Psycho-social sufferings and sexual difficulties among female survivors of child sexual abuse in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse is a universal social challenge and the victims of childhood sexual abuse suffer a range of short and long term psychological, social, behavioral and physical problems that vary in different cultures. The study was carried out to explore the perceived impacts of childhood sexual abuse in Pakistan, because no such study was conducted in Pakistan earlier. METHODS: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data. A snowball sampling technique was used to approach the sample of current study. The sample of the study comprised ten female survivors of childhood sexual abuse of age ranged between 18 and 22 years (Mage= 20.10 years) with the education ranging from matric to BSc. Out of these participants, four were married and six were unmarried and belonged to different cities of Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected via a semi-structured interview schedule and all interviews were verbatim transcribed. RESULTS: A rigorous iterative process of data analysis resulted in three super-ordinate themes and ten sub-ordinate themes: Experiencing Abuse (emotional trauma, and physical distress), Psycho-social Distress (low self-esteem, negative self-concept, psychological pain, social suffering, and retaliation vs. forgiveness), and Sexual Difficulties (passive role, emotionally aloof, aversion from hetero-sexuality and avoidance). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that childhood sexual abuse is an intense experience that has short- and long-term negative impacts on the lives of female survivors and engulfs their lives as a whole. The study has implications for psychiatrists, psychologists, family counselors, social scientists, educationists, and parents.

Biopsychosocial determinant of quality of life of older adults in Pakistan and Canada.

Background: The rapidly rising average age of the older adults has brought various global healthcare challenges. A core challenge is how to enhance their quality of life (QoL). Objective: The objective of the current study was to test the significance of biopsychosocial determinants of quality of life of older adults in Pakistan and Canada. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was carried out on a conveniently approached purposive sample of 1,005 older adults (Pakistani = 557 and Canadian = 448) of age range between 60 years and 80 years. The data were collected via demographic datasheet, World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Scale, Health and Lifestyle Questionnaire, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Berlin Social Support Scale. Results: The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that biopsychosocial factors (viz., health and lifestyle, chronic illness, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and social support) significantly predicted (R 2 = .27, and.68) quality of life of older adults in Pakistan and Canada, respectively, after controlling the demographic variables. Significant differences were found between Pakistani and Canadian older adults on biopsychosocial factors: Canadian older adults scored significantly higher on health and lifestyle, self-efficacy, and quality of life, and older adults in Pakistan scored significantly higher on self-esteem and social support. Conclusion: A significant amount of better QoL of older adults can be achieved through enhancing the biopsychosocial correlates of their QoL, both in Pakistan and Canada.

Psychometric evaluation and validation of Urdu Social Rank Scale for women with infertility in Pakistan.

Background: Infertility negatively affects nearly all aspects of women's life and is a source of demotion in the rank/status of women that they have achieved after marriage. This social rank/status demotion due to infertility may result in depression and several other psychopathologies. No extant instrument is available to measure the phenomenon of social rank in women with infertility in Pakistan. Objective: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and validate the Social Rank Scale for women experiencing infertility in Pakistan. Methodology: This study was conducted in four phases. The data were collected from women with primary infertility who visited hospitals all over Pakistan from 2016 to 2018. Social Rank Scale for Women with Infertility (SRS-WI) comprising of two scales, the Social Comparison Scale for Women with Infertility (SCS-WI) and the Submissive Behavior Scale for Women with Infertility (SBS-WI), was developed. Results: The factor structure of 37 items of SCS-WI and of 21 items of SBS-WI was determined through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on a sample of 215 women with primary infertility with an age range of 20-45 years (Mage = 31.03; SD = 6.18). Principal component analysis with varimax rotation method yielded a three-factor solution for SCS-WI, and 32 items were retained for SCS-WI that accounted for 62.38% variance. For SBS-WI, a uni-factor solution was obtained, and 20 items were retained for SBS-WI, which collectively accounted for 42.01% variance. The factor structure for both scales was confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis among a sample of 210 participants with good model fit indices. Conclusion: The study provides acceptable psychometric properties of the SRS-WI in Pakistan. Testing of psychometric properties in different groups of samples would justify the generalized use of the instrument.

