Loneliness and depression among the elderly in an agricultural settlement: mediating effects of social support.

Introduction: Loneliness has long been known to have strong association with depression. The relationship between loneliness and depression, however, has been associated with other risk factors including social support. The aim of this paper is to describe the role of social support in the association between loneliness and depression.

Hospital-based community psychiatric service for patients with schizophrenia in Kuala Lumpur: a 1-year follow-up study of re-hospitalization.

Introduction: Hospital-based community psychiatric service (HCPS) is a developing intervention in Malaysia targeted for patients with severe mental illnesses (SMIs). Its effectiveness had not been systematically measured. This study aimed to assess the outcome of HCPS with respect to re-hospitalization and factors associated with low re-hospitalization among patients with schizophrenia in the metropolitan city of Kuala Lumpur.

Psychometric properties and validation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale in psychiatric and medical outpatients in Malaysia.

The present study evaluated the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) in a sample of clinical outpatients in Malaysia. The SWLS is a measure designed to assess subjective life satisfaction. Four hundred eighty-three participants (283 with psychiatric illnesses and 200 with other medical illnesses) completed the SWLS and other self-report instruments.

The validation of the malay version of binge eating scale: a comparison with the structured clinical interview for the DSM-IV.

Background: The Binge Eating Scale (BES) questionnaire is a self-administered instrument developed to identify binge eaters. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the Malay language version of BES as a screening instrument for binge eating. A cut-off point of 17 is taken as comparable to the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV patient version (SCID-I/P), the gold standard for the diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder.

Childhood adversity and adult depressive disorder: a case-controlled study in Malaysia.

Objective: To describe the association between childhood adversity and depression in adult depressed patients in a Malaysian population.

Methods: Fifty-two patients, who met the criteria for major depressive disorder or dysthymia according to the Structured Clinical Interview based on the revised 3rd edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, were used as cases and compared with 52 controls matched for age and sex. Cases and controls were assessed using a sexual and physical abuse questionnaire and a Parental Bonding Instrument.

Psychological distress, quality of life and coping in cancer patients: a prospective study.

We present the results and conclusions of an observational prospective cohort design study using self-administered questionnaires to determine correlation between psychosocial factors and cancer outcome among 80 consecutive newly diagnosed treatment naïve cancer subjects who were being referred to the Oncology Clinic, Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Subjects were recruited over a period of 43 weeks from October 2000 till July 2001. Follow-up assessments were carried out at 6-months and 12 to 26 months later.

A profile of cancer patient outcomes from a tertiary care teaching hospital in Malaysia.

Introduction: The aim of this paper was to determine the sociodemographic and cancer characteristics of patients with cancer at a tertiary care centre.

Methods: For the study, 80 newly-diagnosed cancer patients were selected and interviewed using structured questionnaires that included sociodemographic and cancer characteristic profiles. At the end of the study period of two years, the survivorship status of the patients was determined.

Prevalence of insulin resistance in schizophrenia in HUKM.

This is a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of insulin resistance and its associated factors in Hospital UKM patients with schizophrenia using the Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA) model. Fasting glucose and insulin from 85 patients were obtained. Fasting glucose revealed 15% of the patients were diabetic, while another 15% had impaired fasting glucose.