Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Chronic Illnesses: Probable Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-29) Bin Haamed, Haifa; Waller, Glenn; Norman, PaulPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Chronic Illnesses: Probable Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors (2023-11-29) Bin Haamed, Haifa; Waller, Glenn; Norman, Paul Thesis Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) refer to the symptoms that an individual can develop post-exposure to a stressful event. Exposure to chronic medical trauma has been found to be associated with PTSD and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). Many risk factors have been found to be associated with the development of PTSD and GAD among people exposed to a chronic medical trauma. These risk factors include medical/clinical, demographic and psychological factors. The research presented in this thesis investigated several risk factors associated with PTSD and GAD symptomology. The main risk factors that were found to be associated with PTSD and GAD symptom severity were psychological factors, including coping responses, perceived level of social support, perceived level of support from mental health professionals, and COVID-19 anxiety. Chapter 1 is a general introduction to this thesis. Chapter 2 includes a systematic review that synthesised the empirical evidence of PTSD among young individuals diagnosed with chronic medical illness. Chapter 3 presents a cross-sectional study that aimed to identify risk factors associated with PTSD within an adult sample with a history of different chronic illnesses. The thesis then focuses on one chronic illness specifically (cancer) examining the probable prevalence rate of PTSD and GAD, and associated risk factors among patients engaged with cancer support groups (Chapter 4). Chapter 5 examines whether the identified risk factors and the estimated prevalence were specific to the patients who engaged with support groups or whether they can also be generalizable to other cancer populations. Further, the study describes the viability of using the crowdsourcing platform PROLIFIC to recruit cancer patients, and the advantages and challenges of using such platforms to conduct clinical/health studies. This project contributes to the understanding of the development of mental disorders such as PTSD and GAD among medical populations. Chapter 5 is a general discussion, bringing together the outcomes of the thesis studies and highlighting previous studies related to the thesis outcome. Implications of the thesis studies was provided outlining recommendations for the early clinical intervention and for the future research directions. The key implications includes that the identification of the risk factors that were associated with PTSD and GAD symptomology (e.g., the high use of anxious preoccupation and hopelessness/helplessness as a coping strategies) should guide clinician/researcher when developing clinical prevention/intervention programmes that would target PTSD/GAD symptomology among patients of chronic illness.25 0Item Restricted Workplace Factors Associated with Psychological Effects in Paramedics, A systematic Review and Meta- Analysis(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-10-13) Zahran, Rahaf; Brad, MetcalfThis systematic review and meta-analysis study aims to assess the correlation between workplace factors and psychological effects on paramedics. A search of four databases found 1794 papers, from which 31 were deemed eligible from the years 2000 to 2023. Their methodological quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skill Program (CASP, 2018) tool and the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STOBE) guidelines to help in assessing cross-sectional studies. The results give the overall effect size with an OR=1.65 and a P<0.001, indicating statistical significance for the first forest plot. Similarly, forest plot 2 demonstrates an overall effect size with a correlation r= 0.29 and a P<0.001, also indicating statistical significance. In summary, this review found a small and positive correlation in reported odds ratio studies. For Pearson correlation r reported studies, a moderate and positive correlation were found linking psychological effect to workplace factors in paramedics. The limitation of this study included research published in English and variation in reporting results in the studies. The findings will inform future research and help policymakers, healthcare organizations, and practitioners in developing strategies to support paramedics' mental health and enhance quality of care.23 0Item Restricted Biomedical and Public Health Studies on Susceptibility to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-05) Al Jowf, Ghazi Ibrahim Abdurahman; Rutten, BartTraumatic stress exposure can induce the development of mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resulting in a decreased quality of life and increased disease burden. This thesis investigated and addressed the gaps of knowledge in the understanding of the association between epigenetic mechanisms, gene activity, and differential susceptibility to PTSD. It also identified the public health measures that can be effectuated for the prevention of PTSD and how biomarkers may support these measures. Accordingly, it discusses the possible ways that can aid in the early identification and detection of PTSD resulting from