Browsing by Author "Muriungi, Susan K."

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    Classes of Psychotic Experiences in Kenyan Children and Adolescents
    (Child Psychiatry Hum Dev, 2013-06) Mamah, Daniel; Owoso, Akinkunle; Mbwayo, Anne W; Mutiso, Victoria N; Muriungi, Susan K.; Khasakhala, Lincoln I; Barch, Deanna M; Ndetei, David M
    Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) have been observed worldwide in both adults and children outside the context of a clinical disorder. In the current study, we investigate the prevalence and patterns of PLEs among children and adolescents in Kenya. Among 1,971 students from primary and secondary schools around Nairobi (aged 8-19), 22.1 % reported a lifetime history of a psychotic experience, and 16.3 % reported this unrelated to sleep or drugs. Psychotic experiences were more common in males compared to females. LCA resulted in a three-class model comprised of a normative class (83.3 %), a predominately hallucinatory class (Type 1 psychosis: 9.6 %), and a pan-psychotic class (Type 2 psychosis: 7.2 %). These results indicate that PLEs are prevalent in children and adolescents, and the distributions of symptom clusters are similar to that found in adulthood. The relationship of specific PLEs to the future development of psychotic disorder, functional impairment or distress will require further study.
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    Co-morbidity of Anxiety, alcohol and substance abuse among students at the Kenya Medical Training Colleges in Kenya
    (2014-12) Muriungi, Susan K.; Kihara, Michael; Ndetei, David Musyimi; Matheka, Wambua C.; Kipturgo, Mathew
    Objectives: to determine the co-morbidity between anxiety and risk ofstudents at the Kenya Medical Training CollegeMethodology:A Social Demographic, BAI and the WHO ASSIST questionnaires were administered to 3107 consenting KMTC students, of whom 1181 (group A) were in Nairobi campus and the remaining1926 (group B) were in peripheral campuses across the country.Results:Prevalence of anxiety in groups A and B were 24.4% and 23.6% for moderate anxiety and 32.1% and 31.5% for severe anxiety. The risk of abuse of all the substances had similar lin alcohol which had a significant difference between the 2 groups (p=0.016). There was significant association between co morbidity of anxiety and risk of abuse of; alcohol (p=0.040, P=0.036 in group A and B respectively) and tobacco and cannabis (p=0.022 and p=0.024 in group B respectively). Conclusion:Anxiety and risk of alcohol and drug abuse was prevalent and significantly coamong the KMTC students. These findings were similar to those from other regions of the world among college students. This calls for appropriate interventions to promote prevention, control and clinical practices.
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    Comorbidity of Depression and Anxiety among Students at The Kenya Medical Training Colleges in Kenya
    (Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2020-08) Menecha, Jared Bravin; Muriungi, Susan K.
    Objectives: To determine comorbidity of depression and anxiety among students at the Kenya Medical Training College, Kenya. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study design. Study participants were basic diploma students in a middle level college in Kenya. Data was collected using a researcher designed self-administered questionnaire for socio-demographic characteristics, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for severity of depression and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) for the severity of anxiety in all the students in the seven largest KMTC campuses. All the participants gave informed consent. Results: 18.4% and 20.2% of group A and B respectively had moderate depression while 48.5% and 45.8% respectively had severe depression. The equivalents for anxiety in groups A and B were 24.4% and 23.6% for moderate anxiety and 32.1% and 31.5% for severe anxiety. There was a higher rate of depression and anxiety in the second year; with a statistically significant association between depression and anxiety and the year of study in the two groups (p<0.0001 each respectively). All the other social demographic characteristics had no statistically significant association with depression or anxiety in the two groups. There was a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety co-morbidity in both groups which was statistically significant (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Depression and anxiety were highly prevalent and significantly coexistent among the KMTC students. These mental conditions seemed to vary with the level of study training among college students. Therefore, the psychological well-being of college students need to be carefully addressed. There is need to closely monitor anxiety and depression to eliminate the risk factors and consequently prevent the development of adverse outcomes.
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    Effectiveness of psycho-education on depression, hopelessness, suicidality, anxiety and substance use among basic diploma students at Kenya Medical Training College
    (School of Arts and Social Sciences, Daystar University, 2004) Muriungi, Susan K.; Ndetei, David Musyimi
    Abstract Objective. To determine the effectiveness of psycho-education on symptom severity in depression, hopelessness, suicidality, anxiety and risk of substance abuse among para-medical students at Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). Methodology. A clinical trial drew experimental (N=1 181) and control (N=1 926) groups from different KMTC campuses. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data: the researcher-designed social demographic questionnaire was used at baseline only, while Beck’s Depression Inventory, Beck’s Hopelessness Scale, Beck’s Suicide Ideation Scale, Beck’s Anxiety Inventory and World Health Organization alcohol, smoking and substance involvement screening test (ASSIST) (for drug abuse) were used for baseline, mid-point and end-point assessments at 3-month intervals. The experimental group received a total of 16 hours of structured psycho-education. All study participants gave informed consent. Results. Overall, there was no significant reduction in symptom severity between the experimental and control groups at 3 months (p>0.05) but there was a significant difference at 6 months (p<0.05). Conclusion. Psycho-education was effective in reducing the severity of symptoms of depression, hopelessness, suicidality, anxiety and risk of substance abuse at 6 months.
