Salmi Razali

• MD. MMed(Psych). PhD
• Consultant at MARA University of Technology

Gender identity (GI) is the cognitive, perception and perspective of a person on his/her own sexual matters. Along with another psychiatric self-stigmatization (SS), caused low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, suicidal ideation, tendencies among youth. The prevalence of GI and SS was relatively low and was associated. Creating appropriate inte...

Background As young People Living with HIV (PLHIV) will need to take antiretroviral therapy (ART) for life, there is a need to understand their coping mechanisms in living with the disease. Lack of coping mechanisms leads to poor medication adherence and hospital follow-up, poor health outcomes and shortened life expectancy. Objectives This study...

Background The prevalence of medical illnesses is high among patients with psychiatric disorders. The current study aimed to investigate multi-comorbidity in patients with psychiatric disorders in comparison to the general population. Secondary aims were to investigate factors associated with metabolic syndrome and treatment appropriateness of ment...

Introduction The aim of the study was to search rates of depression and mental health in university students, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods This is an observational cross-sectional study. A protocol gathering sociodemographic variables as well as depression, anxiety and suicidality and conspiracism was assembled, and data wer...

Lacking structured modules creates gaps in managing mental health problems among adolescents in Malaysia. Hence, a new Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) module called the school-based Shine Through Any Roadblocks (STAR-CBT) intervention has been introduced. This study extends previous work which focused on engagement with school counsellors. The stu...

There is a lack of culturally suitable tools to measure social problem-solving skills among young people in Malaysia. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the reliability and validity of our newly invented 14-item Young People-Social Problem-Solving Skills (YP-SPSS) questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha analysis shows that YP-SPSS has good reliab...

In today's society, a comprehensive exploration of the dynamic interaction between self-efficacy and social problem-solving skills within this group is lacking. This study investigates the correlation between social problem-solving skills and self-efficacy among young individuals using structured questionnaires in 89 participants. The results show...

Introduction The current study aimed to investigate the rates of anxiety, clinical depression, and suicidality and their changes in health professionals during the COVID-19 outbreak. Materials and methods The data came from the larger COMET-G study. The study sample includes 12,792 health professionals from 40 countries (62.40% women aged 39.76 ±...

Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic had led to lifestyle changes among Malaysians. These changes were due to people being confined to work and study at home and stress due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Our study aimed to observe changes in the patterns of eating habits and physical activity during the pandemic of COVID-19 in Malaysia and...

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of depression and the sociodemographic factors associated with depression in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic METHODS. This study is part of the COVID-19 Mental Health International Study to collect data on the impact of the pandemic on mental health through an online survey. People who were aged ≥18 ye...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous social and life changes were implemented to curb the spread of the disease. The effect of lockdown and isolation predisposes the general population to various psychological health concerns. The existing determinants of suicidal behaviour were further added with social isolation, financial stress, depression, a...

Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic various degrees of lockdown were applied by countries around the world. It is considered that such measures have an adverse effect on mental health but the relationship of measure intensity with the mental health effect has not been thoroughly studied. Here we report data from the larger COMET-G study perta...

Information on clinical depression and its associated factors among prison inmates is especially scarce in countries of lower middle income. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of clinical depression and its associated factors among adult inmates in a Malaysian Prison. Clinical depression was assessed using Patient's Health Questionnaire-...

BACKGROUND: Employment is crucial in rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia. It may have positive effects on cognitive function, including working memory. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to look for evidence to confirm continuous job activities could maintain functional working memory in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: This...

Objective To describe the child homicide rates and examine the circumstances of homicides of children in Malaysia from January 2010 to June 2021. Methods This is a retrospective secondary analysis of police records on child homicides in Malaysia. Background demographic characteristics of victims, suspected offenders, motives of homicide, and rates...

Infertility is a life crisis affecting patients from all over the world. The risk of anxiety and depression is high for infertile patients which affects the stages and outcome of the treatment. The need to understand the Asian perspective related to the stigma of infertility stigma and psychological distress may be a source of hindrance in seeking...

Purpose Increase in life expectancy of PLHIV has brought new challenges especially for young Malay Muslim men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malaysia. This country has strong religious and cultural roots that may pose as additional stigma and discrimination in the lives of PLHIV. Therefore, coping skills among PLHIV is important. Theories on coping...

Six focus group discussions were conducted among 59 young people to explore the possible factors of premarital sex, ex-nuptial pregnancy, and infant abandonment. Thematic analysis revealed three factors associated with the social crises; i)‘adjustment with the transition in life’- young people described living in a dilemma between the strong urge f...

Background The European Atherosclerosis Society Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) global registry provides a platform for the global surveillance of familial hypercholesterolaemia through harmonisation and pooling of multinational data. In this study, we aimed to characterise the adult population with heterozygous familial...

