Patient in health scale validation and self-management among Omani patients with mental health problems

The literature contains insufficient data relating to different approaches used by adults for managing their mental disorders, particularly in Oman. Most of the studies have been conducted in Western parts of the world, focusing on managing physical chronic illnesses. Therefore, this study aimed to assess adult Omani mentally ill patients' self-management behavior and to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the Partners in Health (PIH) Scale. Quantitative data were collected from 246 eligible adult participants who were diagnosed with different mental health illnesses from Oman's largest psychiatric and mental health hospital- Al Masarra Hospital. Data were collected using 12 items on the Arabic-translated PIH scale. While descriptive data analysis was used for quantitative data, content validity, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient were used to measure the validity and reliability of the PIH scale, respectively. Results showed that the Arabic version of PIH is valid (I-CVI was greater than 0.79 for all items, and S-CVI was found to be higher than 0.80) and reliable (0.92); Omani mentally ill patients have moderate self-management behavior in general, but specifically, they showed a lower level of knowledge and recognition of the symptoms and management of their mental illness. However, they also showed a moderate adherence to treatment and coping with the disease. It is concluded that the Arabic valid and reliable PIH can be used to measure self-management behavior among the mentally ill Arab population. Healthcare providers in Oman are recommended to integrate health literacy, self-management assessment, and education in their clinical care. Keywords: Partners in health; mental health; self-management; mental illness; instrumentation testing