Suchergebnisse

Deliberate Self Harm (DSH) is a pervasive issue in Pakistan. The limited research on this phenomenon conducted in Pakistan is restricted by the non-availability of an empirical assessment measure of self-harm in the Urdu language, hence relies mostly on the interviews of cases reported to the emergency departments and those translated does not necessarily carry the same connotation. An indigenous deliberate self-harm scale was developed to cater to this issue. Factors of DSH were identified using Nock's integrated theoretical model and literature review. Sixty-five items were generated. Content Validity Index (CVI) was calculated. The scale was administered on a sample of 200 self-harm cases.EFA revealed a three-factor structure (i.e intrapersonal, interpersonal and situational) supported by Parallel Analysis. RASCH analysis supported the item fit. This scale can be a helpful tool for the researchers and clinicians to explore DSH in the native population.

Background: Previous researchers have demonstrated the co-existence of psychiatric conditions across clinical as well as non-clinical samples in diverse situations. The present study examined the prevalence and co-morbidity of various psychiatric symptoms (e.g. learning disabilities, depression and anxiety) in school-age female adolescents. Methods: In a cross-sectional random sampling method, 252 girls from two government schools in Lahore were assessed by Learning Disabilities Checklist, Children Depression Inventory and the Spence Anxiety Scale. Results: The results demonstrate significant prevalence and co-morbidity of psychiatric symptoms. Of the 252 participants, 34%, 21% and 68% had significant learning disabilities, depression and anxiety symptoms respectively. In addition, 27% of them presented symptoms of three studied psychiatric conditions. A highly significant positive correlation was found between learning disabilities, depression and anxiety symptoms. Methods: There is a dire need for preventative intervention programs to promote mental health at school level. Further, assessment plans for the screening of psychiatric symptoms in normative samples also need to be put in place.