Behavioral problems are commonly occurring concerns in school children and if left unidentified c... more Behavioral problems are commonly occurring concerns in school children and if left unidentified can result in worse outcomes in any society. The research aims to explore the prevalence of behavioral problems and its association with social emotional competence in young school children from a community sample of Islamabad, Pakistan. The cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2021 in four public primary schools in Islamabad, Pakistan. Two stage cluster sampling was used to select study sites. The sample comprised 426 school children (males = 182, females = 195) aged 4–8 years (Mean age = 6.5, SD = 1.09), from three different grades kindergarten, 1, and 2, respectively. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Social Emotional Development Assessment (SEDA) were used to screen behavioral problems and social emotional competences of children. Data were analyzed using Stata 17. Prevalence for overall behavioral problems accounted for 65.4% (4–6 years) and 36.2% (6–8 years) ...
BackgroundDespite being recognized as one of the most successful public health measures, vaccinat... more BackgroundDespite being recognized as one of the most successful public health measures, vaccination is still considered to be unnecessary and unreliable in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study utilized a two-pronged approach in analyzing vaccine hesitancy and health behaviors after vaccination by employing a mixed-method design. Phase 1 was aimed at identifying predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among the Pakistani population using protection motivation theory (PMT), whereas Phase 2 was aimed at exploring the factors related to the vaccination of COVID-19.MethodA convenient sample of 1,736 individuals from the vaccine-eligible population (12 years and above) was selected to collect data on vaccine hesitancy and acceptance (Phase 1). Phase 2 of the study explored post-vaccination health behaviors, especially adherence to safety measures for COVID-19, through 23 in-depth interviews with the vaccinated population.ResultsMultiple regression analy...
International Journal of Criminology and Sociology
The current study sought to explore the provision and implications of the insanity defense in Pak... more The current study sought to explore the provision and implications of the insanity defense in Pakistani laws. This research aims to find the lacunae in the law that aids mentally ill offenders. It also proposes to identify the role of lawyers and forensic psychologists and government institutions in the insanity defense. The study includes understanding and implementing the insanity defense in Pakistani laws and the law system. The study sample involved nine lawyers and four forensic psychologists whose interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Participants were contacted through the snowball sampling technique. The current study concluded that more than one key factor hindered the law system's understanding of insanity defense and mental health. The absence of psychiatric or psychological assessments in the court system suggests a common knowledge of insanity defense and mental health. The case studies overall present the different sides of mental health ...
The transition from adolescence to adulthood is fraught with challenges that might have impacts o... more The transition from adolescence to adulthood is fraught with challenges that might have impacts on later life and personality development. Earlier research investigated Dark Triad traits in connection to emotional problems. The current study, on the other hand, focused on investigating the mediating role of psychological maladjustment in the relation of Dark Triad traits, psychological distress, and subjective happiness in emerging adults. A sample of 546 participants aged 18–25 years (M = 21.2 years) from Pakistan have participated to complete an online survey. Standardized assessment tools were used to measure the targeted variables. Results indicated that Machiavellianism and psychopathy were positively associated with psychological distress, whereas narcissism appeared to be a non-significant predictor. Subjective happiness was positively associated with Machiavellianism and negatively associated with psychopathy. In addition, mediation analysis through Structural Equation Model...
To explore the effect of social media burnout on loneliness and body image among university stude... more To explore the effect of social media burnout on loneliness and body image among university students in Pakistan. Current study was conducted in Riphah International University Islamabad, Pakistan and comprised of 306 university students including 152 male and 154 females with age range from 19-29 years. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 students including 10 male and 10 females to explore the effect of social media usage on body image. Cross sectional research design was used in which quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. UCLA loneliness scale by Russell was used to assess loneliness. Multi-dimensional body self-relations scale by Cash was used to measure body image and social media burnout scale developed by Han was used to measure social media burnout. Findings indicate that there is a positive relationship between social media burnout and dissatisfaction with body image (r=0.175, p<0.01) and positive relationship exists between social media burnout and loneliness (r=0.187, p<0.01). There is also a positive relationship between loneliness and dissatisfaction with body image (r=0.314, p<0.01). Female students feel more exhausted by social media than male students (t=4.28, p<0.01). Loneliness and body dissatisfaction are found to be high in social media exhausted university students. Loneliness also leads to dissatisfaction with body image. Female university students got social media burnout more quickly than male students.
