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Fulltext Prevalence, associated factors and predictors of anxiety: a community survey in Selangor, Malaysia

Kader Maideen SF, Mohd Sidik S, Rampal L, Mukhtar F

BMC Psychiatry, 2015;15:262.
PMID: 26497745 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-015-0648-x

Anxiety is the most common mental health disorders in the general population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety, its associated factors and the predictors of anxiety among adults in the community of Selangor, Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
A Qualitative Study of HIV "Test-and-Treat" Experience Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Malaysia

Lim SH, Alias H, Kien JKW, Akbar M, Kamarulzaman A, Wong LP

AIDS Educ Prev, 2019 06;31(3):193-205.
PMID: 31145000 DOI: 10.1521/aeap.2019.31.3.193

This study aimed to examine the barriers and facilitators to HIV testing and treatment among Malaysian MSM. Between June 2014 and December 2015, in-depth interviews were conducted in 20 HIV-positive MSM recruited from a teaching hospital and NGO in Kuala Lumpur. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyze, and report themes. Most participants investigated their HIV status after long period of sickness. Others sought testing upon partner's diagnosis and some were diagnosed via blood donation. Barriers to testing include personal (perceived good health, fear of positive result, denial); social and structural factors (stigmatization by health providers and family, lack of information about free HIV testing and long wait time). Barriers to treatment comprise personal factors (perceived HIV as incurable and treatment as complicated), social factors (HIV and homosexual stigma), and cost. Promoting benefits of regular testing and early treatment is needed to improve HIV care continuum among MSM in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Effectiveness of Methadone Maintenance Therapy and Improvement in Quality of Life Following a Decade of Implementation

Teoh Bing Fei J, Yee A, Habil MH, Danaee M

J Subst Abuse Treat, 2016 10;69:50-6.
PMID: 27568510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2016.07.006

Methadone maintenance therapy has been found to be an effective harm reduction treatment for opioid use disorder. However evidence of its benefits over a longer duration of treatment is limited as most studies focus on its short term benefits. As methadone maintenance therapy reaches a decade since its implementation in Malaysia, this study sought to examine the effectiveness of methadone treatment, change in quality of life among patients since entry to methadone treatment, as well as factors predicting the magnitude of change in quality of life. This study found that methadone maintenance therapy was effective in reducing heroin use, injecting practices and crime, and in improving in social functioning and physical symptoms, but not in reducing sex-related HIV risk-taking behavior. Though patients had a significantly better quality of life at follow-up than at entry to methadone maintenance therapy, the improvement in quality of life was not significantly greater as the duration of treatment increased. Age above 50 years old, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive status and physical symptoms predicted a poorer improvement in quality of life between baseline and follow-up. On the other hand, patients with hepatitis B showed a greater improvement in quality of life in the social relationships domain compared to patients without hepatitis B. In conclusion, methadone maintenance therapy is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder and improves quality of life but its benefits in further improving quality of life beyond a decade of treatment need further evaluation.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Development and evaluation of 'neck pain and functional limitation scale': a validation study in the Asian context

Leonard JH, Choo CP, Manaf MR, Md Isa Z, Mohd Nordin NA, Das S

Indian J Med Sci, 2009 Oct;63(10):445-54.
PMID: 19901483

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of literature on validated outcome measurement tools for evaluation of neck pain and related disability in the Asian context.
AIM: The main aim of the present study was to design a new tool called neck pain functional limitation scale (NPFLS) for measuring disability related to neck pain and observe its reliability, concurrent validity and criterion validity.
SETTING AND DESIGN: This study was performed at the institutional hospital.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 157 subjects (neck pain group) and 25 control subjects (control group) without neck pain were recruited for this study. NPFLS was framed as a new tool for this study, which consisted of 5 domains - pain intensity, activities of daily living, social activities, functional activities and psychological factors. Neck Bournemouth questionnaire (NBQ) was used as a gold standard to measure the concurrent validity and criterion validity of the NPFLS.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Criterion validity and concurrent validity between the neck Bournemouth questionnaire (NBQ) and NPFLS scores were tested statistically using Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation test. The reliability was tested by examining the internal consistency to calculate the Cronbach's alpha value for each item in NPFLS.
RESULTS: No significant difference between NPFLS and NBQ was observed using Mann-Whitney U Test, with P value greater than 0.05 (P= 0.557). Besides that, NPFLS had a high concurrent validity (r= 0.916) and good internal consistency with high Cronbach's alpha value of (r= 0.948), which demonstrated strong correlation between the items of NPFLS and NBQ.
CONCLUSION: NPFLS demonstrated good reliability, high concurrent validity and criterion validity in this study. NPFLS can be used to assess neck pain and disability among patients with neck pain.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations