Conducting a state‐of‐the‐art mental health survey in a traditional setting: Challenges and lessons from piloting the World Mental Health Survey in Qatar

Abstract

Objectives: A small country in the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar experienced rapid economic growth in the last 3 decades accompanied by major socio-demographic shifts towards a younger and more highly educated population. To date, no national epidemiological study has examined the prevalence, associated factors, or sequelae of mental disorders in Qatar's general population. Methods:The World Mental Health Qatar (WMHQ) is a national mental health needs assessment survey and is the first carried out in collaboration with the World Mental Health Survey initiative to assess the prevalence and burden of psychiatric illnesses among the full Arabic speaking population (nationals and non-nationals) within the same country.Results: Standard translation and harmonization procedures were used to develop the WMHQ instrument. A survey quality control system with standard performance indicators was developed to ensure interviewer adherence to standard practices. A pilot study was then carried out just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Endorsement from public health authorities and sequential revision of the interview schedule led to full survey completion (as opposed to partial completion) and good overall response rate. Conclusions:The WMHQ survey will provide timely and actionable information based on quality enhancement procedures put in place during the development and piloting of the study.

Design and field procedures for the clinical reappraisal of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview version 3.3 in Qatar's national mental health study

“…WMHQ recruited a probability sample of Arabic speaking residents (Qataris and Arab expatriates) of Qatar (Khaled et al., 2021). Participants in the clinical reappraisal study had already completed the CIDI when they were contacted for a follow‐up interview.…”

Feasibility of replacing face‐to‐face with telephone interviews for the World Mental Health Qatar survey during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…A comprehensive description of these procedures can be found in a separate article published in this issue (Khaled et al, 2024).…”

“…The advertisement budget for the study was also robust, as was the investment in handling respondent questions and concerns. It is worth noting, however, that costs for the telephone-based survey increased further over time during the production phase, as detailed in another manuscript in this journal issue (Khaled et al, 2024).…”

Qatar's National Mental Health Study—The World Mental Health Qatar

“…The first component was a national survey of probability-based sample of Qatari and non-Qatari (Arab) males and females age 18 years and above from Qatar's general population. A total of 5000 survey interviews were completed by our WMHQ certified team of researchers using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) method of data collection (Khaled et al, 2024). The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI version 3.3) was previously adapted (Khaled et al, 2021) and administered during these interviews to assess the prevalence and burden of mental illness based on the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).…”

“…Except for a face-to-face pilot study (Khaled et al, 2021) that was conducted prior to the pandemic, the WMHQ study (including a second pilot) was adapted for phone methodology and conducted during the first and second waves of COVID-19 pandemic. As mentioned in another manuscript published in this issue (Khaled et al, 2024), the CIDI instrument had to be adapted for phone mode by shortening the length of the interview. This was done using two main strategies including restricting the WMHQ diagnostic assessments of the CIDI to mood (major depression and bipolar I/II disorders) and anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety, posttraumatic stress, panic and obsessive-compulsive disorders).…”