Integrated Moving on After Breast Cancer and Culturally Adapted Cognitive Behavior Therapy intervention for depression and anxiety among Pakistani women with breast cancer: Protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer is associated with significant distress that has huge impact on survivors' quality of life. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of an integrated intervention "Moving on After Breast Cancer (ABC) Plus culturally adapted Cognitive Behavior Therapy" (Moving on ABC Plus). Method: This is a randomized controlled trial that aims to recruit 354 breast cancer survivors from the inpatient and outpatient oncology departments in public and private hospitals in Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Patients scoring 10 or above on either the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and/or the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) will be recruited. Baseline assessments will include Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast; EuroQol-5D; Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support; Intrusive Thoughts Scale; and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Participants randomized into intervention arm, Moving on ABC Plus, will receive 12 individual therapy sessions over 4 months. Follow-up will be completed at 4- and 6-month post-randomization, using all baseline instruments along with the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). We will also explore the participants', their family members', and the therapists' experiences of the trial and intervention. Results: We will be assessing the effectiveness of intervention in reducing depression and anxiety in breast cancer survivors as a primary outcome of the trial. The secondary outcomes will include effectiveness of intervention in terms of reduction in intrusive thoughts and improvement in health-related quality of life, self-esteem, and perceived social support. Conclusion: The results of the study will inform the design of a future larger randomized control trial with long-term follow-up.

Youth Culturally adapted Manual Assisted Problem Solving Training (YCMAP) in Pakistani adolescent with a history of self-harm: protocol for multicentre clinical and cost-effectiveness randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a global health concern. Sociocultural factors have an impact on self-harm and suicide rates. In Pakistan, both self-harm and suicide are considered as criminal offence's and are condemned on both religious and social grounds. The proposed intervention 'Youth Culturally Adapted Manual Assisted Problem Solving Training (YCMAP)' is based on principles of problem-solving and cognitive-behavioural therapy. YCMAP is a brief, culturally relevant, scalable intervention that can be implemented in routine clinical practice if found to be effective. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: A multicentre rater blind randomised controlled trial to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of YCMAP including a sample of 652 participants, aged 12-18 years, presenting to general physicians/clinicians, emergency room after self harm or self referrals. We will test the effectiveness of 8-10 individual sessions of YCMAP delivered over 3 months compared with treatment as usual. Primary outcome measure is repetition of self-harm at 12 months. The seconday outcomes include reduction in suicidal ideation, hopelessness and distress and improvement in health related quality of life. Assessments will be completed at baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months postrandomisation. The nested qualitative component will explore perceptions about management of self-harm and suicide prevention among adolescents and investigate participants' experiences with YCMAP. The study will be guided by the theory of change approach to ensure that the whole trial is centred around needs of the end beneficiaries as key stakeholders in the process. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of University of Manchester, the National Bioethics Committee in Pakistan. The findings of this study will be disseminated through community workshops, social media, conference presentations and peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04131179.

Stigma toward mental and physical illness: attitudes of healthcare professionals, healthcare students and the general public in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: The evidence base for stigma in mental health largely originates from high-income countries. AIMS: This study from Pakistan aimed to address the gap in literature on stigma from low- and middle-income countries. METHOD: This cross-sectional study surveyed 1470 adults from Karachi, Pakistan. Participants from three groups (healthcare professionals, healthcare students and the general public) completed the adapted Bogardus Social Distance Scale (SDS) as a measure of stigma. RESULTS: All three groups reported higher scores of stigma toward mental disorders compared with physical disorders. SDS scores for mental illness in the general public were significantly higher than in healthcare students (mean difference (MD) 6.93, 95% CI 5.45-8.45, P < 0.001) and healthcare professionals (MD 6.93, 95% CI 5.48-8.38, P < 0.001). However, SDS scores between healthcare students and healthcare professionals were not significantly different (MD 0.003, 95% CI -1.14-1.14, P > 0.99). Being female was associated with lower stigma scores and being over the age of 30 years was associated with higher stigma scores. CONCLUSIONS: Stigma campaigns in Pakistan need to target the general population. However, evidence of negative attitudes toward mental illness in healthcare students and healthcare professionals supports the need for stronger emphasis on psychiatric education within undergraduate and postgraduate training in Pakistan.

Moderating Effects of Personality Traits in Relationship Between Religious Practices and Mental Health of University Students.

This study focused on examining the effects of personality traits in moderating relationship between religiosity and mental health of university students. It was conducted on a sample of (N = 372) university students aged between 20 and 26 years equated to gender: 186 male and 186 female students at Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan. The religiosity, mental health and personality traits were measured by using the scale of Religiosity of Islam, Inventory of Mental Health and Big Five Inventory, respectively. The correlation analyses showed the significant relationship of religiosity with behavioral control but negatively associated with anxiety and depression as two dimensions of mental health. The results further demonstrated that openness to experience and agreeableness as traits of students' personality considerably moderated the relationship of religiosity and mental health.

Larger and More Prominent Graphic Health Warnings on Plain-Packaged Tobacco Products and Avoidant Responses in Current Smokers: a Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of tobacco plain packaging legislation in Australia meant that all tobacco products were to be sold in plain dark-brown packaging with 75% front-of-pack graphic health warnings and standardised font type and size for brand name and product variant. The change in the size and prominence of the warnings has been proposed as a reason for behaviour change in smokers in terms of increased intentions to quit and quit attempts. PURPOSE: The current research examined attitudes and beliefs of cigarette smokers toward the increased size and prominence of the warnings and effects on their behaviour. METHOD: Participants (N = 160) completed open-ended responses to questions on beliefs, attitudes and responses to plain packaging. Responses were subjected to inductive thematic content analysis for key themes. RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the analysis: emotional response to packaging, scepticism of health warnings, warnings and cessation behaviour, and avoidant coping behaviours. Participants reported increased negative emotional responses to the packaging and made specific reference to the graphic health warnings. Some participants attempted to discredit the messages. Others reported increased intentions to quit or quitting attempts. There were pervasive reports of avoidant responses including covering or hiding the warnings. CONCLUSION: Consistent with theories of illness perceptions and coping, current findings indicate that the larger, prominent graphic health warnings on plain-packaged tobacco products had pervasive effects on threat perceptions and subsequent behavioural responses. While some of the reported responses were adaptive (e.g. attempts to quit), others were maladaptive (e.g. avoiding the warnings).