Unveiling Frequently Co-Occurring Reasons of Attitudinal Acceptance of Intimate Partner Violence against Women: A Behavioral Data Science Perspective.

The results of gender equality indicators across the world in the form of prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women are striking and has thus drawn the attention of policy makers as well as necessitates the adoption of a comprehensive system to deal with. The situation of IPV in Pakistan is alarming. This study examines the acceptability attitude of women and men toward intimate partner violence against women through data science. It discovers and contrasts the frequently co-occurring reasons due to which husbands' behaviour of beating their wives is believed to be legitimate by both partners in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Though the discovered frequently co-occurring reasons, such as "arguing with the husband and neglecting the children" altogether, are similar in both genders but the fraction of wives believing in such reasons are significantly greater than that of husbands. This psychological disparity across genders could help in identifying the social and cultural factors to whom this disparity is attributed. It is expected that the identified co-occurring groups of reasons would help to understand the problem to the next level and devise better strategies to mitigate them.

Process of career identity formation among adolescents: components and factors.

To qualitatively explore the process and factors that influence career identity formation, data were collected from 18 middle adolescents of age ranged between 15 and 17 years. Thematic analysis revealed that the process of career identity comprised exploration, commitment, and reconsideration components. Eight factors (viz., parental influence, peer influence, religious orientation, media, nationalism, economic conditions, teachers' power, and personal preferences) appeared to influence the exploration component of career identity. Exploration of possible careers lead towards commitment after being influenced by expected outcomes (economic benefits, religious benefits, social standards, and functional gains). Satisfaction with the expected outcomes of the explored career help participants to reach at commitment. After being committed to any career, identity appeared to be bifurcated into identity achievement and identity confusion. The adolescents who were contented and consistent appeared to achieve their career identity and identity confusion lead towards the reconsideration of their career plans. Eventually, at one side, reconsideration may lead towards exploration with new choices and opportunities. While on the other hand, as a result of reassurance, individuals may revert back towards their previously committed career identity. This paper provides theoretical and practical implications for the career development of adolescents.

Construction and Validation of Afterlife Belief Scale for Muslims.

The purpose of this study was to develop a scale in Urdu language for measuring different dimensions of afterlife belief. The scale was subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis on a sample of 504 individuals (235 men and 269 women) recruited from different cities in the Punjab, Pakistan. After exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, 16 items were retained with three well-defined factor structures of afterlife belief: positive, negative, and extinction. The alpha coefficients of the subscales ranged from .65 to .78. Convergent and discriminant validity of the subscales of Afterlife Belief Scale was determined by finding its relationship with the Pleasant Afterlife Belief Scale, the Unpleasant Afterlife Belief Scale, the Anxiety Subscale of DASS, and the Belief in Equitable World Scale. The results support that the newly developed scale has promising validity.

Miscarriage: Emotional burden and social suffering for women in Pakistan.

The study aimed to explore the bereavement experiences of women after miscarriage. Ten women who experienced miscarriages of their first child were interviewed. Verbatim interviews were analyzed through the principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis that yielded eight super ordinate themes: shattered planning; physical and emotional pain; reaction to miscarriage; transformed marital relationships; in-laws' support; blame attribution; identity and well-being; and posttraumatic growth. The participants shared the constant psychological and physical pain they felt after miscarriage. The results reveal that cultural awareness is crucial when addressing the healthcare needs of women who undergo similar reproductive losses in different cultures.

Urdu Translation and Validation of Short Muslim Practice and Belief Scale in Pakistan.

The present study was conducted to translate and validate the Short Muslim Practice and Belief Scale (SMPBS) (AlMarri, Oei, & Al-Adawi, 2009) to have a culturally equivalent and linguistically accurate Urdu version for use in Pakistan. Forward backward translation method was used for translation followed by tryout of the scale. Urdu translated version of the scale was completed by 500 participants of different age groups (M = 36.5, SD = 10.1). Based on a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), results confirmed that a two-factor model with the factors practice and belief provided an excellent fit to the data with chi square 55.96 (df = 26, p > .05), CFI =.96, GFI = .97, and RMSEA = .04. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was .78. Cross-language validation determined on a sample of 60 participants was satisfactory. Convergent validity of the scale was established by finding its significant positive correlation with religious practice and belief scale (r = .64, p < .001) and significant negative correlation with depression (r = -.18, p < .001) revealed its divergent validity.

