Search

Poor mental health of university students is becoming a serious issue in many countries. Malaysia -- a leading country for Asia-Pacific education -- is one of them. Despite the government's effort to raise awareness, Malaysian students' mental health remains challenging, exacerbated by the students' negative attitudes towards mental health (mental health attitudes). Relatedly, self-compassion and resilience have been reported to improve mental health and mental health attitudes. Malaysian students (n = 153) responded to paper-based measures about mental health problems, negative mental health attitudes, self-compassion, and resilience. Scores were compared with 105 UK students, who also suffered from poor mental health and negative mental health attitudes, to make a cross-cultural comparison, to contextualise Malaysian students' mental health status, using t tests (aim 1). Correlation, path, and moderation analyses were conducted, to evaluate the relationships among these mental health constructs (aim 2). Malaysian students scored higher on mental health problems and negative mental health attitudes, and lower on self-compassion and resilience than UK students. Mental health problems were positively associated with negative mental health attitudes, and negatively associated with self-compassion and resilience. While self-compassion mediated the relationship between negative mental health attitudes and mental health problems (high self-compassion weakened the impacts of negative mental health attitudes on mental health problems), resilience did not moderate the same relationship (the level of resilience did not influence the impact of negative mental health attitudes on mental health problems). Self-compassion training was suggested to counter the challenging mental health in Malaysian university students.

The world has witnessed the largest single disruption to social wellbeing since the first known case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in China in December 2019. In Malaysia, the government implemented the Movement Control Order (MCO) on 18 March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this paper highlights how the Malaysian government responded to COVID-19 in comparison with some Asian countries; and what has and has not worked for the MCO imposed by the government. The paper adopts a review approach that is supported by findings from both grey and academic literature. The findings reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic has significant impacts on the society's wellbeing in Malaysia, the most severe of which are negative mental health and job unemployment. On the other hand, COVID-19 has sparked a surge of volunteering in society. This paper presumably and hopefully represents a frontier review with more empirical research to be conducted to investigate the extent of the social impact of COVID-19, the outcomes of which are a call for re-envisioning of social policies in Malaysia. To the best knowledge of the authors, little empirical research has been conducted to explore the social-wellbeing implications of COVID-19 in Malaysia. By reflecting on the various scenarios—both detrimental and beneficial in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper identifies potential avenues for relevant research in the social wellbeing realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the 2000 census report, about 7% of the 1.4 million people 60 years and over in Malaysia live alone. This study investigated socioeconomic factors affecting the quality of life of this vulnerable population. Data from a subsample of the study on Mental Health and Quality of Life of Older Malaysians were used in this paper. About 10% of the original sample or 299 older persons aged 60 years and over were living alone. Perceived quality of life was measured by asking "In general, how do you perceive your quality of life?" on a 5-point Likert Scale response. A multinomial regression model was utilized to identify variables associated with perceived quality of life in older person living alone. Results revealed four factors significantly predicted their perceived quality of life, which include self rated health, gender, employment status, and level of education. In conclusion, self rated health and level of education had significant positive effects on perceived quality of life; elderly women and employed older persons were more likely to fall in the poor perceived quality of life group. The findings of this study posited that self-rated health and level of education have significant positive effects on the perceived quality of life; being female and employed are related to lower quality of life of an older person living alone. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate if study–life integration practice has an influence on young adult students' mental health. Study–life integration in this paper is viewed from the occurrence of conflict and enrichment between two domains – study life and personal life. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a quantitative approach with cross-sectional design. A total of 399 young adults from a university in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, were recruited as respondents. The result was analysed using SPSS hierarchical regression method. Findings: This paper offers empirical evidence on study–life integration influences on young adults' mental health. The findings from this paper suggested that higher anxiety and social dysfunction symptoms were linked to frequent conflict caused by interference from study to personal lives. The main sources for these conflicts were high academic stress and excessive academic-related behaviour. The findings also suggested that greater academic achievement, although improving young adults' personal life, was associated with greater symptoms of social dysfunction. On a positive note, the feeling of positive emotion experienced from study life associated with less social dysfunction. Originality/value: Providing better access to social and community facilities within the institution is essential to help the young adults to effectively bridge the gap between study life and personal life. Opportunity to pursue personal life in the institution can promote a healthier relationship between the study and personal domains among young adults. A healthy relationship between these two domains can nurture positive emotion, which is a key to improving young adults' mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper human needs can be categorised into two, namely physiological and psychological needs. A male's characteristics is more inclined towards an extrovert personality and the aspects of personality are the psychophysical systems in an individual that determine the thinking and behavioural features. Personality as traits in an individual that forms various characteristics and attitudes. personality as a set of stable characteristics and inclinations that determines similarities and differences in a person's psychological behaviour. Data from Taiwan shows that there is no difference between the number of males and females contracting the COVID 19 infection. Hence, there is a possibility that the COVID 19 virus prefers males to be the host carrier. However, there is a possibility that