Validation of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) in the Tunisian dialect.

OBJECTIVES: The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) is one of the most frequently used depression assessment scales. In Tunisia, psychiatrists commonly use this scale in a Tunisian dialect. However, to the best of our knowledge, this scale has never been validated in Tunisia. This study aims to investigate the reliability and the validity of the HDRS among Tunisian patients who have been hospitalised for a suicide attempt. A secondary objective is to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of the study population. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study performed in the emergency department. METHODS: Patients who were hospitalised for a suicide attempt were eligible for inclusion in this study. The Tunisian version of the HDRS was developed using a forward-backward translation procedure. Psychometric properties of the Tunisian version of the HDRS were tested, including (i) construct validity with a confirmatory one-factor analysis; (ii) internal validity with Pearson correlations and Cronbach alpha coefficients; and (iii) external validity by correlations with the Patient Health Quality-9 (PHQ-9) scale. We used the Receiver-Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve to analyse the correlation between the total HDRS score and the presence of depression according to the PHQ-9. RESULTS: In total, 101 participants were enrolled in this study. The principal component analysis (PCA) type factor analysis with varimax rotation found a high-grade correlation between HDRS individual items and the total score. The total variance, explained by five factors, was 64.4%. Cronbach's standardised alpha coefficient was 0.86 for the overall scale. Correlations between the total HDRS score and the PHQ-9 score, and its various items, were significant. The ROC curve analysis showed good sensitivity (80.8%) and specificity (91.1%). CONCLUSION: The Tunisian version of the HDRS is an acceptable instrument to screen depression in individuals who have attempted suicide.

[Temperament and alcoholic behavior in medical students]. / Tempérament et conduites alcooliques chez l'étudiant en médecine.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The Tunisian medical student population is very heterogeneous. This heterogeneity is based among other things on temperamental differences between different students and their behavior and strategies to cope with the requirements and constraints of medical studies. We conducted this study aiming: to determine the prevalence of alcohol use in a student population at Sfax Medical School and to evaluate the factors associated with this use; to study the relationship between affective temperament and alcohol consumption among medical students. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study in the form of a survey between July 2018 and January 2019 among students (aged between 19 and 30) recruited from the University of Medicine of Sfax during their internship in the psychiatric department "A" at CHU HédiChaker of Sfax. We used a pre-established survey sheet based on data from the substance use and affective temperament literature in medical students that was completed by the participants after obtaining their consent and having explained the anonymity and confidentiality of the questionnaire. This sheet included a section on student sociodemographic characteristics, a second part describing the history and characteristics of alcohol consumption and the evaluation of alcohol consumption through the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and a third part for temperament evaluation by TIME-A, and Temperament Evaluation of Memphis Pisa Paris and San Diego Auto-questionnaire. RESULTS: We recruited 136 students with an average age of 21.63 years (SD 2 years) and a sex ratio (H/F) of 0.66. Alcohol consumption was observed among 19.8 % of students surveyed, 19.1 % of whom were occasional consumers. The mean age of onset of alcohol consumption was 18.48 years (SD 1.76 years). All consumer students had started using alcohol with their friends. The desired effect was euphoric in 74 % of cases, sleeping for 14.8 % of them. Among consumers, the average score at AUDIT was 6.44 (SD 5.3). Among them 70.4 % had a risk-free consumption (score of 8 or less); 14.8% were at risk (score 9-12) and 11.1 % were likely alcohol dependent (score>12). The evaluation of affective temperament according to TIME-A showed that the cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperament scores were the highest among the students (respectively 5.5 and 4). The analytical study showed that alcohol dependence was significantly more common among male students (p=0.048). Alcohol use was significantly more common among students who smoke (p<0.001) and those who consume cannabis (p<0.001). The bivariate correlation showed that more students had a high score of depressive temperaments (r=0.18, p=0.032), irritable (r=0.2, P=0.018) and hyperthymic (r=0.27, p=0.001). The higher their scores on the AUDIT scale, the more alcohol-dependent they were. CONCLUSION: The implementation of preventive measures is an obvious emergency. In the same way, taking into account the difference in affective temperaments in this very particular population could have a grandiose importance and an interesting impact both in the screening and in the care of these students.

