Padma Ramachandran

Publications (3)5.56 Total impact

• Article: Delayed fathering and risk of mental disorders in adult offspring.

  Saroja Krishnaswamy, Kavitha Subramaniam, Padma Ramachandran, Tishya Indran, Jemain Abdul Aziz
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  ABSTRACT: Delayed parenting and child bearing at a very young age impose various risks to development of the offspring. This study aims to investigate the association between disparities in parental age and increased risk factor for common mental disorders in the progenies during adulthood. The Malaysian Mental Health Survey (MMHS) was analysed for this study. Respondents were asked to estimate the age of their parents at their birth. Presence of common mental disorders (CMD) was determined by referring to the diagnosis given by the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R) instrument in the Programmed Questionnaire System (PROQSY) format. The association between parental age disparities and CMD was studied using logistic regression. Fifty three percent (n=1972) of the MMHS respondents (N=3666) knew the age of both parents and were included in the study. Three percent (n=53) had significant disparity in parental age, or a difference of 11 years or more. Respondents born to parents with significant age disparity had a prevalence rate of 24% (95% CI=22.12-25.89) for CMD in comparison to 6% (95% CI=5.99-6.11) in their counterparts and 3.4 times higher risk for CMD, after adjusting for demographic factors, paternal age at birth and presence of family history of mental disorders. Amongst those born to older fathers aged 50 and above, the presence of disparity increased the rate for CMD to 42% (95% CI=39.82-44.18). Disparity in parental age was significantly associated with increased risk for CMD. Various psychosocial factors contributing to age disparity in both the father and the mother could predispose to stress and mental health problems.
  Early human development 01/2011; 87(3):171-5. · 2.12 Impact Factor
• Article: Paternal age and common mental disorders

  Saroja Krishnaswamy, Kavitha Subramaniam, Haymanth Indran, Padma Ramachandran, Tishya Indran, Ramesh Indran, Jemain Abdul Aziz
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  ABSTRACT: Introduction. There is evidence in the literature that there are associations between advancing paternal age and psychosis or more specifically schizophrenia, but not enough to support a strong link between advancing paternal age and common mental disorders. Objective. This study aims to explain the association between paternal age at birth and common mental disorders in progeny during their adulthood. Methodology. This is a sub-study from a larger survey which was planned to study the epidemiology of mental disorders in Malaysia. Respondents who could remember the age of parents at birth were included in the study. The diagnosis of common mental disorders (CMD) was made using the CIS-R (Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised) instrument in the PROQSY (Programmed Questionnaire System) format. Association between paternal age at birth and CMD was studied using logistic regression, after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity and presence of family history of mental disorders. Results. Respondents with paternal age at birth of 19 and below and 50 above and had higher rates of 10 and 25% for common mental disorders (χ2=7.007, P=0.072) with odds ratios of 2.89 (95% CI of OR = 1.1–7.6) and 4.28 (1.4–12.7). Discussion. Progenies of fathers under 20 and over 50 had higher risk for mental disorders. Factors such as immaturity in sperm of teenage fathers, mutation in germ line of older fathers, environmental and psychosocial factors could have contributed to increased prevalence of common mental disorders in the progeny.
  The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 12/2009; 10(4_2):518-523. · 2.38 Impact Factor
• Article: Factors contributing to utilization of health care services in Malaysia: a population-based study.

  Saroja Krishnaswamy, Kavitha Subramaniam, Wah Yun Low, Jemain Abdul Aziz, Tishya Indran, Padma Ramachandran, Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid, Vikram Patel
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  ABSTRACT: This paper examines the factors contributing to the under utilisation of health care services in the Malaysian population. Using data derived from Malaysian Mental Health Survey (MMHS) information on utilisation of four basic health services in the previous three months, namely contact with health care professionals, ward admissions, having diagnostic or laboratory tests done and being on any medications were obtained. A total of 2202 out of 3666 or 60% of the MMHS participants were included in this study. Thirty percent of the subjects (n = 664) had contacts with health care professionals. Those with health complications, disabilities and those aged 50 years and above utilised health services more significantly as compared to those who lacked health facilities near their homes, had little family support during illnesses and were from the Chinese ethnic group. Factors leading to the under utilisation of health care services need to be further studied and needs in certain groups in the population should be addressed. Healthcare providers must be prepared to fulfil these needs.
  Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health 10/2009; 21(4):442-50. · 1.06 Impact Factor