Experiences of Infertility in British and Pakistani Women: A Cross-Cultural Qualitative Analysis.

The psychosocial impact of infertility is affected by cultural factors. In this cross-cultural qualitative study we explored the experience of infertility among six women living in Pakistan and eight living in the UK. Although infertile women in the UK and Pakistan had many shared experiences related to their own desires for motherhood and the hopes of others, they also faced unique psychosocial challenges shaped by cultural context. Based on our findings, we suggest a need for further resources and networks to support women, particularly women living in cultures that allow women few fulfilling social roles other than motherhood.

Factors Affecting Disability-Related Depression in Patients with Lost Limbs: A Mediational Model.

The objective of the present study was to determine the mediating role of self-efficacy between religiosity, social support, and depression in patients with lost limbs. We sampled 67 male and 33 female disabled patients who had lost limbs in accidents or amputations from four public hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan, and used Religiosity Index (Farooq and Imam, in The effect of religiosity on locus of control. Department of Psychology, Govt College University, Lahore, 1997), General Self-efficacy Scales (Tabassum et al., in Urdu adaptation of the general self-efficacy scale. Retrieved from http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~health/urdu.htm , 2003), Berlin Social Support Scale (Schwarzer and Schulz, in Berlin Social Support Scales. Retrieved online from http://userpage.fuberlin.de/~gesund/skalen/Language_Selection/Turkish/BerlinSocialSupportScales/berlin_social_support_scales.htm , 2000), and Siddiqui-Shah Depression Scale (Siddiqui and Shah, in Pychol Dev Soc 9(2):245-262, 1997), and used a correlation matrix and mediational analyses along with other inferential statistics to develop a model that suggested self-efficacy mediated between religiosity, social support, and depression with negative correlations that partially mediated this relationship. The findings suggest that low level of religiosity, social support, and self-efficacy may play a role in the onset and continuation of depression or its symptoms. We found no significant differences in gender, education, and cause of disability in patients with lost limbs. Results have implications for clinical psychologists, counselors, and health psychologists to develop a treatment plan for such patients with depression focusing on the factors implicated above.

Factors Associated with Stress Among Parents of Children with Autism.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors associated with stress among parents of children with autism. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional field survey study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Psychology, GC University, Lahore, from September 2012 to November 2013. METHODOLOGY: The sample consisted of 100 parents (50 mothers and 50 fathers) of children with autism. Measures of childhood autism rating, sense of coherence, parenting self-efficacy, parenting stress, and demographic data sheet were completed by the parents in outdoor units of children hospital, institutes, and at their homes. RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between severity of impairment and parenting stress (r = .53, p < .01), between parenting self-efficacy and parenting stress (r = -.35, p < .01, and between sense of coherence and parenting stress (r = -.26, p < .05). No significant gender difference emerged in terms of parenting self-efficacy, sense of coherence, and parenting stress. Results of stepwise regression partially supported our hypothesized model, as severity of child impairment, and parenting self-efficacy appeared as significant predictors of parenting stress (R(2) = .35). However, there was no evidence of role of demographic variables in the parenting stress. CONCLUSION: The severity of child's impairment emerged as the most salient risk factor for parenting stress; however, it was concluded that parents' ability and confidence in their competence of parenting a child in challenging situations may reduce their stress.

Mediational role of parenting styles in emotional intelligence of parents and aggression among adolescents.

The present study was designed to examine the relationship between parents' emotional intelligence and adolescents' aggression, through the mediation of parenting styles. Two hundred and twenty five undergraduate students (113 boys & 112 girls; age 17-18 years), from four universities in Pakistan, participated with their parents. The Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (Robinson, Mandleco, Olsen, & Hart, 1995), and the Scale of Emotional Intelligence (Batool & Khalid, 2011) were completed by parents. The Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992) was completed by their adolescent offspring. Mediational path analysis supported our hypothesised model. Results indicate that emotional intelligence of parents indirectly links to aggression among offspring, through parenting styles. It was concluded that emotional intelligence training will help parents to improve their parenting styles, and it will lower the risk of aggression in their children.