Caretaker mental health and family environment factors are associated with adolescent psychiatric problems in a Vietnamese sample.

Little is known about risk factors for adolescent mental health in Vietnam. The present study investigated the relationship between caretaker mental health and adolescent mental health in a cross-sectional Vietnamese sample. Primary caretakers completed measures of their own mental distress and general health status using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) as well as reports of adolescent mental health using the parent version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

Using the SRQ-20 factor structure to examine changes in mental distress following typhoon exposure.

Empirical research is limited regarding postdisaster assessment of distress in developing nations. This study aimed to evaluate the factor structure of the 20-item Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) before and after an acute trauma, Typhoon Xangsane, in order to examine changes in mental health symptoms in an epidemiologic sample of Vietnamese adults. The study examined a model estimating individual item factor loadings, thresholds, and a latent change factor for the SRQ-20's single "general distress" common factor.

Characteristics of individuals meeting criteria for new onset panic attacks following exposure to a typhoon.

The association between trauma exposure and panic attacks has received increased attention over the past decade, with mounting evidence suggesting an overlapping etiologic pathway. This study examined the incidence of new onset panic attacks in 775 Vietnamese individuals in the 2-3 months following Typhoon Xangsane. Pre-typhoon (Wave 1) and post-typhoon (Wave 2) assessments were conducted, allowing for consideration of factors occurring prior to the typhoon in addition to typhoon-relevant responding.

Pre-typhoon socioeconomic status factors predict post-typhoon psychiatric symptoms in a Vietnamese sample.

Purpose: Exposure to natural disasters has been associated with increased risk for various forms of psychopathology. Evidence indicates that socioeconomic status (SES) may be important for understanding post-disaster psychiatric distress; however, studies of SES-relevant factors in non-Western, disaster-exposed samples are lacking. The primary aim of the current study was to examine the role of pre-typhoon SES-relevant factors in relation to post-typhoon psychiatric symptoms among Vietnamese individuals exposed to Typhoon Xangsane.

Pretyphoon panic attack history moderates the relationship between degree of typhoon exposure and posttyphoon PTSD and depression in a Vietnamese sample.

Background: Predisaster risk factors are related to postdisaster psychopathology even at relatively low levels of disaster exposure. A history of panic attacks (PA) may convey risk for postdisaster psychopathology and has been linked to a wide range of psychiatric disorders in Western and non-Western samples. The present study examined the main and interactive effects of pretyphoon PA and level of typhoon exposure in the onset of posttyphoon posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a Vietnamese sample of typhoon survivors.

Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) in a sample of Vietnamese adults.

Purpose: There are significant gaps in the literature on the prevalence of mental health problems and associated needs in Vietnam. A thorough understanding of culture-specific expressions of psychiatric distress is vital for the identification of the mental health needs of a community, and more research on the development and evaluation of culturally-sensitive mental health assessments is warranted. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the World Health Organization 20-item Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) in an epidemiologic study of Vietnamese adults.

Does Interviewer Status Matter? An examination of Lay Interviewers and Medical Doctor Interviewers in an Epidemiological Study in Vietnam.

In 2006, typhoon Xangsane disrupted a large-scale multi-agency mental health study of 4,982 individuals in the DaNang province of Vietnam. Following this disaster, 795 of the original 4,982 participants were randomly assigned to be re-interviewed by either a medical doctor or a lay interviewer using structured clinical interviews to determine prevalence of lifetime and post-typhoon post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), panic disorder (PD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (APA, 1994). The aim of the present study was to determine if prevalence of disorders differed by interviewer type.

Estimating mental distress in Vietnam: the use of the SRQ-20.

Background: Community-based estimates of psychopathology prevalence in developing countries such as Vietnam, are needed to reduce presumed significant burden of poor mental health.

Aims: This study derived population-based prevalence estimates of mental distress, as measured by the SRQ-20, in a community sample of 4,981 adults living in Vietnam. This study also examined correlates of mental distress based on SRQ-20 caseness indications.

Prevalence and correlates of probable adolescent mental health problems reported by parents in Vietnam.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of probable mental health problems in an epidemiologic study of Vietnamese adolescents. A secondary aim was to examine the correlates of probable mental health caseness.

Methods: Interviewers visited 1,914 households that were randomly selected to participate in a multi-agency study of mental health in select provinces of Vietnam.

Posttyphoon prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder in a Vietnamese sample.

In 2006, typhoon Xangsane disrupted a multiagency health needs study of 4,982 individuals in Vietnam. Following this disaster, 798 of the original participants were reinterviewed to determine prevalence and risk factors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), panic disorder (PD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Posttyphoon prevalences were PTSD 2.

A Pre-/Post-Disaster Epidemiological Study of Mental Health Functioning in Vietnam's Da Nang Province Following Typhoon Xangsane.

In 2006, typhoon Xangsane struck Vietnam and disrupted a large-scale mental health needs analysis in the Da Nang province of Vietnam. Recruitment of new participants was halted, and the design of study was altered to that of a pre-/post-event investigation in which 798 of the original 4,982 participants were re-interviewed. This produced the first pre-post disaster epidemiological study.

Accuracy of child growth-monitoring weights obtained by commune volunteers in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam.

Background: Weight-for-age is a commonly used indicator of the health of children and communities. We determined the accuracy of health volunteers' weight measurements in a nutrition project in Vietnam.

Objective: To report the accuracy of the volunteers' weight measurements and to assess the likely effect of any inaccuracies.

Design of a prospective, randomized evaluation of an integrated nutrition program in rural Viet Nam.

Few prospective studies of child growth and its determinants take place in programmatic contexts. We evaluated the effect of Save the Children's (SC) community empowerment and nutrition program (CENP) on child growth, care, morbidity, empowerment, and behavioral determinants. This paper describes the research methods of this community-based study.