males in Malaysia are generally more involved in social activities, whereby they have an extrovert personality compared to females in Malaysia, who are predominantly introverts. These studies show that the COVID 19 crisis can be overcome by applying the religious approach. This study, which applied the interview method on COVID 19 patients, intended to determine the effects of physical, psychological and religious disruptions as well as the practice of religious coping on COVID 19 patients quarantined for 14 days before being certified as COVID 19 positive and receiving treatment in hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mental health problems of ex-prisoners are increasing and worrying so that it can affect the effectiveness of the reintegration of ex-prisoners into society. This paper aims to determine the relationship between personality types and the level of mental health of ex-prisoners in Malaysia. This study uses a quantitative approach with a survey method of 250 respondents. Two instruments were used in the questionnaire, namely the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale Test (DASS21) to measure the level of mental health of ex-prisoners and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-40-Cross Culture Personality Test (ZKPQ-M-40-CC) to identify 5 personality domains of ex-prisoners namely Activity, Sociability, Aggressiveness-Hostility, Impulsive Sensation Seeking and Neuroticism-Anxiety. The results of the study found that there is a positive significant relationship between the five types of personality with the level of depression, anxiety and stress among ex-prisoners. Specific mental health interventions should be provided to prisoners before and after their release. This is very important in ensuring that the chance of reintegration of ex-prisoners into society is effective when mental health problems can be prevented and treated before they get worse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The objective of this paper is to examine the level of psychiatric symptoms and associated factors among Thai migrants from the southernmost Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narithiwat who are working in Malaysia. Comparisons will be made with the sending population in the southernmost provinces of Thailand. Methods: Data are drawn from survey and in-depth interviews with Thai migrants who are working in Malaysia. Comparisons are made with a probability sample of working age adults in Thailand. The twenty item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) was the measure of mental health. Results: The study found that the migrants, on average, have normal levels of psychiatric symptoms. However, although about 24% of migrants reported more eight or more symptoms that may indicate a need for evaluation. There are many stressors in their lives including distance from families, reduced social support, legal matters surrounding immigration, and discrimination/exploitation of migrant groups. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for policy makers and non-governmental organizations to give attention to migrants' mental health, well-being and sustainable livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional intelligence has been concerned due to its contribution in enhancing occupational mental health at workplace. Many studies had been conducted to examine its role in improving the overall performance of organizations. Till the recent years, new insight has been brought up in examining the effect of emotional intelligence on organizational justice. However, there is insufficient empirical evidence in proving the significant impact of emotional intelligence on organizational justice, especially in Asia context, particularly Malaysian manufacturing sector. Malaysia is known as collectivism country, where the matter of fairness is highly concerned. Hence, it is important to investigate how emotional intelligence improve the perception of fairness among the employees in Malaysia context. Therefore, this conceptual paper proposed to examine the impact of each emotional intelligence’s dimensions on the organizational justice, which might contribute to the existing literature of the effect of emotional intelligence towards organizational justice in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general purpose of this study was to deepen our understanding of how co-created knowledge objects enhance knowledge integration in teams. The specific aim of this study was to develop a phenomenological model that can be used for studying the co-construction of knowledge objects. Our working assumption was that personal and group reflections are a rich source of perceptual and processual data that can be used to help build a model of how objects assist teams in integrating knowledge and coordinating complex, time-sensitive tasks. We examined the collective experience of how a newly formed debate team used co-created knowledge objects and achieved a higher level of knowledge integration to effectively deploy coordinated responses in a formal debate competition. In this paper, we present our emergent methodology of constructing a phenomenological model to describe the dynamic functions of co-created knowledge objects across personal and social realms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor mental health of university students is becoming a serious issue in many countries. Malaysia - a leading country for Asia-Pacific education - is one of them. Despite the government's effort to raise awareness, Malaysian students' mental health remains challenging, exacerbated by the students' negative attitudes towards mental health (mental health attitudes). Relatedly, self-compassion and resilience have been reported to improve mental health and mental health attitudes. Malaysian students (n = 153) responded to paper-based measures about mental health problems, negative mental health attitudes, self-compassion, and resilience. Scores were compared with 105 UK students, who also suffered from poor mental health and negative mental health attitudes, to make a cross-cultural comparison, to contextualise Malaysian students' mental health status, using t tests (aim 1). Correlation, path, and moderation analyses were conducted, to evaluate the relationships among these mental health constructs (aim 2). Malaysian students scored higher on mental health problems and negative mental health attitudes, and lower on self-compassion and resilience than UK students. Mental health problems were positively associated with negative mental health attitudes, and negatively associated with self-compassion and resilience. While self-compassion mediated the relationship between negative mental health attitudes and mental health problems (high self-compassion weakened the impacts of negative mental health attitudes on mental health problems), resilience did not moderate the same relationship (the level of resilience did not influence the impact of negative mental health attitudes on mental health problems). Self-compassion training was suggested to counter the challenging mental health in Malaysian university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional and behavioural problems among children have been increasing in many western as well as the eastern