87 research outputs found
The Effects of Personal Susceptibility and Social Support on Internet Addiction: an Application of Adler’s Theory of Individual Psychology
No full textRohingya refugee health and well-being in Malaysia: a call for research and action
No full textDespite the growing numbers and considerable health challenges faced by Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, their health and well-being remain understudied and underfunded. Since the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar, over 200,000 Rohingya have fled to Malaysia, seeking safety from persecution and human rights violations [1]. Even though Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, it has become a major destination for Rohingya refugees in Southeast Asia [2]. However, without legal recognition as refugees and with restricted access to formal employment, education, and healthcare, this population faces significant vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for urgent research and collaborative action [3]
Temperament and personality correlates of preschoolers' behavioral adjustment
No full textThe main goal of this thesis is to contribute to the child development literature about how temperamental predispositions (operationalized as effortful control and surgency) and the personality dimension of agreeableness affect behavioral adjustment (operationalized as adaptive skills and externalizing problems) using a sample of 200 preschoolers (110 boys and 90 girls) from Malaysia. The purpose of the present study is twofold. First, it is to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of parent-, teacher-, and observer ratings of two of Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2’s composite scales—Adaptive Skills and Externalizing Problems, using established validation procedures (i.e., multitrait-multimethod approach and confirmatory factor analysis). Second, the present study sought to determine if agreeableness was a mediating variable in the relations between temperament predispositions and behavioral adjustment. The findings suggest that parent ratings, in comparison with teacher-and observer ratings, have a better combination of convergent and discriminant validity. Teacher ratings and observer ratings, on the other hand, demonstrated mid-level validity. Consequentially, only parent ratings on adaptive skills and externalizing problems were used for all subsequent analyses. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the direct and indirect relations among study constructs. As expected, effortful control was positively associated with agreeableness and adaptive skills but negatively associated with surgency and externalizing problems. Consistent with the predictions, surgency was positively associated with externalizing problems but negatively associated with agreeableness. In addition to these direct associations between effortful control and surgency and adaptive skills and externalizing problems, agreeableness was a significant partial mediator in the relations between effortful control and surgency, and externalizing problems. Agreeableness also emerged as a significant partial mediator in the relation between effortful control and adaptive skills, but not for the relation between surgency and adaptive skills. This thesis contributes to the body of work on early childhood development in at least three ways.DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (HSS
Examining the reliability and factor structure of the Malay version of the Recovery Self-Assessment in a sample of individuals with schizophrenia
No full textObjective: Without a reliable and valid tool, it is neither possible to gauge recovery orientation of persons with serious mental illness nor to evaluate whether existing mental health system encourages recovery in both its policies and current practice in Malaysia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the reliability and factor structure of the Malay version of the Recovery Self-Assessment (RSA-PIRV-M) in a psychiatric sample. Method: Psychiatric patients were eligible for recruitment to the study, when they fulfilled the following criteria: a diagnosis of schizophrenia, were aged between 18- and 65-years-old, and were able to give consent themselves. We recruited 118 individuals with schizophrenia. They were selected via systematic random sampling technique. All RSA-PIRV-M items were derived from the parent scale. These items were translated based on established procedures. The reliability estimates of the RSA-PIRV-M were based on Cronbach's alpha. We performed confirmatory factor analyses to examine the factor structure of the RSA-PIRV-M. Results: All Cronbach's alphas for the RSA-PIRV-M subscales were at least .70. With respect to the factor structure of the RSA-PIRV-M, our structural equation modeling findings suggest a five-factor model encompassing life goals, involvement, diversity of treatment options, choice, and individually-tailored services. Conclusions and implications for practice: The interpretation of our findings is limited by small sample size, unique sample characteristics, and lack of further evidence for convergent validity. Notwithstanding these limitations, the RSA-PIRV-M is a promising tool in bridging gaps between our knowledge on recovery orientation and existing mental health service provision in Malaysia
Predictors of career indecision among Malaysian undergraduate students
