Psychiatric morbidities among mentally ill wives of Nepalese men working abroad. 2014

Dhana Ratna Shakya
Department of Psychiatry, Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.

BACKGROUND Husband working abroad may have not only favorable outcomes for wives and other family members but also adverse consequences, including psychological problems. Present study intended to look into psychiatric morbidity profiles of the Nepalese female psychiatric patients and the stressors related with their husband working abroad. METHODS This is a hospital-based descriptive study with convenient sampling method. Hundred consecutive female psychiatric patients, with the particular stressor, coming into the contact of the investigating team were enrolled within the study period of 12 months. The psychiatric morbidities/diagnoses were sorted out according to the International classification of disease and infirmity, 10(th) edition (ICD-10) criteria. RESULTS Average age of the enrolled cases was 29 years. Nearly half of the women were illiterate or barely literate. Some other stressors, besides the one of husband working abroad were found to precipitate the illness in about 60%, main being relational and health problems. Common presenting complaints were mood, anxiety, and physical symptoms. Almost 30% of the subjects had some mental illness in their past too and similar proportion had in their blood relatives. About one-third admitted to use substances, mainly alcohol and cigarettes. The common psychiatric diagnoses were mood, anxiety, neurotic, and stress-related disorders. Nearly 10% had presented for suicide attempt. CONCLUSIONS The status of husband working abroad may have adverse consequences in mental health of women. Mood affect, anxiety, and stress-related disorders are common psychiatric illness among them.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Dhana Ratna Shakya
October 1969, Behavioral neuropsychiatry,
Dhana Ratna Shakya
May 1998, Substance use & misuse,
Dhana Ratna Shakya
September 2016, Psychiatrische Praxis,
Dhana Ratna Shakya
March 2000, The Journal of nervous and mental disease,
Dhana Ratna Shakya
August 1991, The American journal of psychiatry,
Dhana Ratna Shakya
September 2020, Southern medical journal,
Dhana Ratna Shakya
March 1991, The Journal of nervous and mental disease,
Dhana Ratna Shakya
February 1977, Lakartidningen,
Dhana Ratna Shakya
September 1975, Nursing mirror and midwives journal,
Copied contents to your clipboard!