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Depression is one of the leading mental health disorders that occurs frequently among university students. Self-esteem and lifestyle factors are modifiable factors that have the potential of preventing depression. The study aimed to explore the relationship for depression, self-esteem, and lifestyle factors among university students in Singapore and Malaysia, and whether individual lifestyle factors mediate the relationship. Participants completed an online questionnaire that consisted of socio-demographic, Beck Depression Inventory-ll. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Simple Lifestyle Indicator Questionnaire. Data analyses showed that low self-esteem, diet, high smoking, and stress predicted an increase in the level of depression. Stress was a significant mediator for self-esteem and depression. Findings suggested that those with low self-esteem perceived stress as unmanageable, thereby increasing the level of depression scores.

This research investigated the relationships of the Dark Triad, impulsiveness, and social network sites (SNS) addiction with adolescents. In particular, this research examined the indirect effects of the measured motor, attentional, and nonplanning impulsiveness on the relationship of the Dark Triad and SNS addiction. To examine the possible antecedents of SNS addiction, 169 adolescents aged 14-17 were recruited for this research. After obtaining informed consents from their legal guardians, these adolescents completed the Dirty Dozen, the modified Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale – version 11. Results showed that the Dark Triad composite score was positively correlated with SNS addiction and the different aspects of impulsiveness, while SNS addiction was positively correlated with motor impulsiveness. The indirect effect of motor impulsiveness on the relationship of the Dark Triad and SNS addiction was significant. The present findings provide theoretical insights to the development of SNS addiction.

The present research was conducted to systematically review existing research that examined the relationships of the aspects of self-construal and social network sites (SNS) usages. A total of 12 research articles met the inclusion criteria for the present review. The reviewed research articles mainly supported the significant relationship of the interdependent self-construal and SNS-related outcomes. The present review highlighted that the reviewed relationships differed. Some findings supported the direct effect of self-construal on SNS-related outcomes, whereas some supported the indirect effects of intervening variables on these relationships. The reviewed findings supported the influence of self-construal on cognition, emotion, and motivation. Implications of the present systematic review were discussed in the manuscript.

This study examined the perceptions of parental bonding, depressive experiences of self-criticism and dependency, and the current level of depressive symptomology among 212 college students from Sabah, Malaysia. The participants completed the brief version of the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Reconstructed Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, and the Patient Health Questionnaire. The results showed significant direct effects of maternal care, maternal overprotection, paternal care, self-criticism, and dependency on depressive symptomology. In contrast, the indirect effects of self-criticism and dependency on the relationship between parental bonding and depressive symptomology were not significant. These findings were in line with previous studies that have highlighted the significance of parent-child bonding, self-criticism, and dependency in the development of depressive symptomology. However, they contradicted previous results on the significant indirect effects of self-criticism and dependency. This study highlights the importance of parental care and overprotection, as they can predict the manifestation of depressive symptomology at a later stage in life.

This qualitative study explored the facilitators and barriers influencing professional mental health help-seeking among Malaysian LGBT young adults (n = 28). The main barriers identified were inter...

Depressive symptoms commonly begin in late childhood and early adolescence and, left untreated, can increase in frequency and severity and last through adulthood. Recent estimates of depres...

This article explores subjective experiences related to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) through a qualitative analysis of interviews with 7 Malaysian university students who had recently en...

This study investigates beliefs about a good life among Malays, Malaysian Chinese and Mainland Chinese university students as a follow up to earlier findings. Three hundred and sixteen participants – 95 Mainland Chinese, 123 Malaysian Chinese and 98 Malay were asked to evaluate 30 descriptors of a good or worthwhile life that are commonly cited across cultural groups. Results show significant between-group differences for seven of the 30 criteria. Consistent with earlier findings, differences among Asian groups emerged along a theoretical dimension related to practical concerns on one side as compared to moral and spiritual concerns on the other. In this study, consistent with previous findings, Mainland Chinese tended to prefer more practical criteria, while Malays were similar to South Asian groups in their preference for more spiritual criteria. Malaysian Chinese participants’ preferences, in general, fell between those of Mainland Chinese and Malays. Also consistent with previous findings, all three groups in this study rated close interpersonal relationships as central to determining whether life is worthwhile.

A brief survey asked Malaysians if they had searched for information about illegal drugs and their thoughts about the information available. Two hundred and eighty participants from four states: Selangor, Penang, Malacca, and Johor filled out a paper-and-pencil survey including both multiple choice and open-ended written questions. Quantitative analyses of closed-ended, and thematic analyses of open-ended data indicated the following: Half of participants had, at some point, actively searched for information about drug use; 28% reported searching at least once per month. Participants generally (79%) preferred to obtain information online, but 62% also reported sharing and obtaining information about drugs in face-to-face interactions with friends and others. Concerns regarding the reliability of information, such as the presence of conflicting or contradictory messages from multiple sources, was a common theme in open ended responses. Of those who searched for information, about 70% reported desiring more detailed information about different drugs, in particular about their various side effects and risks. It is suggested that drug information campaigns, particularly those aimed at university students, might better focus on providing accurate, detailed information about the risks and other issues involved in various types of drug use, rather than one-size-fits-all messages. Given the varied and confusing nature of information already available, overly simplistic anti-drug messages may be ineffective, if not counterproductive.

Increasingly, online counseling is considered to be a cost-effective and highly accessible method of providing basic counseling and mental health services. To examine the potential of online delivery as a way of increasing overall usage of services, this study looked at students' attitudes toward and likelihood of using both online and/or face-to-face counseling. A survey was conducted with 409 students from six universities in Malaysia participating. Approximately 35% of participants reported that they would be likely to utilize online counseling services but would be unlikely to participate in face-to-face counseling. Based on these results, it is suggested that offering online counseling, in addition to face-to-face services, could be an effective way for many university counseling centers to increase the utilization of their services and thus better serve their communities.