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    Efficacy of Solution Focused Therapy Among Women with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder due to Intimate Partner Violence in Selected Informal Settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya
    (African Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2023) Makena Njuki.; Muriungi, Susan K.; Tuikong, Sylvia
    This study investigated the efficacy of Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) when employed as a therapeutic intervention to alleviate symptoms associated with Post-Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD), among women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) in informal settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study used Concurrent Triangulation mixed method design. Participants were women above the age of eighteen years who had been exposed to IPV. Screening for PTSD was done using the PTSD checklist for DSM-5, and the Women Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) to screen for IPV. A total of 116 study participants were selected through Convenience sampling. A baseline assessment was done followed by a 10-week Solution-Focused therapeutic intervention. A midline assessment was done thereafter to assess reduction of symptoms and an endline assessment done 12 weeks after the end of the intervention to assess longevity of the treatment effects. The results showed a notable reduction in the means of PTSD in the experimental group from baseline, midline to endline; PTSD (43.33; 27.02; 27.06). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test demonstrated that there were statistically significant changes in symptomatology noted at baseline to midline (Z = -4.973, p <0.001) and baseline to endline (Z = -4.940, p <0.001), for the participants in the experimental group, whereas for the participants in the control group, there was no statistical significance noted (Z = - 1.048, p = 0.295) from midline to endline (Z =-.885, p = 0.376) and baseline to endline (Z = - 1.560, p =0.119). The study established that Solution Focused Therapy was an effective intervention in alleviating the symptoms of PTSD, in women who had experienced IPV in informal settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya. It recommended that more counsellors be trained in SFT as it is both time and cost effective.
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    Prevalence of Conduct Disorder among Adolescents in Secondary Schools: A Case of Kamukunji and Olympic Mixed Sub-County Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya
    (African Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2017) Gitonga, Monica; Muriungi, Susan K.; Ongaro, Kennedy; Omondi, M.
    Conduct disorder (CD) is a behavioral emotional mental disorder associated with a host of negative and social outcomes among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of CD and establish the relationship between CD and socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. The study adopted a cross-sectional study design. Cluster and purposive sampling techniques were used to select 611 participants out of the 840 study population in the two sites. Data was collected by administering a socio-demographic questionnaire (SDQ) and a standardized conduct disorder scale (CDS). Measures of central tendencies, bivariate and multivariate analysis were computed using SPSS version 21. The key findings of the study were that overall CD prevalence was 31.4%, with males having a higher prevalence than females p=0.009, CD increased with respondents’ age (p=0.008), religion significantly impacted on CD prevalence either as a precipitating or as a protective factor (p=0.041). CD being a behavioral emotional disorder and the prevalence being this significantly high call for appropriate psychological interventions. Based on the findings, the study recommends capacity building of principals and teachers so as to be able to identify CD tendencies among students. Further, the study suggests effective treatment for CD in order to help curb the emergence of CD among the students while reducing the burden of disease on parents of affected adolescents, the school and the community.
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    Prevelence of Differnt Forms of Intimate Partner Violence Among Women in Informal Settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya.
    (PAC University Journal of Arts & Social Sciences, 2023) Njuki, Makena; Muriungi, Susan K.; Tuikong, Sylvia
    Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has a wide range of negative effects on the women who experience it. These may range from mental health issues to death. There are frequent reports in the media of IPV, while others go unreported. However, for the relevant authorities to be able to enact policies that turn the tide, it is vital that data be presented that illustrates the magnitude of the issue. There are various forms of Intimate Partner Violence that are perpetrated globally. IPV may be psychological, physical, economic, or sexual. This paper reviews the prevalence of different forms of Intimate Partner Violence in informal settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study used Concurrent Triangulation which is a mixed method research design. Participants were women above the age of eighteen years who had been exposed to IPV. They were screened for IPV using the Women Abuse Screening Tool (WAST). This was done at the onset of the study, to obtain the baseline assessment. The therapeutic intervention took place on a weekly basis for a period of 10 weeks. After this, there was a midline and end-line assessment. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. The results showed that the most prevalent form of abuse among the respondents was verbal abuse (93.9%) followed by physical abuse (92.5%) and then sexual abuse (88.6%). Overall, this study established that there is a high prevalence of different forms of IPV in informal settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya.
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    Socio-demographics characteristics and patterns of burnout syndrome among college academic staff in Kenya
    (University of Nairobi, 2015) Muriungi, Susan K.; Ndetei, David Musyimi; Mwenda, Lilian K.; Matheka, Wambua C.; Kanyotu, Mary
    Long periods of work may lead to chronic fatigue which is a precursor of burnout syndrome. To determine the prevalence of burnout Syndrome and the factors associated with its precipitation among the academic staff at Kenya Medical Training College, Nairobi, and Campus. A cross-section sample survey that recruited a total population of 139 academic staff in all the academic departments at KMTC, Nairobi Campus. Self-administered instruments were used which included a Social Demographic (SDQ) questionnaire developed by the researcher on general personal particulars and work related information and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The researcher observed all ethical considerations and the data was analyzed using SPSS utilizing descriptive and inferential statistics. Results were presented in tables and narratives. Sixty 65.1% had high and 34.9% had average levels of burnout syndrome (p=0.007). Eighty five percent (85%) of whom had emotional exhaustion (p=0.01). All the respondents had high levels of depersonalization, and 67.6% had low levels of personal accomplishment (p=0.036). The highest risk factor for the developing burnout syndrome was being an academic lecturer, being over 41 years and having worked at KMTC for over 6 years (p>0.001), not taking annual leave (p=0.001) and being married with 1-5 children (p=0.036), being married with the highest professional qualification of a diploma or higher Diploma (p=0.009), working more hours beyond normal (p=0.023), absence of social support (p=0.049) and undertaking studies as the respondents was on fulltime employment (0.029). Burnout was prevalent among teaching staff at KMTC. This calls for measures to prevent chronic physical conditions associated with burnout.