School of Professional Psychology (SPP)

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Browsing School of Professional Psychology (SPP) by Author "Abdifatah H. Daud"

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    Personality Traits, Interpersonal Difficulties, and Mental Health Problems in Somalian Khat Addict An Intervention Study
    (UMT, Lahore, 2019) Abdifatah H. Daud
    Khat abuse is endemic in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is a leaf of a tree that is chewed for euphoric effect and may cause many psychosocial problems for the individual who consumes it, as well as, the community at large. The present study intended to find out the prevalence of Khat use among male university students with the age rage of 18 to 25 ((M=21.44, SD=1.71); the difference between Khat users’ and non-Khat users’ on personality traits, interpersonal difficulties, and mental health problems; and the differential effectiveness of Cognitive Behavior Thearpy (CBT) and Psychoeducational Therapy (PET) on the habit of Khat chewing and its associated problems. The current research comprised four studies. In study I, a culturely sensitive, valid and reliable measure was developed to assess interpersonal difficulties namely personal related and Khat related. Study II comprised to determine the prevalence of Khat users among university students. Study III, Khat users and non-Khat users were compared on the basis of personality traits, interpersonal difficulties and mental health problems. Final study, effectiveness of CBT and PET on Khat abuse was accomplished. Starting with the prevalence study, the results revealed that, nearly 17% of Amoud university students were currently Khat chewers, while around 30% were lifetime prevalence of Khat users. Having a father or siblings or friend who chews Khat, and having smoked anytime in your life were associated with a lifetime prevalence of Khat chewing (p<0.001). It was also found that students who use Khat scored high on neuroticism (p<0.001) and psychoticism (p<0.01), and tend to experience more interpersonal difficulties and mental health problems (p<0.001) as compared to those students who did not use Khat. Finally, the CBT group showed significant decrease of Khat chewing behavior and associated problems as compared to PET group (p<0.001). Inconclusion, using Khat is associated with Neuroticism and Psychoticism, and experiencing interpersonal difficulties and mental health problems. It also recommended CBT over PET for dealing Khat abuse and related problems.