C ross-culturally measurement invariant instruments are useful for the assessment of mental symptoms across cultures. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) (DASS) across Pakistan and Germany. German participants were recruited through an online survey (N = 1323), while Pakistani participants were recruited through online survey or paper-and-pencil survey (N = 1841). The DASS-21 showed good reliability, construct and structure validity in both countries. The DASS-21 indicated partial weak (stress subscale) and partial strong measurement invariance (depression and anxiety subscales) between both countries. Latent mean comparison of depression and anxiety symptoms between Pakistani and German students indicated that Pakistani university students experience more symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results suggest that the DASS-21 could be used in Pakistan and Germany, but caution should be taken when making direct comparisons between the two countries.
BackgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the major psychological disorders developed after burn injuries, though this subject of burn injuries and their destructive chronic psychological impact are not considered as thoughtfully in developing countries like Pakistan. Hence, the current study investigated the relationship between PTSD symptoms and resilience among burn patients in Pakistan, exploring the variance occurrence of the two variables concerning male burn patients and female burn patients.MethodsSeventy burn patients from three burn units of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, during January 2015 to September 2015 were recruited. Patients with psychiatric disorder which would restrict the study procedures were excluded from the study. PTSD symptoms of burn patients were measured by PTSD CheckList-Civilian Version (PCL-C) and resilience was measured by Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC). Spearman’s Rank-Order correlation was used to analyze the relationship between symptoms of PTSD and resilience in burn patients, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to analyze the gender difference in symptoms of PTSD and level of resilience.ResultsNegative correlation between PTSD and resilience among burn patients was found (r = − 0.72, p < 0.001). Moreover, significant gender differences were observed on PTSD symptoms and resilience between male and female burn patients when demographic variables such as age, socioeconomic status, marital status, and educational background were controlled. Female burn patients showed more PTSD symptoms (η2 = 0.18, p < 0.001) and less resilience (η2 = 0.25, p < 0.001) when compared to male burn patients.ConclusionsPTSD and resilience were negatively correlated in burn patients. Female burn patients have more PTSD symptoms and lower resilience compared to male burn patients.
This study investigates mental health, access to treatment, suicidality, and bullying among Pakistani university students. Data were collected from a sample of 355 university students in Pakistan. For reference, we compared these data to a sample previously collected from German and Chinese students. Results indicated relatively poorer mental health and access to mental health treatments among the Pakistani sample, including a higher rate of recent suicidal ideation and bullying. Acknowledgment of these issues in Pakistani culture would be a good starting point to work on developing solutions to enhance the overall mental health of Pakistani students.
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