Global COVID-19 pandemic containment necessitates understanding the risk of hesitance or resistance to vaccine uptake in different populations. The Middle East and North Africa currently lack vital representative vaccine hesitancy data. We conducted the first representative national phone survey among the adult population of Qatar, between December 2020 and January 2021, to estimate the prevalence and identify potential determinants of vaccine willingness: acceptance (strongly agree), resistance (strongly disagree), and hesitance (somewhat agree, neutral, somewhat disagree). Bivariate and multinomial logistic regression models estimated associations between willingness groups and fifteen variables. In the total sample, 42.7% (95% CI: 39.5–46.1) were accepting, 45.2% (95% CI: 41.9–48.4) hesitant, and 12.1% (95% CI: 10.1–14.4) resistant. Vaccine resistant compared with hesistant and accepting groups reported no endorsement source will increase vaccine confidence (58.9% vs. 5.6% vs. 0.2%, respectively). Female gender, Arab ethnicity, migrant status/type, and vaccine side-effects concerns were associated with hesitancy and resistance. COVID-19 related bereavement, infection, and quarantine status were not significantly associated with any willingness group. Absence of or lack of concern about contracting the virus was solely associated with resistance. COVID-19 vaccine resistance, hesitance, and side-effects concerns are high in Qatar’s population compared with those globally. Urgent public health engagement should focus on women, Qataris (non-migrants), and those of Arab ethnicity.

Objectives: A small country in the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar experienced rapid economic growth in the last 3 decades accompanied by major socio-demographic shifts towards a younger and more highly educated population. To date, no national epidemiological study has examined the prevalence, associated factors, or sequelae of mental disorders in Qatar's general population. Methods:The World Mental Health Qatar (WMHQ) is a national mental health needs assessment survey and is the first carried out in collaboration with the World Mental Health Survey initiative to assess the prevalence and burden of psychiatric illnesses among the full Arabic speaking population (nationals and non-nationals) within the same country.Results: Standard translation and harmonization procedures were used to develop the WMHQ instrument. A survey quality control system with standard performance indicators was developed to ensure interviewer adherence to standard practices. A pilot study was then carried out just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Endorsement from public health authorities and sequential revision of the interview schedule led to full survey completion (as opposed to partial completion) and good overall response rate. Conclusions:The WMHQ survey will provide timely and actionable information based on quality enhancement procedures put in place during the development and piloting of the study.

Background: The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) has been clinically reappraised in several studies conducted mainly in the US and Europe. This report describes the methodology used to conduct one of the Middle East's largest clinical reappraisal studies. The study was carried out in conjunction with the World Mental Health Qatar-the first national psychiatric epidemiological study of common mental disorders in the country. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic consistency of core modules of the newly translated and adapted Arabic version of the CIDI 5.0 against the independent clinical diagnoses based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5). Methods: Telephone follow-up interviews were administered by trained clinicians using the latest research edition of the SCID for DSM-5. Telephone administered interviews were key in the data collection, as the study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: Overall, within 12 months, 485 interviews were completed. The response rate was 52%. Quality control monitoring documented excellent adherence of clinical interviews to the rating protocol. Conclusions:The overall methods used in this study proved to be efficient and effective. For future research, instrument cultural adaptation within the cultural context is highly recommended.

This study aimed to assess the differential effects of first-generation (FGA) and second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) on the prevalence of risk factors for metabolic syndrome among mentally ill patients in Qatar. We also wanted to check if there is proper adherence with the guidelines for prescribing antipsychotics and the monitoring of metabolic effects in this population. We collected the available retrospective data (socio-demographic, psychiatric, anthropometric, and metabolic measures) from the records of 439 patients maintained on antipsychotics. The majority were males, married, employed, having a psychotic disorder, and receiving SGA. Patients on SGA showed more obesity, higher BP, and more elevated triglycerides compared to those on FGA. The prevalence of the abnormal metabolic measures was high in this sample, but those on SGA showed a significantly higher prevalence of abnormal body mass index and BP. Obesity and hypertension were common in patients maintained on antipsychotics, especially those on SGA. Polypharmacy was common, and many metabolic measures were not monitored properly in those maintained on antipsychotics. More prospective studies with guided monitoring of the patients' clinical status and metabolic changes are needed to serve better this population of patients.

Background Adequate sleep and physical activity have been linked to the overall well-being of both medical and psychiatric patients. Patients with schizophrenia have shown abnormal sleep patterns and decreased physical activity that were linked to their psychopathology and physical health. These phenomena are not studied yet in Arab patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study is to study the sleep and exercise patterns in Arab patients with schizophrenia compared with those of healthy controls. Method A total of 99 patients with schizophrenia and 101 controls were recruited. Arabic versions of sleep, exercise, sociodemographic, and clinical questionnaires were administered as well as the validated scales to measure psychopathology, depression, and suicidality in these participants. Results The majority of patients with schizophrenia slept more than 8 h per day and exercised less when compared with controls. Sleep quality was worse in those with higher depression score and higher suicidality scores were seen in patients with lower sleep duration. Multinomial regression showed that patients with schizophrenia have higher odds of sleeping more than 8 h even after controlling for the intake of antipsychotics, age, gender, smoking status, and other confounding factors. Conclusion Our results showed that Arab patients with schizophrenia are at increased risk of having longer sleep duration with inadequate physical activity, which are correlating with worsening of depressive symptoms and suicidality. Thus, more attention should be paid to the changes in sleep patterns and level of exercise when treating Arab patients with schizophrenia.