[Depression and coping strategies in the elderly with type 2 diabetes]. / Dépression et stratégies de coping chez les sujets âgés atteints de diabète de type 2.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Elderly patients with diabetes have been shown to have more diabetes-related complications, and they are more likely to develop somatic and psychiatric comorbidities including cognitive dysfunction and depression. Several studies have shown a close association between diabetes and depression. This comorbidity may lead to functional disability and quality of life deterioration. Thus, the elderly will face various constraints through the coping strategies. In this context, we conducted our study to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in elderly patients with diabetes as well as its associated factors, and to investigate their coping strategies. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytic study among 50 elderly patients (age≥65 years) being followed for type 2 diabetes at the outpatient department for chronic diseases of the Regional Hospital of Aguereb, Sfax, Tunisia. We used the "Activity of Daily Living" to assess the dependence level, the "Geriatric Depression Scale" to screen for depressive symptoms, and the "Brief Coping with Problems Experienced" to investigate the coping strategies. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 73.3 years, with a sex-ratio (M/F) of 0.62. Smoking and alcohol consumption were reported respectively in 20% and 4% of participants. The mean duration of diabetes was 7.7 years. Diabetes complications were noted in 70% of participants. Somatic comorbidities were noted in 94% of cases (hypertension 84%; dyslipidemia 34%). Psychiatric histories were reported in 18% of patients who suffered from anxio-depressive symptoms. No patient among those with mental disorder histories benefited from any psychiatric management prior to the study. Three patients (6%) had previously presented suicidal ideations but none of them had attempted suicide. The mean "Activity of Daily Living" score was 4.9 points. Patients were autonomous in 28%, and dependent in 4% of cases. The mean "Geriatric Depression Scale" score was 9.8 points. According to this scale, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 34%. They were correlated with: smoking (P=0.04), psychiatric histories (P=0.031), absence of leisure activity (P=0.035), "Activity of Daily Living" score (P=0.028), long duration of diabetes (P=0.04) and the presence of suicidal ideation (P=0.013). According to the « Brief Coping with Problems Experienced ¼, the problem-focused coping strategies were the most frequently used (44%), followed by emotion-focused (38%) and passive strategies (18%). Participants with depressive symptoms are significantly more likely to adopt emotion-focused coping strategies (P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Our study highlighted a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly patients with diabetes. This relationship seems to be bi-directional and may increase somatic complications and alter the quality of life, and then darken the prognosis. Thus, besides pharmacological treatment, regular depression screening and psychological support are essential to ensure a better control of diabetes and to improve well-being.

[Post-partum depressive symptoms: Prevalence, risk factors and relationship with quality of life]. / Symptomatologie dépressive du post-partum : prévalence, facteurs de risque et lien avec la qualité de vie.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of the post-partum depressive symptomatology in a sample of Tunisian women, to study associated factors and to assess its relationship to quality of life. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a prospective study carried out in two stages: during the first week (T1), then between sixth and eighth week post-partum (T2). Depressive symptomatology and quality of life were assessed respectively by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale. RESULTS: In the first stage, the prevalence of depressive symptomatology in the total sample (150 women) was 14.7% and was related to age above 35 years, low school level, personal psychiatric history, multiparity, caesarean delivery or forceps in the previous pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy. This prevalence was 19.8% among the 126 women reviewed in T2 and was correlated with the exaggerated sympathetic signs during pregnancy, namely perversion of taste and fatigue. Quality of life was strongly correlated with depressive symptoms in T1 and T2. CONCLUSION: Post-partum depressive symptoms were common in our sample and were correlated with quality of life. Therapeutic measures should be proposed for women with post-partum depressive symptoms and particularly with several risk factors in order to improve their quality of life.

