standardised training of practitioners. During the novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, UBPI was modified to suit the unique psychological demands of the pandemic. This article presents how UBPI was adapted and used with healthcare providers dealing with COVID-19 and also with the public who required psychological first aid (PFA).
Fulltext The Behaviour Changes in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic within Malaysia

Koh Boon Yau E, Pang Tze Ping N, Shoesmith WD, James S, Nor Hadi NM, Loo JL

Malays J Med Sci, 2020 Mar;27(2):45-50.
PMID: 32788840 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2020.27.2.5

The novel coronavirus infection, COVID-19, is a pandemic that currently affects the whole world. During this period, Malaysians displayed a variety of behaviour changes as a response to COVID-19, including panic buying, mass travelling during movement restriction and even absconding from treatment facilities. This article attempts to explore some of these behaviour changes from a behaviourist perspective in order to get a better understanding of the rationale behind the changes.
Reactions to symptoms of mental disorder and help seeking in Sabah, Malaysia

Shoesmith WD, Borhanuddin AFBA, Yong Pau Lin P, Abdullah AF, Nordin N, Giridharan B, et al.

Int J Soc Psychiatry, 2018 02;64(1):49-55.
PMID: 29103338 DOI: 10.1177/0020764017739643

BACKGROUND: A better understanding is needed about how people make decisions about help seeking.
MATERIALS: Focus group and individual interviews with patients, carers, healthcare staff, religious authorities, traditional healers and community members.
DISCUSSION: Four stages of help seeking were identified: (1) noticing symptoms and initial labelling, (2) collective decision-making, (3) spiritual diagnoses and treatment and (4) psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.
CONCLUSION: Spiritual diagnoses have the advantage of being less stigmatising, giving meaning to symptoms, and were seen to offer hope of cure rather than just symptom control. Patients and carers need help to integrate different explanatory models into a meaningful whole.
Fulltext Efficacy of a single-session online ACT-based mindfulness intervention among undergraduates in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pang NTP, Tio VCS, Singh ASB, Tseu MWL, Shoesmith WD, Abd Rahim MA, et al.

Trends Psychiatry Psychother, 2023 Feb 17;44:e20200172.
PMID: 34392668 DOI: 10.47626/2237-6089-2020-0172

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has trickle-down psychological effects on multiple strata of society, particularly university students. Apart from the worry of contracting or spreading COVID-19, Malaysian university students were also locked down on their campuses, suffering significant psychological distress. Hence, an online mindfulness intervention was proposed to alleviate psychological distress and improve psychological flexibility and mindfulness.
METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study with university students as participants. Intervention group participants were instructed to complete online questionnaires which covered basic demographics and instruments assessing depression, anxiety, stress, mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and fear of COVID-19 before and after the one-hour intervention. The control group also completed before and after questionnaires and were subsequently crossed over to the intervention group. Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to assess time*group effects.
RESULTS: 118 participants were involved in this study. There were significant differences in anxiety (F(1,116) = 34.361, p < 0.001, partial eta-squared = 0.229) and psychological flexibility between the two groups (F(1,116) = 11.010, p = 0.001, partial eta-squared = 0.087), while there were no differences in depression, stress, mindfulness, or fear of COVID-19.
CONCLUSION: The results of this study corroborate the efficacy of online single-session mindfulness therapy as a viable short-term psychological intervention under financial and time constraints. Since university students are in the age group with the highest incidence of depressive and anxiety disorders, it is crucial to utilize resources to address as many students as possible to ensure maximum benefit.