During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVIDiSTRESS Consortium launched an open-accessglo... more During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVIDiSTRESS Consortium launched an open-accessglobal survey to understand and improve individuals’ experiences related to the crisis. A year later,we extended this line of research by launching a new survey to address the dynamic landscape of thepandemic. This survey was released with the goal of addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion byworking with over 150 researchers across the globe who collected data in 48 languages and dialectsacross 137 countries. The resulting cleaned dataset described here includes 15,740 of over 20,000responses. The dataset allows cross-cultural study of psychological wellbeing and behaviours a yearinto the pandemic. It includes measures of stress, resilience, vaccine attitudes, trust in government andscientists, compliance, and information acquisition and misperceptions regarding COVID-19. Openaccessraw and cleaned datasets with computed scores are available. Just as our initial COVIDiSTRESSdataset has ...
... Nicole P. Powell * ,; Caroline L. Boxmeyer,; Rachel Baden,; Sara Stromeyer,; Jessica A. Minne... more ... Nicole P. Powell * ,; Caroline L. Boxmeyer,; Rachel Baden,; Sara Stromeyer,; Jessica A. Minney,; Asia Mushtaq,; John E. Lochman. ... In addition to intervening with parents, The Incredible Years and the RECAP Programs (Weiss, Harris, Catron, &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Han, 2003) include teacher training ...
Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders. To address the scarceness f... more Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders. To address the scarceness for evidence-based interventions for behavioral problems in Pakistan, we evaluated the effectiveness of culturally adapted version of Coping Power Program. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which Coping Power Program is capable of reducing aggressive behavior and improving competent behavior, when delivered in a different culture, i.e., Pakistan. With randomized control trial (RCT) of pre- and post-testing, 112 fourth grade boys were allocated to Coping Power intervention condition and waitlist control condition. The intervention group showed significant reduction in aggression at post assessment, in comparison to control group. Boys who received Coping Power intervention also showed improvements in behavior, social skills, and social cognitive processes, with better anger control and problem solving strategies, in comparison to the control group. The results of the study provide preliminary evidence, supporting the effectiveness of Coping Power Program for Pakistani children. Despite its limitations, the results of this study are promising and suggest that Coping Power is an effective intervention to reduce behavioral problems and promote healthy and positive behaviors in children, even when implemented in different contexts with greater potential for violence exposure.
Trames. Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Piri-Muridi is a socio-psychological phenomenon that is deeply rooted in our region. The current ... more Piri-Muridi is a socio-psychological phenomenon that is deeply rooted in our region. The current study is an endeavor to explore the various reasons that compel people to visit Pirs (holy men) with special socio-psychological perspective within Pakistani society. To accomplish this objective, 431 participants were recruited from various areas of the country. Individuals belonged to different educational backgrounds and had diverse professional statuses. The participation of men was (n = 218) and that of women was (n = 195). Age of participants ranged from 18 to 73 years (M = 30.38, SD = 10.74). It was found by the study that participants visit Pirs for learning and acquiring guidance (33.41%), also for the clarification of everyday life problems (29.78%). In the category of learning and guidance, 42.13% participants stated that it is the attainment of religious education that people acquire from Pirs. 38.74% reported that people visit Pirs for getting spiritual education. While 14.77% participants reported that it is the need to gain worldly education and less than 2% people reported that it is not the attainment of education or guidance that people seek from Pirs, rather it is black magic that people learn to harm others. Among the category of clarification of problems, the highest frequency was reported for curing of spiritual problems (54.47%) followed by social problems (33.65%), economic problems (32.44%), psychological problems (29.78%) and health related problems (28.08%) respectively. Interview reporting by Murids (n =5), strong believers (n =5), situational believers (n = 5), and non-believers of Piri-Muridi (n =5) were also given. The present study is useful for making the theoretical foundations for future studies. Moreover, future researchers should utilize both qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore the widespread roots of Piri-Muridi.
Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, imp... more Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, impulse control disorders and some personality disorders). Despite the tremendous work in evidence based practices for childhood behavior problems, and efficacy of the cognitive behavioral interventions for aggressive, disruptive and conduct problems in Western countries, there was an extreme scarcity in Pakistan for empirical support for such interventions. The present research aims to culturally adapt, implement and evaluate a cognitive behavioral intervention program (Coping Power Program) for
OBJECTIVE To determine the predictive role of premenstrual symptoms in reproductive-aged women... more OBJECTIVE To determine the predictive role of premenstrual symptoms in reproductive-aged women's quality of life. METHODS The cross-sectional study was conducted in Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, from September 2017 to January 2018, and comprised married women aged 20-45 years. Urdu versions of Greene Climacteric Symptoms Scale and World Health Organisation Quality of Life scale were used. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. RESULTS Of the 300 women with a mean age of 32.59±7.12 years, 245(81.7%) had a regular menstrual cycle. There was significant negative relationship between premenstrual symptoms and all domains of quality of life (p<0.05). Somatic symptoms were predominantly affecting the quality of life in more negative manners compared to other symptoms (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Premenstrual symptoms disturb the daily activities of reproductive-aged women and adversely affect their educational, occupational and psychosocial functioning.