[Male sexuality after external continent urinary diversion type Mitrofanoff]. / Étude de la sexualité masculine après dérivation urinaire externe continente de type Mitrofanoff.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of continent external urinary diversion type Mitrofanoff on male sexuality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 1992 and 2011, 140 patients underwent continent urinary diversion type Mitrofanoff at an academic hospital. Among 76 men, 46 were interviewed about their sexuality after this operation. This study was performed using a set of validated questionnaires (IIEF, DAN PSS and Urolife), grouped by the model of the CTMH. Patients were divided according to their marital status: group 1: patients married before surgery (15 cases), group 2: patients married after surgery (7 cases) and group 3: singles (24 cases). RESULTS: In the first group, the functional dimension of sexuality was positive with an overall score of 81%, the sexual discomfort score was assessed at 26 % and the sexual satisfaction score was 77%. In the second group, sexual function was considered conserved in all cases with a satisfaction score estimated at 98%. These patients reported a feeling of well-being following the disappearance of urinary incontinence with integrity of their body images. In contrast, in the last group, relatively impaired sexual function was noted (65%) with a satisfaction score estimated at 59%. These disorders were multifactorial, mainly related to neurological causal pathology. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study about male sexuality in patients with a continent urinary diversion type Mitrofanoff. Marital status has a major role in the sexuality of these patients. A prospective study with pre- and postoperative evaluation will better clarify the factors affecting sexuality in these patients.

The relationship between alopecia areata and alexithymia, anxiety and depression: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is a skin disease characterized by the sudden appearance of areas of hair loss on the scalp and other hair-bearing areas, but its aesthetic repercussions can lead to profound changes in patient's psychological status and relationships. AIM: The goal was to investigate a possible relationship between AA and alexithymia as well as two other emotional dimensions, anxiety and depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients with AA seen in the Department of Dermatology of Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax were included in this study. Anxiety and depression were evaluated by Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale questionnaire, alexithymia was assessed by Toronto Alexithymia scale 20, and severity of AA was measured by Severity of Alopecia Tool. RESULTS: Patient's mean age was 32.92 years. 52% of patients were females. Depression and anxiety were detected respectively in 38% and 62% of patients. There was statistically significant difference between patients and control group in terms of depression (P = 0.047) and anxiety (P = 0.005). Forty-two percent of patients scored positive for alexithymia. No significant difference was found between patient and control groups (P = 0.683) in terms of alexithymia. Anxiety was responsible for 14.7% of variation in alexithymia (P = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a high prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in AA patients. Dermatologists should be aware of the psychological impact of AA, especially as current treatments have limited effectiveness.

[Evaluation of affective temperaments in the postpartum depressive symptomatology]. / Evaluation des tempéraments affectifs dans la symptomatologie dépressive du post-partum.

INTRODUCTION: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a frequent psychiatric condition, but little is known about its potential bipolar nature and the implication of affective temperaments. The goal of this study is to estimate the prevalence of PPD and assess the affective temperamental profile of those affected. METHOD: The study was conducted in the department of gynecology and obstetrics of the CHU of Sfax, Tunisia. The selected population included all 213 consecutive admissions (mean age=29 years). Postpartum depressive symptomatology (SPPD) was assessed during the first week after delivery by using the Postnatal Edinburgh Scale Depression (EPDS) in its Arab version. The Arabic version of the Temperaments Auto-questionnaire of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego (TEMPS-A) was simultaneously filled out by subjects. The subjects were divided into two subgroups, depressed (D+) versus not depressed (D-), for comparative analyses. For affective temperaments, dimensional (mean scores) and categorical (quartiles) approaches were used. RESULTS: Forty-one women (19,2%) had a score higher than 9 on the EPDS (group D+). Lower educational level, lower social and family support, dysfunctional marital relationship, problems with accepting the pregnancy and prior psychiatric disorders were significantly more present in the D+ group. The majority of the affective temperaments, excepting hyperthymic, were correlated between them. The EPDS scores were correlated with all temperamental scores, except for hyperthymic. Higher scores on the depressive, irritable, anxious and cyclothymic temperaments were observed in the group D+. Women belonging to the 3rd and 4th quartiles of the depressive, cyclothymic and irritable temperaments and those belonging to the 4th quartile of the anxious temperament were significantly more depressed. Cyclothymic and depressive temperaments seemed to influence the pregnancy acceptance. Other interactions were observed between SPPD, temperamental profiles and quality of marital relation, and family support. The opposite seems true for the hyperthymic temperament, which could be protective against SPPD through better psychosocial conditions. Multivariate regression analysis showed that cyclothymic and anxious temperaments are significant risk factors independently from psychosocial factors, such as problems with accepting the pregnancy, which seemed to be the most important risk factor. CONCLUSION: PPD represents a frequent disorder, which needs to be correctly screened and recognized especially with its temperamental attributes, a mixture of anxious, irritable, depressive and cyclothymic traits. This complex unstable temperament should be considered as a predisposing factor, which interacts also with other common risk factors.

