Prevalence and risk factors of postpartum depression among women living in the United Arab Emirates.

PURPOSE: Postpartum depression received almost no attention in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aim was to examine the prevalence of depressive symptomatology and the associated risk factors among women in the UAE. METHODS: A prospective cohort study recruited women from postpartum wards in hospitals across four emirates in the UAE. Women completed questionnaires immediately after childbirth and at 3 and 6 months postpartum. Depressive symptomatology was measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS > 12). Risk factors were identified using the generalized estimating equation. A stratified analysis of the postpartum period was performed. RESULTS: Among the 457 women recruited, 35% exhibited depressive symptomatology within the first 6 months postpartum. Younger women (< 25 years), part-time employment, the receipt of financial support from the family, and difficulty in managing monthly income were associated with a higher risk of postpartum depression. Husband's employment, husband's support, and living in own house were associated with a lower risk of postpartum depression. Maternity leave of more than 3 months increased the risk of depression during the first 3 months postpartum. From 3 to 6 months postpartum, Muslim women had a higher risk of depression whereas women who breastfed other children and in the past 7 days, and perceived their infant as healthy had a lower risk of depression. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of maternal depressive symptomatology is considerable in the UAE. Risk factors change over the 6-month postpartum period suggesting the need for an innovative multidisciplinary approach to the management of postpartum depression, including follow-up screening.

Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Arabic Version of the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form Among Women in the United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding self-efficacy as a construct has been theoretically and empirically linked to exclusive breastfeeding in studies globally using the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF). However, its application in the Middle East and North Africa region is limited, as it has not been validated. RESEARCH AIMS: To psychometrically validate the BSES-SF among a sample of mothers in the United Arab Emirates. METHODS: We psychometrically evaluated the Arabic version of the BSES-SF using a sample of mothers (N = 457) residing in the United Arab Emirates. We used translation techniques, item-test and item-total correlations, confirmatory factor analysis, tests of reliability, and tests of validity. RESULTS: Item-test correlations of scale items ranged from 0.67 to 0.84, while item-total correlations ranged from 0.58 to 0.81. The confirmatory factor model assessed the 14-item scale to be unidimensional with satisfactory model fit indices. Our findings suggested the Arabic-language version of the BSES-SF was a reliable measure (α = 0.95) with strong construct and discriminant validity. BSES-SF scores significantly predicted exclusive breastfeeding (aOR = 1.04; 95% CI [1.02, 1.08]) and exclusive duration (ß = .06; 95% CI [0.4, 0.08]), which suggested strong predictive, validity after adjusting for parity, maternal age, maternal education, and study site. CONCLUSIONS: We have provided rigorous evidence that the BSES-SF is a valid and reliable measure of breastfeeding self-efficacy among Arabic-speaking women in the UAE. Interventions designed specifically to increase breastfeeding self-efficacy among Arabic-speaking women may be a mechanism to increase the suboptimal rates of breastfeeding exclusivity occurring in much of the MENA region.

State of Emotional Health Disorders of Undergraduate Students in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Introduction: The emotional health disorders are a significant burden to the health of the residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, there is a paucity of evidence on the prevalence of mental health disorders throughout the Middle East in general. The prevalence of mental health problems among students and the associated impact on UAE society requires more exploration. Building an understanding of these factors is essential to inform the development of interventions in the UAE context. Aim: This study aimed to establish the prevalence of three main mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and stress disorders) among undergraduate students in the UAE. Methods: This study used a descriptive, cross-sectional mixed methods design. Data were collected 2018 using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) just before the Mental Health problems associated with Corona Pandemic and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: The results were reported using descriptive statistics. This study received ethical approval. The prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and stress among university students in one Emirates in UAE were 38% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.04-2.33), 55% (95% CI: 2.52-2.87), and 29% (95% CI: 1.76-2.02), respectively. Conclusion: Anxiety disorders are the predominant mental health problem among UAE students. There is a need for increased research in this area and on mental health problems in general in the UAE.

Prevalence and multivariable predictors of breastfeeding outcomes in the United Arab Emirates: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Despite considerable policy actions at the national and hospital levels, rates of breastfeeding in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remain below the global average. There is a need to explore the modifiable factors of breastfeeding such as maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy (BSE), support, and mental health among women in this region to guide interventions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aim of this study was to examine the maternal predictors of any and exclusive breastfeeding in a cohort of Emirati and expatriate women residing in the UAE with a specific focus on modifiable factors. METHODS: Using a prospective cohort design, Emirati and expatriate women were recruited in the immediate postpartum period (N = 374) and followed at three and 6 months postpartum between February 2018 and July 2019. Questionnaires with validated tools were used to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics, breastfeeding practices, BSE, postnatal depression, and anxiety. The main outcomes in the study were Any Breastfeeding and exclusivity practices, which were assessed at three and 6 months postpartum by asking the mother about her breastfeeding behaviour during the past 7 days. Multilevel, multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the association of different variables with breastfeeding outcomes. RESULTS: Almost all women reported initiating breastfeeding during their stay at the hospital (n = 357), while only 263 (70.3%) initiated breastfeeding within the first hour of delivery. At 6 months postpartum, 301 (81.5%) women continued to breastfeed of whom 100 (26.7%) were doing so exclusively. Older mothers who initiated breastfeeding within 1 h of birth and were satisfied with the breastfeeding support they received from family and friends had significantly greater odds of any breastfeeding at 6 months. Whereas a clinically significant Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score, low BSE score as well as employment outside the home were associated with significantly lower odds of exclusive breastfeeding and any breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need to develop effective education strategies and support programs targeting these modifiable variables to improve breastfeeding outcomes among women in the UAE.

The perceived health status of people with psychologically derived non-epileptic attack disorder and epilepsy: a comparative study.

While a wealth of literature describes the short and longer term impact of living with epilepsy, there is, in contrast, very little information about the impact of psychologically derived non-epileptic attack disorder (PNEAD). In the absence of any physical disease, some clinicians may assume that this group requires little help. However, evidence suggests that there maybe a significant impact. Therefore, this study has set out to document the effects on perceived health status of PNEAD. We compared 97 people with PNEAD with a sample, case matched for age and gender, of 97 people who had been previously diagnosed with epilepsy. A questionnaire was administered to both groups requesting information about their perceived overall health (SF-36) and their clinical and demographic status. PNEAD patients described a significantly poorer profile of perceived health compared with the epilepsy group. People with PNEAD have substantially impaired perceived health status, to the extent of feeling in poorer health than people with organically explained epilepsy. Clinical interventions are necessary that can improve their perceived health.

Childhood family dysfunction and associated abuse in patients with nonepileptic seizures: towards a causal model.

OBJECTIVE: A history of childhood sexual abuse is thought to characterize patients with nonepileptic seizures (NES). We tested the hypotheses: 1) that history of sexual abuse is more prevalent in patients with NES than in controls with epilepsy; 2) that such abuse is associated with NES, not directly but because it is a marker of family dysfunction; and 3) that family dysfunction and abuse are, in turn, linked to NES because they increase a general tendency to somatize. METHODS: We compared 81 patients with NES with 81 case-matched epilepsy patients, using questionnaires to elicit recollections of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse and family atmosphere and to quantify current somatization. RESULTS: Although each form of abuse was more prevalent in NES patients, only child psychological abuse uniquely distinguished NES from epilepsy. However, its association with NES was explained by family dysfunction. A general tendency to somatize explained part of the relationship of abuse to NES. CONCLUSIONS: Abuse therefore seems to be a marker for aspects of family dysfunction that are associated with--and may therefore cause--somatization and, specifically, NES.