No full textCareer indecision refers to the phenomenon where individuals especially students are unable to make decisions about the careers they wish to pursue. Career decisions enable us to label students as being either ‘decided’ or ‘undecided’ on their career choices. To a greater extent, career indecision could also invoke the idea of readiness or career maturity in terms of the career developmental tasks they have to complete. The aim of this study was to determine predictive factors of career indecision among Malaysian undergraduates. Data for this study were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. There were 1229 respondents who consisted of undergraduate students from four public universities. The respondents were identified via multistage stratified sampling. The Career Factor Inventory (CFI; Chartrand, Robbins, Morrill & Boggs, 1990) was used to measure career indecision while the My Vocational Situation (MVS; Holland et al., 1980) was used to measure the three core dimensions of career identity namely vocational identity, occupational information and career barriers. The multiple regression analysis indicated that female undergraduates with high academic achievement and low occupational information, and vocational identity were more unlikely to have decided on their career. An understanding of factors contributing to career indecision among university students will provide insights for educators and student personnel in improving the students’ career developmental process
Recovery orientation among individuals with serious mental illness
No full textIn the present study, we examined differences between individuals with schizophrenia and individuals with neuroses in a suburban clinical sample with respect to recovery orientation. A sample of 100 psychiatric patients from one public hospital in Selangor, Malaysia participated in this study. Participants’ recovery orientation was assessed by the Recovery Assessment Scale Questionnaire. The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was significant. Univariate tests further showed that there was a significant difference across two different diagnoses on reliance on others. In particular, individuals with neuroses had higher reliance on others than individuals with schizophrenia did. In an attempt to promote recovery orientation among individuals with serious mental illness, social connection and social support are domains that mental health care providers could target on
Influence of gender on career readiness among Malaysian undergraduates
No full textThis study aimed to investigate the influence of gender on career readiness among Malaysian undergraduate students at Malaysian universities. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire of 1229 Malaysian undergraduate students from four public universities. Respondents were identified through the multistage stratified sampling method. Findings of the study indicate that a majority of the respondents reported low level of career readiness. When compared to male undergraduates, female undergraduates were found to have lower career readiness as manifested by the higher need for career information, and by being more anxious and indecisive when having to make career decisions. An understanding of the factors which contribute to career readiness among male and female university students will help to provide insights for educators in improving students' career developmental process
Normative beliefs about aggression as a mediator of narcissistic exploitativeness and cyberbullying
No full textThe current study examined normative beliefs about aggression as a mediator between narcissistic exploitativeness and cyberbullying using two Asian adolescent samples from Singapore and Malaysia. Narcissistic exploitativeness was significantly and positively associated with cyberbullying and normative beliefs about aggression and normative beliefs about aggression were significantly and positively associated with cyberbullying. Normative beliefs about aggression were a significant partial mediator in both samples; these beliefs about aggression served as one possible mechanism of action by which narcissistic exploitativeness could exert its influence on cyberbullying. Findings extended previous empirical research by showing that such beliefs can be the mechanism of action not only in offline but also in online contexts and across cultures. Cyberbullying prevention and intervention efforts should include modification of norms and beliefs supportive of the legitimacy and acceptability of cyberbullying
The effects of connectedness on health-promoting and health-compromising behaviors in adolescents: evidence from a statewide survey
No full textUsing a social ecological perspective, we examined the effects of connectedness in multiple domains on health-promoting and health-compromising behaviors among Asian American (AA), Pacific Islander (PI), and Caucasian/White American (WA) adolescents in California. After adjusting for age, gender, and socioeconomic status, the following consistent results emerged across the three ethnic groups: (a) community connectedness increased the odds of physical activity; (b) internal, family, and school connectedness decreased, whereas friend connectedness increased, the odds of substance use; and (c) internal and family connectedness decreased the odds of violent behavior. We also found specific ethnic variations pertaining to the effects of connectedness. Friend connectedness increased the odds of violent behavior for AAs and WAs, but not for PIs. Meanwhile, community connectedness increased the odds of substance use and violent behavior for AAs and PIs, but decreased the odds of these behaviors for WAs. Findings for healthy dietary behavior were inconsistent across ethnic groups and connectedness domains. Our overall findings suggest that the effects of connectedness were more salient for health-compromising behaviors than for health-promoting behaviors. Health prevention and intervention efforts in adolescents could target the role of their connectedness to their multiple social domains
Extrinsic and intrinsic factors related to recovery process in people with schizophrenia
No full textThe objective of this study was to examine the associations between recovery processes, recovery-oriented practices, and symptom severity in people with schizophrenia attending clinics at Hopital Kuala Lumpur
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