[Alexithymia and psoriasis: a case-control study of 53 patients]. / Alexithymie et psoriasis : étude cas-témoin à propos de 53 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Alexithymia was originally defined as the inability to recognize and verbalize emotions. It is characterized by an emptiness of feelings, poverty of imagination or of a life fantasy and difficulties in communicating with other people, as well as lack of positive emotions and a high prevalence of negative emotions. Its presence has been incriminated in the genesis and in the maintenance of various psychosomatic pathologies. Psoriasis, a frequent dermatitis, is classified among psychosomatic pathologies. In fact, the psychological dimension seems important, either in the appearance of the illness, in its evolution or in its prognosis. AIMS OF THE STUDY: Estimate the prevalence of alexithymia among patients with psoriasis. Study the relationship between them. PATIENTS' CHARACTERISTICS: Fifty-three patients with psoriasis consulted the Dermatology Department of the Hedi Chaker University Hospital, in Sfax, Tunisia. Patients' mean age was 42 years (min: 18 years; max: 76 years). The majority was married (58%), coming from middle to low social economic status (86%), and having a primary or secondary school level (84%). Psoriasis was vulgar for 47 patients (89%) and pustular for the others (11%). METHODOLOGY: We built a case-control study of 53 patients with psoriasis. The control group was formed of 53 subjects without psoriasis and paired according sex, age and school level. We evaluated psoriasis severity using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), a standardised instrument permitting assessment of the global severity of psoriasis. A cut off of 12 was used to diagnose severe psoriasis. Alexithymia was assessed with the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). This instrument has shown to be the best validated instrument for measuring alexithymia. A cut off of 61 was used to diagnose alexithymia. Sociodemographical and clinical data were assessed by a questionnaire that was filled in by the doctor conducting the study. All analyses were performed using the SPSS version 11.0 and with a 95% confidence interval. Differences in groups were tested using student's independent t-test, and Chi-square. RESULTS: The mean score of alexithymia for the patients was 56 (E: 12.1). The mean score of alexithymia for the control group was 45 (E: 9.6). Thirty-nine decimal six percent (n: 21) of patients and 13.2% (n: 7) of controls exhibited alexithymia. Our results confirm the high prevalence of alexithymia among patients with psoriasis (39.6%) compared to controls (13.2%) (p: 0.0002, RR: 3.4). A stress factor was present before the apparition of psoriasis in half of the cases. Psoriasis was severe in 50% of cases. Women with psoriasis (and not men) presented severe psoriasis when they suffered from alexithymia (p: 0.049). The relationship between alexithymia and age was significant from the age of 40 (p: 0.024). The association between psoriasis and another psychosomatic diseases was significantly more important than for the controls (p: 0.03; RR: 4.6). Psoriasis was not correlated to psychoactive substance (tobacco and alcohol, in our study). However, in the group of patients with alexithymia, alcohol consumption was associated with psoriasis severity (p: 0.05). DISCUSSION: In alexithymia, there is a risk that physical and emotional feelings will be used without distinction as signs of psychological distress, which can explain the somatic complaint due to the lack of the expression of psychological suffering. This can lead to the apparition of psoriasis. The relationship between psoriasis and alexithymia is increasingly studied in epidemiological surveys that use different instruments to measure alexithymia. However, the results of these surveys do not concord with ours. Our results demonstrated a close link between the two conditions. Moreover, the risk of further psychosomatic diseases increases in the presence of alexithymia. The consumption of alcohol was also high in cases of severe forms of psoriasis. CONCLUSION: Alexithymia does not appear to be a simple condition, related to psoriasis, but a worsening of the condition, exposing the patient to the association of other psychosomatic diseases and alcoholism, and thus worsening the global prognosis of these patients. The psychological approach, which favours the expression of emotions and permits a symbolic dimension, is as important as the biological approach, and necessary for the improvement of these patients.