countries. Although the problem has been given attention and priority in terms of early detection, many children with early symptoms of emotional and behavioural problems has still not been detected at the early stages. This phenomenon is worrying as mental health problems were shown to be stable in the long run and if left undetected it may manifest into various problems in adulthood. This paper explores the issues on emotional and behavioural problems in terms of its definition, prevalence, aetiology, long term consequences and treatment. It also explores on mental health problems in a non-western country, i.e. Malaysia including its prevalence and intervention strategies which has been carried out in overcoming this worrying issue. Finally this review paper stresses the importance of providing a well-designed epidemiological study in Malaysia in assessing the current prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems in young children and adolescent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from school to university brings significant adjustments in lifestyle, body weight, and living environment for young adults, potentially impacting their quality of life. Emerging evidence suggests the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have exacerbated these changes. This cross-sectional study involved 361 young adults (18–25 years) from Malaysian tertiary institutions, aiming to identify factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) post-COVID-19 restrictions. Data were collected online between April and July 2022, utilizing the WHOQOL-BREF for HRQOL assessment. Participants, with a median age of 23, scored highest in the physical health domain (mean: 63.2, SD = 16.2) and lowest in psychological health (mean: 58.2, SD = 16.9). Physical health domain scores varied by ethnicity, the field of study, weight category, and prescription medicine usage; environmental health scores by ethnicity and household income; and social health scores by age. Moderate perceived stress and low perceived support were significant predictors of poor HRQOL. Across the weight categories, sleep quality, perceived stress, and support have consistently impacted the HRQOL domain scores. This study underscores the multifaceted influences on young adults' quality of life during the transition to university, especially in post-pandemic adjustments, highlighting the importance of addressing factors such as perceived stress and support to enhance overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Although South Asia is a growing supplier of migrant labour, there is a paucity of research on the health and well-being of male Nepalese migrant workers. The purpose of this paper is to assess the health and mental well-being of Nepalese construction and factory workers employed in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire administered, in and around Nepal’s international airport, to 403 migrants who had worked for over six months in their host countries. Logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with self-reported health status and mental health symptoms.Findings Over 13 per cent reported poor or very poor health and nearly a quarter reported mental health issues. Whilst age and exercise were significantly associated with health status, poor work environments and perceived health risks were associated with both mental health issues and health status.Research limitations/implications The study is limited to males only and those working in the factories and the construction industry. To improve migrant health and mental well-being, Nepalese and host governments should consider mandatory health insurance and a range of pre-departure and arrival education around general literacy, mental health assessments and workplace health and safety.Originality/value There have been no known studies on the health and well-being of Nepalese migrant construction and factory workers in the Middle East and Malaysia. The strong association between self-reported poor health and perceived work environment is an important issue that policy makers in Nepal and destination countries should address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article derives data from a qualitative study conducted to address the essential skills competency in teaching among social work educators in Malaysian public universities. The study conducted in-depth case interviews with selected lecturers who teach social work education in public universities in Malaysia. The results showed that social work educators believe in communication skills, cognitive skills, analytical skills, hands-on practice and continuous training for quality social work education; nevertheless, they do not all possess such skills efficiently as per skills competency standards in Malaysia. The findings would be important guidelines for social work educators and policy makers in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human emotion is often a reflection of one's behaviour that leads to awareness of one's mental health. Emotion detection on Twitter users specifically gains attention as it generates information that is useful in the field of psychology and linguistics. However, most existing works related to the subject analysed the emotion of a tweet based on the number of keywords or phrases in it, thus resulting in false annotations and eventually false judgement of the user's emotion. This paper proposes a two-step model with high and reliable accuracy to detect the emotion of Twitter users based on the semantic meaning of the tweets they posted. The first step classified the emotion of each tweet using four different deep learning techniques. The second step detected the emotion of the user based on the proposed statistical post-level features and a boosting technique. Then, Kappa's agreement score method was implemented to validate both models. The first step achieved 0.9482 in accuracy while the second step achieved 0.9683 in accuracy. To further validate such highly accurate result, a case study was conducted, and a web-based system was developed to analyse the emotion of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, our analysis corresponded to most of the current reports on the pandemic which further proved the reliability of the developed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper describes the cross-cultural adaptation of the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) into Malay version (Malay PIDAQ), an oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) instrument specific for orthodontics for Malaysian adolescents between 12 and 17 years old.Methods: The PIDAQ was cross-culturally adapted into Malay version by forward- and backward-translation processes, followed by psychometric validations. After initial investigation of the conceptual suitability of the measure for the Malaysian population, the PIDAQ was translated into Malay, pilot tested and back translated into English. Psychometric properties were examined across two age groups (319 subjects aged 12-14 and 217 subjects aged 15-17 years old) for factor structure, internal consistency, reproducibility, discriminant and construct validity, criterion validity, and assessment of floor and ceiling effects.Results: Fit indices by confirmatory factor analysis