Numerous studies suggest that symptoms of mental illness in parents become reflected in family an... more Numerous studies suggest that symptoms of mental illness in parents become reflected in family and parent–child interactions, affecting the nature and quality of caregiving and, in turn, both short- and long-term child outcomes. Given the paucity of research in this area in Pakistan, present study aims to examine differences in parenting practices and behavioral problems among adolescent children of parents with psychopathology and without psychopathology. It also explores moderating role of adolescents’ coping on the relationship between parenting practices and behavioral problems. Sample included 348 parents and their adolescent children divided into two groups: Parents with Psychopathology and without Psychopathology. Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, Youth Self Report, and Brief COPE were used for data collection. Results indicated that adolescent children having parents with psychopathology have elevated levels of behavioral problems as compared to adolescent children of parents...
Numerous studies suggest that symptoms of mental illness in parents become reflected in family an... more Numerous studies suggest that symptoms of mental illness in parents become reflected in family and parent–child interactions, affecting the nature and quality of caregiving and, in turn, both short- and long-term child outcomes. Given the paucity of research in this area in Pakistan, present study aims to examine differences in parenting practices and behavioral problems among adolescent children of parents with psychopathology and without psychopathology. It also explores moderating role of adolescents’ coping on the relationship between parenting practices and behavioral problems. Sample included 348 parents and their adolescent children divided into two groups: Parents with Psychopathology and without Psychopathology. Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, Youth Self Report, and Brief COPE were used for data collection. Results indicated that adolescent children having parents with psychopathology have elevated levels of behavioral problems as compared to adolescent children of parents...
Behavioral problems are commonly occurring concerns in school children and if left unidentified c... more Behavioral problems are commonly occurring concerns in school children and if left unidentified can result in worse outcomes in any society. The research aims to explore the prevalence of behavioral problems and its association with social emotional competence in young school children from a community sample of Islamabad, Pakistan. The cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2021 in four public primary schools in Islamabad, Pakistan. Two stage cluster sampling was used to select study sites. The sample comprised 426 school children (males = 182, females = 195) aged 4–8 years (Mean age = 6.5, SD = 1.09), from three different grades kindergarten, 1, and 2, respectively. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Social Emotional Development Assessment (SEDA) were used to screen behavioral problems and social emotional competences of children. Data were analyzed using Stata 17. Prevalence for overall behavioral problems accounted for 65.4% (4–6 years) and 36.2% (6–8 years) ...
BackgroundDespite being recognized as one of the most successful public health measures, vaccinat... more BackgroundDespite being recognized as one of the most successful public health measures, vaccination is still considered to be unnecessary and unreliable in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study utilized a two-pronged approach in analyzing vaccine hesitancy and health behaviors after vaccination by employing a mixed-method design. Phase 1 was aimed at identifying predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among the Pakistani population using protection motivation theory (PMT), whereas Phase 2 was aimed at exploring the factors related to the vaccination of COVID-19.MethodA convenient sample of 1,736 individuals from the vaccine-eligible population (12 years and above) was selected to collect data on vaccine hesitancy and acceptance (Phase 1). Phase 2 of the study explored post-vaccination health behaviors, especially adherence to safety measures for COVID-19, through 23 in-depth interviews with the vaccinated population.ResultsMultiple regression analy...
International Journal of Criminology and Sociology
The current study sought to explore the provision and implications of the insanity defense in Pak... more The current study sought to explore the provision and implications of the insanity defense in Pakistani laws. This research aims to find the lacunae in the law that aids mentally ill offenders. It also proposes to identify the role of lawyers and forensic psychologists and government institutions in the insanity defense. The study includes understanding and implementing the insanity defense in Pakistani laws and the law system. The study sample involved nine lawyers and four forensic psychologists whose interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Participants were contacted through the snowball sampling technique. The current study concluded that more than one key factor hindered the law system's understanding of insanity defense and mental health. The absence of psychiatric or psychological assessments in the court system suggests a common knowledge of insanity defense and mental health. The case studies overall present the different sides of mental health ...