Experiencing good quality of life (QOL) among university staff is extremely crucial to ensuring academic excellence; however, there are limited data on factors that contribute to QOL among university staff. This study aims to determine the level and the predictors for good QOL among university staff. The consenting participants were selected using...

Ex-nuptial pregnancy among teenagers in Malaysia associates with negative consequences. However, perspective from them is lacking. To explore their experiences and perspective in addressing this phenomenon. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with informed consent among 10 young women who experienced becoming unwed mothers during adoles...

Premarital sex, ex-nuptial pregnancy and infant abandonment are increasing problems. This study aimed to explore the opinion of youngsters on the contributing factors of this triad. A focus group discussion was conducted among 59 consented youngsters who were clustered into six groups. Standard prompts were given, discussions were audiotaped, trans...

Book on common conditions affecting women to create awareness and early detection.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) increases further morbidity and mortality of patients with retroviral disease (RVD). This study aimed to determine the prevalence and the contributing factors of MDD and GAD. The symptoms were screened using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), MDD and GAD was diagnosed...

Performing vigorous physical activity and taking balanced diet are parts of healthy lifestyles of patients with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH). This study aimed to describe the status of engagement with physical activity and a healthy diet, and their contributing factors. FH patients diagnosed using Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria were giv...

Caregivers of palliative cancer patients (CPCP) who are depressed put both the patients and them at risk for serious physical and psychological complications. This study investigated the prevalence of depression and its contributing factors among the CPCP in Malaysia using the diagnostic tool and validated questionnaires. About 6% of CPCPs was diag...

Lifestyle modification is a pivotal intervention for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH). This study aims to describe the lifestyles (physical activity and healthy diet) and their associations with sociodemography, illness characteristics, psychological elements, family support and level of barrier. 100 participants were given Pro forma questionnai...

Major depressive disorder (MDD) increases further morbidity and mortality of patients with retroviral disease (RVD) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of MDD and its contributing factors among them. Depressive symptoms were screened using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), and MD...

Major depressive disorder (MDD) put caregivers of palliative cancer patients (CPCP) and the patients at risk for various physical and psychological complications. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of MDD and its contributing factors among CPCP. The diagnosis of MDD was determined using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Inventory. P...

Burnout among doctors is hazardous, leading to stress which results in poor decision making and exposure to medical errors. This study aims to improve the knowledge gap of the issues of burnout and coping skills among medical officers. This study is a cross-sectional study involving 250 medical officers using universal sampling. Of the total 250 pa...

Information on depression, anxiety and predictors for these mental illnesses among the staff of the academic institution is sparse. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of these mental illnesses and investigate possible predictors. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21-item and pro forma questionnaires were used to assess the prese...

Although filicide is discussed with concern in the print media and online in Malaysia, there is little empirical evidence about its aetiology or appropriate responses. We sought to elucidate the opinions of health, social work, education and policy professionals in Malaysia on the causes of, and solutions to, filicide. Fifteen informants participat...

Narrative of motherhood and mothering among mothers in custody in Malaysia is an untold story that needs to be shared with others outside the prison. Hence, this study aimed to understand the motherhood experience of mothers who were incarcerated in prison. We conducted in-depth face-to-face interview with ten mothers in custody and analysed throug...

Common mental disorder could be classified into four types namely; anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression. Major depressive disorder is a serious disease that affects the attitude, feelings, mood and thoughts of an individual. Inability to adapt to new roles as well as physical and emotional changes experienced by woman w...

Understanding illness perception is crucial to ensure healthy lifestyles. However, it has been poorly explained to inform effective lifestyle modification of patients with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) Therefore, we described the illness perception of different clinical categories of FH patients (using the Dutch Lipid Clinic Criteria (DLCC) a...

Although filicide is of serious concern, it is poorly understood in Malaysia. Our interviews with health and policy professionals revealed that they attribute responsibility for filicide to women’s failure to comply with social norms and religious teachings. This research sought to understand the meaning of and background to filicide from the persp...

Illness perception determines healthy lifestyle of patients with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH). Despite the availability of advanced treatment and preventive measures, there is still sparse data on illness perception of FH patients. Hence, this study aimed to describe the illness perception of FH patients and investigate its association with...

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) causes severe complications including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and stroke, leading to poor quality of life (QoL). Despite the availability of advanced treatment, data on QoL and its contributing factors is sparse. Hence, this study aimed to describe the pattern of QoL among FH patients and investigate its a...

Background: People including mothers who are incarcerated in prison require full support from others for them to lead their lives of purpose and productivity inside and outside of prison. Objective: Aim of this study was to explore how the mothers in prison perceived the support they received while being incarcerated. Methods: We interviewed in-dep...