traumatic stress, and the possibility of developing biomarkers of increased susceptibility. It also discusses how this early detection can help with early intervention, and if early enough, prevention. Application of such models, with findings from future research to establish cost-effective measures, can greatly enhance the patient’s quality of life and decrease the disease burden.9 0Item Restricted A Descriptive Phenomenology Approach to Understanding the Lived Experience of Foreign-born Nurses Caring for Inpatient Saudi Military Personnel with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(2023) Alshayeg, Ibraheem; Agazio, JaniceBackground and Problem: Healthcare facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have long relied on foreign-born nurses (FBNs) to provide direct patient care in hospital settings. KSA has a unique cultural and religious background which requires FBN adaptation. Due to the ongoing war along Saudi Arabia's southern border, there is an increased incidence of uniformed Saudi military personnel (USMP) with injuries and PTSD resulting from deployment to an active combat region. FBNs are playing a vital role in caring for these injured USMP. The FBNs may be challenged by the nature of their work in an unfamiliar, overseas work environment as well as by their continuous interaction with combat injured USMP, including those with PTSD. Some characteristics of being an FBN caring for USMP with PTSD may make the FBNs’ lived experiences more challenging. Research has yet to answer or address the lived experience of FBNs who care for USMP suffering from combat-induced PTSD.24 0Item Restricted Substance Use and Mental Health Conditions Among US Active Duty Military Personnel: Prevalence and Associated Factors(2023-04-13) Alulaiyan, Mohammed; Alqaderi, Hend; Tavares, Mary; Vardavas, Constantine; Alhazmi, HeshamObjective: To assess the relationship between three mental health conditions (post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], generalized anxiety disorder [GAD], and depressive symptoms), and cigarette smoking or marijuana use. We also explored this relationship when adding sleep duration (as a mediator variable). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study and secondary data analysis of the 2015 Department of Defense (DoD) Health Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS). Prevalence and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) of PTSD, GAD, and depressive symptoms with the sociodemographic characteristics of the United States (US) active service duty members were measured. Weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate the adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) and 95% CI of the associations between PTSD, GAD, depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking or marijuana use. Mediation analysis was conducted to examine the role of sleep duration in the relationship between the exposures and outcomes mentioned. Results: Our study population includes 3372 service members that had at least one mental health disorder. The data showed that the prevalence of PTSD, GAD and depressive symptoms were higher among individuals who work in the Army (47.07%, 42.45%, 44.43% respectively) followed by the Navy (26.20%, 26.36%, 24.50%), Marines (15.11%, 18.90%, 20.09%), Air Force (10.08%, 10.44%, 9.52%) and lastly the Coast Guard (1.54%, 1.84%, 1.47%). The regression analyses showed that among those who did not receive mental health therapy, the estimated aOR of PTSD is 2.33 times higher for cigarette smokers compared to non-smokers [95% CI= 1.45, 3.74]. Additionally, the estimated aOR of GAD is 1.76 times higher for marijuana users compared to non-users [95% CI= 1.23, 2.51] and 2.26 times higher for cigarette smokers compared to non-smokers [95% CI= 1.60, 3.20]. Regarding depressive symptoms, the estimated aOR were higher for both marijuana users and cigarette smokers compared to non-users and non-smokers respectively. Specifically, the estimated aOR for marijuana users was 1.67 [95% CI= 1.05, 2.63], and for cigarette smokers it was 2.09 [95% CI= 1.35, 3.22]. When the association was investigated among different military branches, we found a statistically significant association between PTSD and both marijuana use and cigarette smoking among the Marines [aOR= 2.20, 95% CI= (1.18, 4.10), and aOR= 3.36, 95% CI= (1.73, 6.53)] respectively, when compared to individuals who did not use marijuana or smoke cigarettes. Among the Air Force, only marijuana use was statistically significantly associated with PTSD [aOR= 1.81, 95% CI= (1.02, 3.23)] when compared to non-users, and finally, cigarette smoking was statistically significantly associated with PTSD among Coast Guard members [aOR= 1.80, 95% CI= (1.22, 2.66)], when compared to non-smokers. For the mediation analysis, sleep duration was found to be a partial mediator in the relationship between smoking or marijuana use and mental health. Conclusion: Our study found that marijuana and cigarette use were associated with higher odds of GAD and depressive symptoms among military personnel who did not receive mental health therapy. Our findings indicated an interplay between mental health conditions, cigarette smoking, marijuana use, and sleep, and that sleep duration partially mediated the relationship, which suggest that improving sleep behavior could potentially improve mental health among individuals who smoke or use marijuana.20 0