KOTA KINABALU, July 13 — The Coroner’s Court here was told today that Zara Qairina Mahathir did not consistently show signs of severe depression, social withdrawal, hopelessness or suicidal intent before her death.

Child Psychologist Dr Noor Aishah Rosli, 51, who is also a registered counsellor, said the finding was based on an overall assessment of Zara Qairina’s development from birth until she was 13.

Drawing from data analysed for her psychological autopsy report, Dr Noor Aishah, who has about 18 years of experience in clinical child psychology, said there was no clear history of suicide attempts by the teenager before she was found unconscious at her hostel last year.

“In the context of psychological theories related to suicide risk, including the interpersonal model, the assessment must consider whether there is a sense of not being accepted, a feeling of being a burden, the capability to inflict serious self-harm, as well as a combination of acute factors that converge to create risk.

“In Zara’s case, the available data does not strongly indicate that all of these elements were consistently and dominantly present before the incident,” she said while reading her witness statement before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan during the inquest into the teenager’s death.

The 76th witness said the psychological autopsy approach was used to prepare Zara Qairina’s profile, which involved a retrospective forensic psychology assessment of her mental, emotional, social, behavioural, interpersonal and environmental state before her death.

Dr Noor Aishah said the assessment was carried out to determine whether there was psychological evidence suggesting the teenager had the inclination, intent or mental state consistent with taking her own life.

“I also evaluated whether there were psychological, social, family, school environment, peer relationship, hostel experience, personal writings, phone communications and witness information factors that could help the Court understand the full context of Zara’s life before the incident,” she said.

She said the assessment included materials such as photographs, videos, diaries, personal notes, school documents, psychological or psychiatric reports, handwriting analysis reports, forensic document reports, as well as transcripts of phone conversations between Zara Qairina and her mother, Noraidah Lamat.

Dr Noor Aishah said interviews were also conducted with individuals who had direct knowledge of or close relationships with Zara Qairina, including her mother, family members, caregivers, neighbours, school friends, teachers and wardens.

She added that a psychological profile of Noraidah was also developed as she was the person closest to Zara Qairina throughout her life and had deep knowledge of the teenager’s development, interests, routines and experiences.

Dr Noor Aishah said the available data suggested the need to examine external, situational and interpersonal factors in Zara Qairina’s school and hostel environment rather than reaching a conclusion that her death was solely due to family conflict or internal psychological struggles.

She also said Zara Qairina’s relationship with her mother should not be viewed in isolation as the main factor, describing their relationship as one largely marked by attachment, affection, emotional support and open communication.

“In my assessment, it would be inaccurate to draw psychological conclusions based on a single category of material, such as specific writings, without integrating the full range of developmental data, interviews, call transcripts, witness observations, school and family history, protective factors and situational elements close to the time of the incident.

“My professional conclusion is that Zara’s overall psychological profile paints the picture of a cheerful, sociable, active, loving, generous, and motivated child and young adolescent, one with aspirations and a close bond with her mother.

“Although Zara displayed social sensitivity and faced typical adolescent challenges, such as peer conflicts, friendship jealousy, hostel pressures, and some situational maladaptive behaviours, these factors alone are insufficient to support the conclusion that she had a stable or planned intent to take her own life,” she said.

Zara Qairina, 13, died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4am.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers ordered her remains to be exhumed for a post-mortem on Aug 8 before announcing a formal inquest into her death on Aug 13.

The proceedings before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan will resume this afternoon. — Bernama