The transition from adolescence to adulthood is fraught with challenges that might have impacts o... more The transition from adolescence to adulthood is fraught with challenges that might have impacts on later life and personality development. Earlier research investigated Dark Triad traits in connection to emotional problems. The current study, on the other hand, focused on investigating the mediating role of psychological maladjustment in the relation of Dark Triad traits, psychological distress, and subjective happiness in emerging adults. A sample of 546 participants aged 18–25 years (M = 21.2 years) from Pakistan have participated to complete an online survey. Standardized assessment tools were used to measure the targeted variables. Results indicated that Machiavellianism and psychopathy were positively associated with psychological distress, whereas narcissism appeared to be a non-significant predictor. Subjective happiness was positively associated with Machiavellianism and negatively associated with psychopathy. In addition, mediation analysis through Structural Equation Model...
To explore the effect of social media burnout on loneliness and body image among university stude... more To explore the effect of social media burnout on loneliness and body image among university students in Pakistan. Current study was conducted in Riphah International University Islamabad, Pakistan and comprised of 306 university students including 152 male and 154 females with age range from 19-29 years. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 students including 10 male and 10 females to explore the effect of social media usage on body image. Cross sectional research design was used in which quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. UCLA loneliness scale by Russell was used to assess loneliness. Multi-dimensional body self-relations scale by Cash was used to measure body image and social media burnout scale developed by Han was used to measure social media burnout. Findings indicate that there is a positive relationship between social media burnout and dissatisfaction with body image (r=0.175, p<0.01) and positive relationship exists between social media burnout and loneliness (r=0.187, p<0.01). There is also a positive relationship between loneliness and dissatisfaction with body image (r=0.314, p<0.01). Female students feel more exhausted by social media than male students (t=4.28, p<0.01). Loneliness and body dissatisfaction are found to be high in social media exhausted university students. Loneliness also leads to dissatisfaction with body image. Female university students got social media burnout more quickly than male students.
During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVIDiSTRESS Consortium launched an open-accessglo... more During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVIDiSTRESS Consortium launched an open-accessglobal survey to understand and improve individuals’ experiences related to the crisis. A year later,we extended this line of research by launching a new survey to address the dynamic landscape of thepandemic. This survey was released with the goal of addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion byworking with over 150 researchers across the globe who collected data in 48 languages and dialectsacross 137 countries. The resulting cleaned dataset described here includes 15,740 of over 20,000responses. The dataset allows cross-cultural study of psychological wellbeing and behaviours a yearinto the pandemic. It includes measures of stress, resilience, vaccine attitudes, trust in government andscientists, compliance, and information acquisition and misperceptions regarding COVID-19. Openaccessraw and cleaned datasets with computed scores are available. Just as our initial COVIDiSTRESSdataset has ...
... Nicole P. Powell * ,; Caroline L. Boxmeyer,; Rachel Baden,; Sara Stromeyer,; Jessica A. Minne... more ... Nicole P. Powell * ,; Caroline L. Boxmeyer,; Rachel Baden,; Sara Stromeyer,; Jessica A. Minney,; Asia Mushtaq,; John E. Lochman. ... In addition to intervening with parents, The Incredible Years and the RECAP Programs (Weiss, Harris, Catron, &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Han, 2003) include teacher training ...
Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders. To address the scarceness f... more Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders. To address the scarceness for evidence-based interventions for behavioral problems in Pakistan, we evaluated the effectiveness of culturally adapted version of Coping Power Program. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which Coping Power Program is capable of reducing aggressive behavior and improving competent behavior, when delivered in a different culture, i.e., Pakistan. With randomized control trial (RCT) of pre- and post-testing, 112 fourth grade boys were allocated to Coping Power intervention condition and waitlist control condition. The intervention group showed significant reduction in aggression at post assessment, in comparison to control group. Boys who received Coping Power intervention also showed improvements in behavior, social skills, and social cognitive processes, with better anger control and problem solving strategies, in comparison to the control group. The results of the study provide preliminary evidence, supporting the effectiveness of Coping Power Program for Pakistani children. Despite its limitations, the results of this study are promising and suggest that Coping Power is an effective intervention to reduce behavioral problems and promote healthy and positive behaviors in children, even when implemented in different contexts with greater potential for violence exposure.