showed good fit statistics (comparative fit index = 0.936, root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.064) and invariance across age groups. Internal consistency and reproducibility tests were satisfactory (Cronbach's α = 0.71-0.91; intra-class correlations = 0.72-0.89). Significant differences in Malay PIDAQ mean scores were observed between subjects with severe malocclusion and those with slight malocclusion based on a self-rated and an investigator-rated malocclusion index, for all subscales and all age groups (p < 0.05). Construct validity of the Malay PIDAQ subscales with those who rated themselves with excellent to poor dental appearance and those who felt they needed or did not need braces, showed significant associations for all age groups (p < 0.05). Criterion validity also showed significant association between the Malay PIDAQ scores with those with and without impact on daily activities attributed to malocclusion. There were no ceiling effects detected but floor effects were detected for the Aesthetic Concern subscale.Conclusion: The study has provided initial evidence for the validity and reliability of the Malay PIDAQ to assess the impact of malocclusion on the OHRQoL of 12-17 year old Malaysian adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stress, depression, and anxiety are prevalent issues among SME employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even while having meaningful work that expressively contributes to individual growth has been related to improving mental health, employees' work may also need to adopt coping strategies to increase outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between meaningful work (positive meaning, meaning-making, and greater good motivations) and mental health, as well as coping strategies (problem-focused and emotion-focused) as a mediator of this relationship. Methods: Meaningful work, coping strategies, and mental health were evaluated in empirical research based on a sample of 462 SME employees working in Malaysia. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data and analyze it through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS 21.0. Results: The findings of the study show the importance of meaningful work in influencing the mental health of SME employees, particularly during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. This suggests that the more they value and see their work as meaningful, the more capable they are of dealing with limitations and mental health problems associated with crises. The study also discovered a partial mediating role for coping strategies between employees' mental health and meaningful work. Conclusion: This study encourages employees to constantly feel connected and discover continued possibilities to work and learn even during crisis situations. In order to improve human resource efficiency in emerging markets, managers and owners of SMEs must implement the model developed by the researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) to ensure the transition from face-to-face learning to online teaching for continuity of education. This study aimed to investigate the association between e-learning and mental health status of UKM medical students. A cross-sectional study was carried out among Years 4 and 5 UKM medical students. Participants were randomly selected from a registered list. Students' perceptions of e-learning usage prior to and during COVID-19 pandemic and its relation to mental health status were assessed using The World Health Organisation Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaires. Mean scores for depression were 5.35 (SD 3.38) and anxiety 6.48 (SD 3.36). The frequency of e-learning usage per week was increased during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID period (p=0.045). Comparing the four domains of quality od life (QOL), psychological health had the lowest mean score of 62.63 (SD 15.22) while the environmental domain was the highest 69.34 (SD 10.92). Total QOL scores were significantly correlated with depression (p<0.001) and anxiety (p<0.001). This study provided insights into the effect of e-learning practice on medical students' mental health status. A significant increase in e-learning usage during COVID-19 was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Physical activity can prevent diseases. This study is the first of its kind that explores the influences of mental health, demographic and lifestyle factors on physical activity among ethnic minority school-going adolescents. The country of interest is Malaysia, which is a fast-growing developing country. Methods: Data were extracted from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2017. Students aged 13–17 years were surveyed. Probit regressions were utilised to estimate the probability of being physically active. Analyses were stratified by ethnic minority groups. Results: Stress was positively associated with physical activity among Indian students, but pairwise correlation tests showed that this association was insignificant. Depression reduced the probability of being physically active among Sabah native students. Form 1 and 2 Sabah and Sarawak native students were less likely to be physically active than their Form 5 peers. The probability of being physically active was greater among males of all the ethnic groups. Among Indians, while smoking reduced the probability of being physically active, alcohol drinking was associated with frequent participation in physical activity. Conclusions: Mental health, demographic and lifestyle factors play an important role in determining level of physical activity among ethnic minorities. Intervention measures targeting ethnic minority students could benefit by taking into consideration these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the intention of seeking counseling services among Malaysian civil servants. This study proposed a research model that elucidates the relationship between awareness, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, trust propensity, and intention. A survey was administered to 396 Malaysian civil servants, and the data obtained was analyzed using regression techniques. The result indicated that awareness, attitude, and perceived behavioral control significantly influence seeking counseling services. The results found the mediating role of attitude in the relationship between awareness and intention. Trust propensity did not yield a significant influence in the model. This research underscores the importance of understanding behavioral determinants in the context of counseling services and offers crucial insights for policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote mental well-being among civil servants. This study addresses a research gap by targeting Malaysian civil servants, a group often overlooked in mental health service research. By identifying key determinants influencing their intention to seek counseling, this work provides a foundation for relevant service interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stigmatisation is considered a 'second illness' for people with a mental illness and is highly prevalent in Malaysia. Stigmatisation negatively impacts wellbeing, recovery and productivity. Addressing stigmatisation is integral towards