Iman Amro1, Suhaila Ghuloum2, Samer Hammoudeh1, Yahya Hani2, Arij Yehya1, Hassen Al-Amin3. 1. Department of Research, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Doha, Qatar. 2. Department of Psychiatry, Mental Health Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. 3. Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Education City, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar. haa2019@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to enhance the cultural adaptation and training on administering the Arabic versions of the Calgary Depression Scale in Schizophrenia (CDSS) and The International Scale for Suicidal Thinking (ISST) to Arab schizophrenia patients in Doha, Qatar. METHODS: We applied the qualitative thematic analysis of the focus group discussions with clinical research coordinators (CRCs). Five CRCs met with the principal investigator for two sessions; we transcribed the conversations and analyzed the content. RESULTS: This study revealed one set of themes related to the scales themselves, like the role of the clinician-patient relationship during administration, the semantic variations in Arabic dialects, and the design of scales to assess suicide and differentiate between negative symptoms and depression. The other set of themes is relevant to the sociocultural domains of Muslim Arabs, covering religion, families' roles, and stigma. It also covered the approaches to culturally sensitive issues like suicide, taboos in Islam, and the gender roles in Arab countries and their impact on the patients' reports of their symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight several cultural and religious aspects to tackle when approaching schizophrenia patients through in-depth discussions and training to improve the validity of the assessment tools and treatment services.
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to enhance the cultural adaptation and training on administering the Arabic versions of the Calgary Depression Scale in Schizophrenia (CDSS) and The International Scale for Suicidal Thinking (ISST) to Arab schizophrenia patients in Doha, Qatar. METHODS: We applied the qualitative thematic analysis of the focus group discussions with clinical research coordinators (CRCs). Five CRCs met with the principal investigator for two sessions; we transcribed the conversations and analyzed the content. RESULTS: This study revealed one set of themes related to the scales themselves, like the role of the clinician-patient relationship during administration, the semantic variations in Arabic dialects, and the design of scales to assess suicide and differentiate between negative symptoms and depression. The other set of themes is relevant to the sociocultural domains of Muslim Arabs, covering religion, families' roles, and stigma. It also covered the approaches to culturally sensitive issues like suicide, taboos in Islam, and the gender roles in Arab countries and their impact on the patients' reports of their symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight several cultural and religious aspects to tackle when approaching schizophrenia patients through in-depth discussions and training to improve the validity of the assessment tools and treatment services.
Authors: L L Judd; H S Akiskal; J D Maser; P J Zeller; J Endicott; W Coryell; M P Paulus; J L Kunovac; A C Leon; T I Mueller; J A Rice; M B Keller Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 1998-08