Background: Nowadays, pregnant women are more empowered to decide what kind of treatment and care are the best for them and their newborns during the perinatal period, but not for pregnant women who are incarcerated. Their stories most often untold; their basic needs often neglected. Objective: Aims of this study was to explore how the mothers in p...

Little is known about filicide from the perspective of women convicted of the offence. The lack of research is partly attributable to the many difficulties entailed in researching socially marginalised and incarcerated people. Research on filicide engages with socially, culturally, and politically sensitive matters, including gendered social struct...

Filicide in Malaysia has, in recent years, been subjected to a very short-sighted restricted analysis that is based on the investigation of secondary data sources and confounded by gender stereotypes. Typically, young women and girls who are naïve, under-informed about sexuality, and insufficiently religious are depicted as the "perpetrator". This...

Background The scarcity of data about coping styles with a biochemical marker namely lipid profile, potentially associated with cardiovascular risk factors is most striking among professionals working in public university. Hence, this research aimed to investigate the relationship between coping styles and lipid profile comprising total cholesterol...

Suicide is a public issue in Malaysia. Local data provides information about the rates, methods, risks and preventive measures of suicide, but little is known of how media influences suicide in this country. This study aimed to investigate the perception of media in particular online newspapers on suicide. Data were gathered from the online archive...

Majority of adolescents and young people do not receive adequate knowledge and uninformed about sexuality, making them vulnerable to abuses, sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy. We described current updates and views on the implementation of sexuality education in Malaysia through our review on seventy-nine articles published in...

Despite strategies in Malaysia to reduce filicide—the crime of a parent killing a child—rates have not decreased. We used framework analysis to identify commonalities and disparities in understandings among service providers and women convicted of filicide, ascertained in individual interviews. While service providers believed that filicide was pre...

Background and Purpose: Medical education is a laborious program which may give negative consequences on the physical and psychological health of medical students. The aims of this study were to evaluate psychological distress among Malay medical students and to assess its relationship with their lifestyle. Methods: A cross-sectional study was cond...

Background: Although filicide is of serious concern, it is poorly understood in Malaysia. Our secondary analysis of national data found that there were substantial missing data, with details undocumented for up to 87% of cases. Interviews with health and policy professionals revealed that they attribute responsibility to women for their failure to...

Background: Filicide is recognised as a serious problem in Malaysia, although it is poorly understood. Our secondary analysis of national data found that there were substantial missing data, with details undocumented for up to 87% of cases. Of the documented cases, more boys than girls were victims, and suspected perpetrators were recorded as predo...

To examine the characteristics of maternal filicide and describe the adverse life events experienced by women who have committed filicide and been hospitalised in forensic psychiatric institutions in Malaysia. Registration records from 2000 through 2012 of female patients from 2 main forensic psychiatric institutions in Malaysia were reviewed. The...

Infant abandonment and infanticide are poorly understood in Malaysia. The information available in the public arena comes predominantly from anecdotal sources. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of infanticide and illegal infant abandonment in Malaysia and to estimate annual rates for the most recent decade. Su...

Objective: This clinical report aims to highlight the cultural issues in a case of intrafamilial sexual abuse and how Asian culture affected its management. Methods: We report a case of 14-year-old girl who was sexually abused by her father. Results: The victim was traumatized by the abuse and the family's reaction after the abuse disclosure, which...

Stress may alter menstruation. We studied menstrual patterns and stress in 254 undergraduate medical students. Students maintained menstrual records over six months. DASS questionnaires measured stress. In year 1 and 2 students, persisting normal cycles were 39.4% and 36.5%; normal becoming abnormal were 28.8% and 23.1%; abnormal becoming normal we...

Background: There are conflicting reports about the effect of psychological stress upon menstruation. We studied menstrual patterns and stress in 254 undergraduate medical students. Method: All girls of years one and two were included. The students maintained menstrual records over six months. DASS questionnaires measured stress. Salivary cortisol...

Obesity is highly prevalent among patient with schizophrenia. It is therefore important to know whether lifestyle factors could contribute to obesity. The objective of this paper is to study the prevalence of overweight, obesity and high waist circumference (WC) in relation to Binge eating and lifestyle factors among patients with schizophrenia. Th...

Objective: To examine quality of life in relation to demographic profiles and clinical factors in patients with schizophrenia and major mood disorder in remission. Participants and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the outpatient psychiatric clinic at the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia from June 2002 to December 2002....

Objectives: To examine the relationship between antipsychotic use and obesity among patients with schizophrenia. Participants and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Patients who fulfilled the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition) diagnosis of schizophrenia were included in this study. Demographic profiles and an...

Objective: To examine quality of life in relation to demographic profiles and clinical factors in patients with schizophrenia and major mood disorder in remission. Participants and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the outpatient psychiatric clinic at the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia from June 2002 to December 2002....