people attaining a higher quality of life. Aim: To explore mental illness stigmatisation in Malaysian adults. Method: A systematic literature review was conducted using thematic analysis to synthesise and categorise evidence. Five key themes emerged, providing insight into mental health stigmatisation. Findings: Cultural beliefs, limited knowledge of mental health and lack of education on mental health were factors influencing stigmatisation. Stigmatisation significantly affected the wellbeing and functioning of people with a mental illness. Interventions such as contact-based education effectively reduce stigmatising attitudes manifested by healthcare providers. Conclusion: Establishing mental health literacy, encouraging patient contact, promoting mental health awareness and strengthening mental health policies could reduce mental illness stigmatisation and its impact in Malaysia. Future research is warranted to investigate the impact on physical wellbeing and anti-stigmatising strategies targeting the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Malaysia, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the negative impact on mental health became noticeable. The public's psychological and behavioral responses have risen as the COVID-19 outbreak progresses. A high impression of severity, vulnerability, impact, and fear was the element that influenced higher anxiety. Social media data can be used to track Malaysian sentiments in the COVID-19 era. However, it is often found on the internet in text format with no labels, and manually decoding this data is usually complicated. Furthermore, traditional data- gathering approaches, such as filling out a survey form, may not completely capture the sentiments. This study uses a text mining technique called Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) on social media to discover mental health topics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, a model is developed using a hybrid approach, combining both lexicon-based and Naïve Bayes classifier. The accuracy, precision, recall, and F-measures are used to evaluate the sentiment classification. The result shows that the best lexicon-based technique is VADER with 72% accuracy compared to TextBlob with 70% accuracy. These sentiments results allow for a better understanding and handling of the pandemic. The top three topics are identified and further classified into positive and negative comments. In conclusion, the developed model can assist healthcare workers and policymakers in making the right decisions in the upcoming pandemic outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 coronavirus, an infectious disease originating in Wuhan, has become an outbreak worldwide, leading to unprecedented measures restricting social and physical activities in many countries. The subsequent social distancing of COVID-19 has significantly resulted in many psychological consequences. The current study examines the impact of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health symptoms of Selangor State, Malaysia residents. An online survey was conducted through social media platforms targeting residents of Selangor State in Malaysia. A convenience sampling method was led to include 258 respondents in the study. The questionnaire on the symptoms of mental health related to fear of COVID-19 included 13 items developed from the existing studies. The results showed that symptoms of mental health problems related to fear of COVID-19 are negatively associated with the likelihood of social interaction. The overall score of symptoms of mental health related to the fear of COVID-19 showed moderate symptoms of mental problems related to the fear of COVID-19. The factor of age was also associated with higher symptomatology of mental health problems related to fear of COVID-19. Thus, related measures and guidelines must consider the mental well-being of the at-risk person as the pandemic continues. The current study's findings contribute to the knowledge gaps in behavioural health during biological disasters. It also provides a reference for professionals and policymakers to develop programs and measures to handle the psychosocial status of the affected people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Anxiety is a common mental health disorder in primary care, with a higher prevalence among women compared to men. AIM: This is the first study to validate the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire (GAD-7) as a case-finding instrument for anxiety in a primary care setting in Malaysia. The objective was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the Malay version of the GAD-7 in detecting anxiety among women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a government-funded primary care clinic in Malaysia. Consecutive women participants attending the clinic during data collection were given self-administered questionnaires including the GAD-7 (Malay version). Participants then were selected using systematic weighted random sampling for Composite international diagnostic interviews (ACIDIC). The GAD-7 was validated against the ACIDIC reference standard. RESULTS: The response rate was 87.5% for the questionnaire completion (895/1023), and 96.8% for diagnostic interviews (151/156). The prevalence of anxiety was 7.8%. The GAD-7 had a sensitivity of 76% (95% CIA 61%-87%), a specificity of 94% (88%-97%), positive R 13.7 (6.2-30.5) and negative R 0.25 (0.14-0.45). DISCUSSION: The Malay version of the GAD-7 was found to be valid and reliable in case-finding for anxiety in this study. Due to its brevity, it is a suitable case-finding instrument for detecting anxiety in primary care settings in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rohingya refugees are one of the oldest and largest asylumseeking populations in Malaysia. Yet, there is a dearth of literature in relation to this population and their mental health. Through case studies, this paper seeks to add to the emerging body of knowledge on the Rohingya. These case studies highlight the unique factors which contribute to mental ill-health among them. It also seeks to identify mental health and psychosocial support strategies that are currently being implemented to address the mental health needs of the Rohingya in Malaysia, the challenges encountered and possible ways forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes prominent culture-bound syndromes (CBS) in Malaysia. While some of the syndromes are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV), their causation and treatment are not addressed. It is important for mental-health professionals to know that while the DSM-IV is widely used in many non-Western countries, the local population continues to believe in and practice indigenous methods of healing. Mental-health concepts and healing practices in the Malay and Chinese cultures, their clinical implications, and the need for ongoing research are emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health in Malaysia has not received the kind of attention it deserves. This is true for most developing countries and results from various reasons including a lack of knowledge or misunderstanding about what mental health really is, adherence to the traditional cultural belief systems and practices, and priorities of the government. Malaysia has come a long way since independence in regards to the mental health program development and service delivery. This paper explores the concepts of mental health within the different Malaysian ethnic/religious groups, traces a brief history of the development of mental health services within the country, covers the highlights of the Mental Health Act (2001) and assesses the overall progress in the area based on the 1974 recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) for developing countries. A brief section covers recommendations based on the current state of affairs in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers some findings from an ethnographic study of psychiatric patients in hospital care in East Malaysia. The subject of treatment is considered with regard to professional attitudes towards patient 'compliance' and the demonstration of resistance by users within a multicultural context in which traditional healing continues to be a popular alternative to biomedicine. 