Trames. Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Piri-Muridi is a socio-psychological phenomenon that is deeply rooted in our region. The current ... more Piri-Muridi is a socio-psychological phenomenon that is deeply rooted in our region. The current study is an endeavor to explore the various reasons that compel people to visit Pirs (holy men) with special socio-psychological perspective within Pakistani society. To accomplish this objective, 431 participants were recruited from various areas of the country. Individuals belonged to different educational backgrounds and had diverse professional statuses. The participation of men was (n = 218) and that of women was (n = 195). Age of participants ranged from 18 to 73 years (M = 30.38, SD = 10.74). It was found by the study that participants visit Pirs for learning and acquiring guidance (33.41%), also for the clarification of everyday life problems (29.78%). In the category of learning and guidance, 42.13% participants stated that it is the attainment of religious education that people acquire from Pirs. 38.74% reported that people visit Pirs for getting spiritual education. While 14.77% participants reported that it is the need to gain worldly education and less than 2% people reported that it is not the attainment of education or guidance that people seek from Pirs, rather it is black magic that people learn to harm others. Among the category of clarification of problems, the highest frequency was reported for curing of spiritual problems (54.47%) followed by social problems (33.65%), economic problems (32.44%), psychological problems (29.78%) and health related problems (28.08%) respectively. Interview reporting by Murids (n =5), strong believers (n =5), situational believers (n = 5), and non-believers of Piri-Muridi (n =5) were also given. The present study is useful for making the theoretical foundations for future studies. Moreover, future researchers should utilize both qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore the widespread roots of Piri-Muridi.
Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, imp... more Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, impulse control disorders and some personality disorders). Despite the tremendous work in evidence based practices for childhood behavior problems, and efficacy of the cognitive behavioral interventions for aggressive, disruptive and conduct problems in Western countries, there was an extreme scarcity in Pakistan for empirical support for such interventions. The present research aims to culturally adapt, implement and evaluate a cognitive behavioral intervention program (Coping Power Program) for
OBJECTIVE To determine the predictive role of premenstrual symptoms in reproductive-aged women... more OBJECTIVE To determine the predictive role of premenstrual symptoms in reproductive-aged women's quality of life. METHODS The cross-sectional study was conducted in Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, from September 2017 to January 2018, and comprised married women aged 20-45 years. Urdu versions of Greene Climacteric Symptoms Scale and World Health Organisation Quality of Life scale were used. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. RESULTS Of the 300 women with a mean age of 32.59±7.12 years, 245(81.7%) had a regular menstrual cycle. There was significant negative relationship between premenstrual symptoms and all domains of quality of life (p<0.05). Somatic symptoms were predominantly affecting the quality of life in more negative manners compared to other symptoms (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Premenstrual symptoms disturb the daily activities of reproductive-aged women and adversely affect their educational, occupational and psychosocial functioning.
Numerous studies suggest that symptoms of mental illness in parents become reflected in family an... more Numerous studies suggest that symptoms of mental illness in parents become reflected in family and parent–child interactions, affecting the nature and quality of caregiving and, in turn, both short- and long-term child outcomes. Given the paucity of research in this area in Pakistan, present study aims to examine differences in parenting practices and behavioral problems among adolescent children of parents with psychopathology and without psychopathology. It also explores moderating role of adolescents’ coping on the relationship between parenting practices and behavioral problems. Sample included 348 parents and their adolescent children divided into two groups: Parents with Psychopathology and without Psychopathology. Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, Youth Self Report, and Brief COPE were used for data collection. Results indicated that adolescent children having parents with psychopathology have elevated levels of behavioral problems as compared to adolescent children of parents...
Numerous studies suggest that symptoms of mental illness in parents become reflected in family an... more Numerous studies suggest that symptoms of mental illness in parents become reflected in family and parent–child interactions, affecting the nature and quality of caregiving and, in turn, both short- and long-term child outcomes. Given the paucity of research in this area in Pakistan, present study aims to examine differences in parenting practices and behavioral problems among adolescent children of parents with psychopathology and without psychopathology. It also explores moderating role of adolescents’ coping on the relationship between parenting practices and behavioral problems. Sample included 348 parents and their adolescent children divided into two groups: Parents with Psychopathology and without Psychopathology. Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, Youth Self Report, and Brief COPE were used for data collection. Results indicated that adolescent children having parents with psychopathology have elevated levels of behavioral problems as compared to adolescent children of parents...
Uploads
Papers by Asia Mushtaq