Validation and Cultural Adaptation of an Arabic Version of Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool (Pedi-EAT-10Arabic)

Pediatric eating assessment tool (Pedi-EAT-10Arabic) is a validated and reliable caregiver administered outcome instrument designed for detection of children at high risk of penetration/aspiration. The objective of this study is to translate and validate the Arabic version of Pedi-EAT-10 and to correlate its results with pharyngeal residue and aspiration on fiber optic endoscopic examination of swallowing (FEES). A cross-sectional study including 202 children selected randomly from those attending the swallowing clinic in phoniatrics unit, Otorhinolaryngology department (ORL) at main university hospital between February 2019 and October 2020 complaining of dysphagia. For test–retest reliability, one hundred caregivers refilled the Pedi-EAT-10Arabic after a 2-week period following their first visit. Validity was established by comparing the scores of dysphagia patients to healthy controls. Internal consistency of Pedi-EAT-10Arabic was high (Cronbach's alpha 0.986). Intra class correlation showed excellent test–retest reliability (r = 0.968). The median Pedi-EAT 10Arabic score was significantly higher in dysphagia group compared to healthy controls. (Median 27 IQR 21–34 for cases compared to median zero IQR 0–2 points for healthy controls, P less than 0.001). A strong correlation was found between Pedi-EAT 10Arabic scores and PAS scores with Spearman's correlation coefficient r = 0.803 and P < 0.001. The ROC for evaluating the discriminatory capacity of Pedi-EAT 10 for aspiration showed an AUC of 0.92 (95% CI of 0.89 to 0.96). Conclusion: Pedi-EAT 10Arabic was found to be a valid and reliable screening tool for further instrumental assessment of risk of dysphagia in pediatric population.

Impaired emotional intelligence is related to symptoms severity and suicidal attempts in depression

Objective: Few studies demonstrated the impairment of perceived emotional intelligence ‘EI’ among depressed patients. This study aimed to assess the perceived EI in a group of depressed patients, and its association with different clinical characteristics. Methods: Forty-five patients diagnosed with depression were assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and compared to 45 controls that were assessed by the Arabic version of General Health Questionnaire to exclude Psychiatric disorders. The Arabic version of Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS) is used to evaluate EI in both groups. Results: Patients with depression showed significantly lower EI scores in the three parts of TMMS (repair, clarity and attention) compared to the controls ( p < .001). Patients showed significant difference in clarity subscale ( p = .005) and attention regarding severity of depression ( p < .001). Clarity of feelings was significantly higher in patients who suffered more than two episodes ( p = .012). Depressive patients with suicidal attempts showed significantly lower scores of repair ( p = .044) and attention ( p = .016) subscales. There were no significant differences of TMMS subscales between patients with and without suicidal ideation, sleep disturbance and somatic symptoms. Conclusions: The current study demonstrates impaired perceived EI among patients with depression that is correlated with symptom severity and suicidal attempts.

Feeling the burn in the era of COVID-19: Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Arabic version of the Copenhagen Burnout inventory among community pharmacists

Background Community pharmacists (CPs) are one of the frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) working diligently to provide much-needed services during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are suffering from the detrimental impact of this pandemic which affected negatively their mental health and fueled their burnout. Objectives This study aimed to validate the Arabic version of Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI-A) for use in the assessment of burnout among Lebanese CPs. Methods Using a snowball sampling technique, a web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among Lebanese CPs over February 2021. Data were collected using an anonymous Arabic self-administered questionnaire that includes information on socio-demographic characteristics, work-related variables, in addition to the measurements: the CBI which includes personal, work-related, and patient-related dimensions of burnout, and the hospital anxiety and depression scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS and Amos software. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to explore the factorial structure and to measure model fit. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess internal consistency. The criterion validity of the CBI was assessed. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to explore the association between different aspects of burnout and mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety. Results The CBI-A showed high internal consistency with Cronbach’s alphas varied from 0.774 to 0.902 and a low flooring and ceiling effect (1– 9%). As for the CBI-A’ construct validity, the exploratory factor analysis showed three factors with good factor loadings and explained 72.17% of the variance. The confirmatory analysis supported the three-factorial structure of the CBI that presented a good overall fit revealed by the goodness of fit indices. Based on the modification indices, the three-factor model was adapted by allowing one covariate error between one pair of items within the personal burnout domain. All of the 19 items were kept in the construct since they showed a good factorial weight. The CBI-A is associated with burnout-related factors in expected directions, including extensive working hours, sleeping hours, and job satisfaction, indicating criterion validity. CBI subscales were found also positively associated with mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety indicating a predictive validity. Conclusion This study provides evidence for the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of CBI as an adequate tool for assessing burnout among CPs. Such an instrument could be useful for assessing such syndrome among other healthcare workers.

Psychometric evaluation of the Lebanese Arabic version of the Dental Fear Survey: a cross-sectional study

Background Dental fear is a prevalent problem that can lead to poor dental health. The Kleinknecht’s Dental Fear Survey (DFS) is one of the used scales to assess dental fear. The present study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Lebanese Arabic version of the DFS (DFS-A) and to determine the optimal cut-off to identify dental fear as well as the correlates of dental fear in a group of Lebanese adults dental patients. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among a group of 442 dental patients (18–65 years) recruited at 29 dental clinics from March to June 2019. Patients completed a questionnaire including questions about demographic characteristics, previous bad dental experience, trauma’s experience period, the sensation of nausea during dental treatment, the DFS-A scale, the Lebanese Arabic version of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS-A), and a general question about dental fear. Results DFS-A revealed evidence of adequate psychometric properties. DFS-A scale demonstrated high internal consistency (cronbach’s alpha = 0.93). Test–retest reliability assessment demonstrated strong reproducibility of the DFS-A scale score (ICC = 0.92 with 95% CI (0.83–0.96), p value < 0.0001 (N = 30). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure of the DFS-A reflecting fear associated with specific dental stimuli and procedures, patterns of dental avoidance and anticipatory anxiety, and physiologic arousal during dental treatment. A significant correlation was found between DFS-A and the MDAS-A indicating a good convergent validity. The optimal cut-off point to identify patients with and without dental fear is 41. Considering this cut-off score, the prevalence of dental fear in our sample was reported at 33.8%. Multivariable analysis showed that having previous scary and painful dental experiences, a sensation of nausea during treatment, and having dental anxiety were identified as predictors of dental fear. Conclusion The adapted Arabic version of the DFS (DFS-A) is a valid tool to evaluate dental fear among Lebanese adult patients.