'Resistance' here is used in its literal meaning, rather than as an abstract, theoretical construct. The narratives of Malaysian patients in relation to resisting treatment in this study form some direct comparisons with, for example, the quotes from service users on the topic of medication, 'control and coercion' in the UK. ( Rogers, A., et al . (1993) Experiencing psychiatry : Users' views of services . London: MacMillan Press/MIND Publications.) Resistance to treatment then is interpreted by staff as the outcome of sickness behaviour, which frequently results in coercive strategies. The undisputed power of the medical profession in Malaysia has contributed to the lack of an evolved 'service-user' perspective in which few patient rights are recognised, especially non-treatment. These responses remain embedded in a paternalistic and custodial attitude that does not acknowledge issues of spirituality or alternative healing practices that are important to hospitalised patients. Modernisation of services have not led to a parallel development with regard to patient participation or in terms of appropriate cultural responses. It is concluded that until this takes place professionals will continue to ignore the personal meaning users attach to treatment resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the removal of refugee protections on refugee education and mental health, in addition to the protective roles of advocacy, community, and religion. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven Chin refugees from Myanmar who were refugee school leaders in Malaysia (mean age = 23; 57% female); we also interviewed four Malaysian citizens, with expertise in refugee education (mean age = 35; 100% female). We conducted follow-up interviews with five of the Chin participants. We found that (a) Chin refugees were deeply concerned about how removal of protections impacted refugee education, fears of refoulement, and the well-being of their refugee education community; (b) Logistical, community, and emotional support played a protective role; and (c) An unprecedented multi-step advocacy process by the Chin community contributed to successful reinstatement of their refugee protections, including protections for their refugee schools. Discussion addresses the importance of pre-consultation school research on policy impacts and advocacy with marginalized school communities prior to starting consultation, with a focus on how refugee community protective factors and advocacy can act as forms of resilience in the face of negative policy impacts on education and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal mental health problems are widespread worldwide, especially against the backdrop of population growth. There is an increasing prevalence of perinatal mental illness in low- and middle-income countries, and Malaysia is no exception. Despite significant improvements in the Malaysian mental health system over the past decade, there are substantial gaps in the delivery of perinatal health services in Malaysia. This article seeks to give a general overview of perinatal mental health in Malaysia and provide recommendations for the development of Malaysia's perinatal mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research has shown that trauma‐exposed refugee people frequently report less specific autobiographical memories, but the characteristics of their future episodic thinking remain largely unexplored. This study investigated the specificity and emotional valence of autobiographical memory and future episodic thinking produced by 120 Rohingya refugee people resettled in Malaysia. The participants retrieved three autobiographical memories and produced three future episodes to three cue words. The Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder‐8 Scale, Patients Health Questionnaire‐9, and Trauma Questionnaires assessed participants' PTSD, depression, and trauma exposures. Results revealed that nearly two‐thirds of the memories (64%) were overgeneral, and almost an equal number contained traumatic elements (63%). However, most future episodes were overgeneral (91%), and two‐thirds showed positivity bias (62.5%). The participants who retrieved more autobiographical memories with enhanced specificity also reported more future episodes with enhanced specificity. The higher PTSD and depression significantly predicted the reporting of overgeneral future episodes. Participants with a lower level of depression were more likely to report future episodes with enhanced positivity. The results indicate that therapeutic interventions targeting improving memory specificity and the positivity of future episodes could eventually improve refugee people's mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was part of a larger cross-national research project at the Norway’s University of Bergen, which involved participants from over 30 countries. This undertaking delves into developmental assets, creativity, and thriving, and the part they play in determining mental health. Thus, this study examined the developmental assets (internal assets: support, empowerment, boundaries, and expectations and creative use of time; external assets: commitment to learning, positive identity, positive values, and social competencies), creativity, thriving, and their importance to mental health in a sample of Malaysian emerging adults. This study was based on a sample of 394 undergraduate students, comprising 264 females and 130 males, ranging between the ages of 18 and 26 years (M = 21.5). Two subscales of the Reisman diagnostic creativity assessment (RDCA) were used to measure creativity (originality and fluency). Meanwhile, thriving indicators of Search Institute were used to measure thriving while the short form of the mental health continuum (MHCSF) for adolescents was used to measure mental health. An online Google form was used to collect data from university students enrolled in both public and private universities. The correlation analysis results revealed that all the variables were positively correlated to each other and that the relationship between development assets, creativity, thriving, and mental health ranged from weak to moderate. Multiple regression (stepwise) analysis produced four models that indicated that