[Study of the prevalence of postpartum depression among 213 Tunisian parturients]. / Etude de la prévalence de la dépression du post-partum auprès de 213 parturientes tunisiennes.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of the depression in postpartum in a population of Tunisian parturients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective study, in two stages: first week then between sixth and tenth week of the postpartum. The study was done at CHU Hédi Chaker in Sfax, Tunisia. For tracking postpartum depression, we used the Arab version of Edinburgh Postnatal Scale Depression (EPDS). An epidemiologic questionnaire was used to collect the sociodemographic and clinical data. RESULTS: In T(1), 213 women were examined. In T(2), 136 were reexamined (63, 8% of the initial population). In the first stage, the prevalence of the intense postpartum blues, according to EPDS, was 19,2%. In the second stage, the prevalence of the postpartum depression was 13, 2%. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The postpartum depressions are frequent among Tunisian parturients. The difference in the rates of prevalence between the two stages of evaluation was noted in other studies. This leads us to think that the relatively high rate in the first stage would be contaminated by an intense postpartum blues. However, a high rate persists at the sixth to tenth week, indicating the importance of tracking postpartum depression. This became possible by using EPDS, available in an Arab version and which should be generalized for the new mothers. This detection should be done early in postpartum or else in the later postnatal consultations. This allows an adequate treatment for the mothers, for the mother-newborn relationship and, later, for the psychological equilibrium of the child.

[Corneal graft rejection: donor and receiver implication]. / Le rejet de greffe de cornée: implication du donneur et du receveur.

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relationship between corneal graft failure and different factors related to both donors and recipients. PATIENTS: and methods: We conducted a retrospective control study on cases treated from January 1998 to December 2000. All records for donors to the eye bank unit of the Sfax forensic medicine department and all records for penetrating keratoplasty operations done in the Sfax Ophthalmology department were reviewed. For every donor we specified age, sex, cause of death, time and corneal deduction technique, as well as storage delay. For every recipient we specified age, sex, keratoplasty indication, state of the cornea, type of anesthetics and intervention. We analyzed the factors for graft rejection taking into consideration all parameters related to donors and recipients using the chi square test, with alpha=0.01. We defined graft rejection as the irreversible corneal edema despite local or general treatment combining corticoids and antivirals. RESULTS: Of the 184 cases followed up, 22 cases (12%) of graft rejection were recorded. Concerning the donor, a statistically significant relation was found between young age and short storage time indicating an increase in the rate of graft rejection. The younger the patient was, the greater the risk, and the longer the tissue had been preserved, the lower the risk of rejection. For the recipient, old age, a history of graft rejection and the state of the receiver bed significantly increased the rate of graft rejection. In terms of surgical stage, the suturing technique and a graft diameter 8 mm or greater increased the rate of graft rejection. CONCLUSION: In addition to neovascularization of the corneal bed and a history of graft rejection, universally recognized as risk factors for transplant rejection, other parameters related to both donors and receivers, such as age, storage time, graft diameter, and suturing technique, must be taken into account in order to ensure the survival of the graft.

[Contusive retinal detachment: a retrospective review of 48 patients]. / Les décollements de rétine post contusifs.

PURPOSE: Analysis of the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of retinal detachment after ocular blunt trauma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 48 patients with isolated retinal detachment after ocular blunt trauma, studying their epidemiological characteristics (age, sex and trauma circumstances), their clinic details and the surgical techniques used. RESULTS: The average age of our patients was 39.3 Years; most were male (75%). Assault and home accidents were the most common cause of ocular trauma (83.2%). Total retinal detachment was noted in 47.9%. Of the retinal breaks found, dialysis at the ora serrata was observed in 22%, atrophic holes in 33.9%, retinal breaks in 40.6% and giant tears in 4.2%. Most of the breaks were situated at the lower temporal quadrant. Forty one out of the 48 patients were operated on, with surgical treatment consisting in episcleral surgery in 38 cases and vitreoretinal surgery in three cases. Complete anatomical success was achieved in 92.7%. CONCLUSION: This survey shows that the prognosis of retinal detachment after ocular blunt trauma remains favorable given the young age and the absence of advanced vitreoretinal proliferation, but this should not affect the importance of prevention.