positive identity, support, creativity, and thriving have a significant influence on mental health among emerging adults. Further, analyses using the PROCESS procedure demonstrated significant indirect effects of positive identity and support on mental health through its effects on creativity and thriving. As such, it is our recommendation that mental health practitioners tailor their treatment approach to include positive identity, support, creativity, and thriving in their sessions with Malaysian emerging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High prevalence of smartphone addiction among medical students may contribute to adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of smartphone addiction, and explore the influencing factors and related mental health symptoms of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed (MEDLINE), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and EMBASE were searched for relevant literature from the inception to September 10, 2021. Using Stata software 11.0, the meta-analysis of prevalence and the influencing factors of smartphone addiction were determined with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Nineteen articles, published between 2014 and 2019, were included, producing medical student studies from seven different Asian countries. The included studies were conducted in India (n = 11) and Malaysia (n = 3), with China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Nepal, and Iran each contributing one study. Among a total of 5,497 medical students, the participants included 3,214 females, of whom 2,181 were medical students with smartphone addiction. The prevalence of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students was 41.93% (95% CI [36.24%, 47.72%]). The influencing factors of smartphone addiction among medical students included gender, duration of smartphone use, smartphone function, and marital status. Ten studies (52.63%) explored related mental health symptoms of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students. Smartphone addiction was positively correlated with poor sleep quality (r = .17-.31), stress (r = .30-.40), anxiety, depression, neuroticism, and general health among Asian medical students. Conclusion: Smartphone addiction is highly prevalent among Asian medical students. Smartphone addiction may adversely affect mental health, resulting in sleep disturbance, stress, anxiety, depression, and neuroticism. It is necessary to take appropriate precautionary actions and interventions to prevent smartphone overuse among medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 27-item Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS) is a test designed to measure the respondent's suicide knowledge. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Malay-translated version of the LOSS (M-LOSS) and its association to sociodemographic factors and mental health literacy. The 27-item LOSS was forward–backward translated into Malay, and the content and face validities were assessed. The version was distributed to 750 respondents across West Malaysia. Rasch model analysis was then conducted to assess the scale's psychometric properties. The validated M-LOSS and the Malay version of the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS-M) were then distributed to 867 respondents to evaluate their level of suicide literacy, mental health literacy, and their correlation. Upon Rasch analysis, 26 items were retained. The scale was found to be unidimensional, with generally satisfying separation and reliability indexes. Sex, socio-economic status, and experience in mental health were found to significantly impact the mean score for mental health literacy. This study also found a significant mean difference for suicide literacy across school types. Furthermore, while this study observed a weak but significant negative correlation between age and suicide literacy, no correlation was found between mental health and suicide literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Many mental health disorders have onset during adolescence. To date, the data on the correlates of anxiety is still lacking. Therefore, this study is crucial to determine the factors associated with anxiety among school-going adolescents in Malaysia. Methods This study was based on 26,892 school-going adolescents from 212 selected schools in Malaysia. Anxiety was measured using Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Associations between anxiety, sociodemographic characteristics and variables of interest were examined using multivariable logistic regression. Results Overall, 10,540 (39.7%) school-going adolescents had anxiety. Anxiety was positively associated with female (odds ratio, OR [95% confidence interval, CI] = 1.30 [1.19,1.42]) compared to male counterpart, feeling loneliness (1.78 [1.54,2.05]) compared to not lonely, unable to sleep due to worry of something (1.79 [1.56,2.05]) compared to able to sleep, being bullied (1.66 [1.48,1.87]) compared to not being bullied, physical abuse (1.33 [1.18,1.49]) compared to no physical abuse, verbal abuse (1.47 [1.35,1.59]) compared to no verbal abuse, current drinker (1.23 [1.06,1.43]) compared to not current drinker, current drug use (1.84 [1.43,2.35]) compared to not current drug use, ever had sex (1.17 [1.01,1.36]) compared to never had sex, physically inactive (1.16 [1.06,1.26]) compared to physically active and internet addiction (2.59 [2.37,2.83]) compared to no internet addiction. Chinese ethnic (0.68 [0.50,0.93]) compared to other ethnic, and Form 2 (0.78 [0.69,0.89]) and Form 3 (0.73 [0.65,0.82]) students compared to Form 1 students, were protective of anxiety. Conclusions Prevention and intervention programs for these "at-risk" adolescents should be planned holistically towards reducing the risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) reported the number of mental health cases among Malaysian aged 16 years and above has shown an increment trend - 10.7% (1996), 11.2% (2006) and 29.2% (2015). In the year 2015 only, 1 in 3 Malaysians have mental health problems. NHMS report in 2019 showed that the occurrence of depression among Malaysian adults is about half a million people. These statistics obviously hinted that something is missing when dealing with mental health issues in Malaysia. Though many studies have been conducted in the past, most are focusing on the causes, and little attention has been given on the aspect of help-seeking in addressing mental health issues. Therefore, this study was done to explore factors that influence individuals to seek help when having mental health problem. To uncover these issues, input from 3 participants were gathered through an online semi-structured interview. Through snowball sampling technique, the participants were invited and willingly to participate in this study. Specifically, 2 participants are the academics from private universities in Malaysia and 1 participant is an academic from a public university in Malaysia. As shared by the participants, the main factor that forces them to seek help is due to not able cope with the problems any longer. On the other hand, stigma from the society, job insecurity, and lack of management support and preservation of profession credibility were found to be among the factors that hinder a person to go and seek helps. Based on the findings, several suggestions and recommendations were put forward to encourage more people to go and seek professional help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burnout syndrome is a condition marked by emotional exhaustion, deterioration in motivation and lack of commitment, resulting from long-lasting workplace stress, characterized by exhaustion, negative feelings towards one's work and reduced professional efficacy. Healthcare workers are at particularly high risk for burnout due to high levels of stress. Our objectives were to determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome among doctors in Sabah and factors associated with it. This multi-centre cross-sectional study was carried out among doctors working in five Sabah main hospitals. Data were collected by using self-administered questionnaires consisting of basic socio-demographic information and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). Overall, a total of 523 doctors consented to participate in this study. The prevalence of personal burnout, work-related burnout, and patient-related burnout among doctors were 57.1%, 48.8%, and 30.4% respectively. Chi-square analysis showed factors that were associated to personal burnout and work-related burnout, were marital status, duration of service and position in the service. Duration of service was the only factor associated with patient-related burnout. The prevalence of burnout syndrome in Sabah should not to be overlooked and more researches are indicated to look into prevention of burnout syndrome in Malaysian setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite having a mental health act and clinical practice guideline, Malaysian patients with depression frequently progress to severe disease with poor prognosis. Understanding the underlying factors which influence help-seeking behaviour using a patient journey approach can provide insights for designing effective interventions. The study aimed to determine the different stages of patients journey for depression including awareness, screening, diagnosis, treatment, adherence, and control using a semi-systematic review. The review was conducted through (i) structured keyword search in Embase, MEDLINE, and BIOSIS databases using OVID platform for English articles published between 2005 and 2021; and (ii) an unstructured search on websites of Google, Incidence and Prevalence Database, World Health Organization, and Malaysian Ministry of Health. Studies included in the semi systematic review were based on Malaysian patients aged ≥18 years at different journey stages for depression and publications from year 2005 to July 2021. Thesis abstracts, letters to the editor, editorials, and case studies, or articles representing smaller population subgroups were excluded. Three articles out of 1062 retrievals through structured search and two articles out of four retrievals through the unstructured search were included in the final synthesis. We have found that the prevalence of major depressive disease (2.3%), low initial screening (20%), diagnosis (50% to 60%) and adherence (30% to 40%), despite high awareness (76.9%) and initiation of treatment (75.3%). Low education level, ethnicity, stigma regarding mental health, and irrational prescription pattern of primary care physicians were associated with poor mental health help-seeking behaviour. Depression literacy can improve the help-seeking behaviour of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health problems in Malaysia are on a rise. This study aimed at performing a systematic review of mental health literacy (MHL) in Malaysia. Methods: Medline, Embase, ERIC/Proquest, ScienceDirect, Pubmed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, EBM Reviews ‐ Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid Emcare and reference lists of included studies were searched in February 2020. Studies that evaluated at least one of the main components of MHL, including (1) knowledge related to mental health issues, and (2) stigma, were included irrespective of study design. As secondary findings, the review also synthesized results related to facilitators and barriers to seeking mental health services. Depending on the research design, the quality of each study was assessed through checklists. Results: Forty six studies published between 1995 to 2019 were included. Most studies used cross‐sectional designs to investigate MHL. Findings indicate that most Malaysians have stigmatizing attitudes towards mental health problems. Participants in the included studies endorsed multifactorial explanations of mental health issues with a dominance of supernatural and religious aetiologies. Likewise, the commonest barrier was considering sources other than professional sources of mental‐health services. Presence of adequate knowledge and considering providers as competent facilitated help‐seeking. Additionally, there was considerable heterogeneity in studies and a lack of standardized measures assessing MHL. Conclusions: There is an increase in studies on MHL in Malaysia. A few of these studies, based on experimental design, have shown positive effects. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers should develop standardized measures and interventional studies based on all the components of MHL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explores the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including social distancing, travel restrictions and quarantine, on lived experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand (TH), Malaysia (MY), Italy (IT) and the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 86 interviews (TH: n = 28; MY: n = 18; IT: n = 20; UK: n = 20) were conducted with members of the public, including healthcare workers (n = 13). Participants across countries held strong views on government imposed NPIs, with many feeling measures lacked clarity. Most participants reported primarily negative impacts of NPIs on their lives, including through separation, isolation and grief over missed milestones; work-related challenges and income loss; and poor mental health and wellbeing. Nonetheless, many also experienced inadvertent positive consequences, including more time at home to focus on what they most valued in life; a greater sense of connectedness; and benefits to working life. Commonly employed coping strategies focused on financial coping (e.g. reducing spending); psycho-emotional coping (e.g. engaging in spiritual practices); social coping and connectedness (e.g., maintaining relationships remotely); reducing and mitigating risks (e.g., changing food shopping routines); and limiting exposure to the news (e.g., checking news only occasionally). Importantly, the extent to which participants' lived experiences were positive or negative, and their ability to cope was underpinned by individual, social and economic factors, with the analysis indicating some salient differences across countries and participants. In order to mitigate negative and unequal impacts of NPIs, COVID-19 policies will benefit from paying closer attention to the social, cultural and psychological—not just biological—vulnerabilities to, and consequences of public health measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]