The 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey estimated that over 29% of the adult population of Malaysia suffers from mental distress, a nearly 3-fold increase from the 10.7% estimated by the NHMS in 1996 pointing to the potential beginnings of a public health crisis. This study aimed to better understand this trend by assessing depressive symptoms and their correlates in a cross-section of Malaysians. Specifically, it assesses stress, perceived locus of control, and various socio-demographic variables as possible predictors of depressive symptoms in the Malaysian context. A total of 728 adults from three Malaysian states (Selangor, Penang, Terengganu) completed Beck's depression inventory as well as several other measures: 10% of respondents reported experiencing severe levels of depressive symptoms, 11% reported moderate and 15% reported mild depressive symptoms indicating that Malaysians are experiencing high levels of emotional distress. When controlling for the influence of other variables, depressive symptoms were predictably related to higher levels of stress and lower levels of internal locus of control. Ethnic Chinese Malaysians, housewives and those engaged in professional-type occupations reported less depressive symptoms. Business owners reported more depressive symptoms. Further research should look more into Malaysians' subjective experience of stress and depression as well as explore environmental factors that may be contributing to mental health issues. It is argued that future policies can be designed to better balance individual mental health needs with economic growth.

This study examined the role of social support in managing worry among a sample of Malaysian adults. An online questionnaire was completed by 136 participants (age M = 34, SD = 7.65; 71% female, 29% male). Each wrote open-ended, essay-type descriptions of their experiences with social support in relation to worry, as well as completing measures of pathological worry (Penn State Worry Questionnaire), normal worry (Worry Domains Questionnaire), and perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Results indicated that young adults experienced a higher degree of normal worry compared to older adults, but pathological worry was not significantly different between the two groups. No significant differences in worry were found in relation to gender, ethnicity or marital status. Perceived social support was negatively related to levels of both normal and pathological worry. Qualitative analyses pointed towards four important roles for social support: providing a sense of belonging and security, providing emotional relief or catharsis, helping to reappraise situations, and facilitating problem-solving and decision-making. The role of social support as a secure base that facilitates emotion management and helps to ground thinking is discussed.

Psychological factors and social relationships are important components that influence an individual's communication style. This paper aims to examine the association of personality factors, social anxiety (SA) and loneliness with mobile phone (MP) usage preferences on the basis of voice calling and text messaging. Malaysian MP users (N = 187) completed four questionnaires (Mobile Phone Usage Questionnaire, Big Five Inventory, Interaction Anxiousness Scale and UCLA Loneliness Scale) on paper or online via a web-link. Multiple regression analyses revealed that personality, SA and loneliness broadly predicted preferences for voice calling or text messaging. Further analyses examining the predictability of time spent on voice calls/text messaging and number of people called/exchanged text messages also revealed some significant findings in regards to the openness-to-experience personality dimension, loneliness and SA. The findings of this research have important implications to tailoring the delivery of psychological services to individuals diagnosed with chronic loneliness and SA.

Background There are limited studies describing the epidemiology of childhood brain injury, especially in developing countries. This study analyses data from the Malaysian National Trauma Database (NTrD) registry to estimate the incidence of childhood brain injury among various demographic groups within the state of Selangor and Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. Methods This study analysed all traumatic brain injury cases for children ages 0–19 included in the 2010 NTrD report. Results A total of 5,836 paediatric patients were admitted to emergency departments (ED) of reporting hospitals for trauma. Of these, 742 patients (12.7 %) suffered from brain injuries. Among those with brain injuries, the mortality rate was 11.9 and 71.2 % were aged between 15 and 19. Traffic accidents were the most common mode of injury (95.4 %). Out of the total for traffic accidents, 80.2 % of brain injuries were incurred in motorcycle accidents. Severity of injury was higher among males and patients who were transferred or referred to the reporting centres from other clinics. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) total score and type of admission were found to be statistically significant, χ2 (5, N = 178) = 66.53, p

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine specifically the impacts of transformational leadership on job‐related learning at the individual level.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was conducted. The survey questionnaire contained measurements of job‐related learning (JRL) and the five dimensions of transformational leadership: idealized influence attributed (IIA), idealized influence behavior (IIB), individualized consideration (CON), inspirational motivation (INSPIRE), intellectual stimulation (INTSTIM). Data were collected from 400 individuals of various organizations on a voluntary and anonymous basis.FindingsThe research results showed that the dimensions of IIB and CON were two significant predictors to job‐related learning.Research limitations/implicationsAll of the data collected in the present study are gathered from a single source through a common method (i.e. a Likert‐scale questionnaire). Also, the use of a cross‐sectional design in the present study restricts inferences being drawn regarding the causal relationships between transformational leadership and job‐related learning.Practical implicationsIt seems that leaders are able to enhance job‐related learning among the employees when they recognize the growth needs of their followers and provide them with personal guidance and goal‐directed development. The findings imply that if a high learning orientation in an organisation is desired, transformational leadership would be the type of leadership needed in the organization.Originality/valueThe present study does provide some evidence that some dimensions of transformational leadership are more influential on job‐related learning than the others.

This research was carried out to understand the productivity of academic psychologist in ASEAN countries. This research includes total publication and citation from ASEAN country, universities and researchers from ASEAN countries. Four ASEAN countries were excluded as their total publications and citations were less than 10. Other than total numbers of publication and citation, this research was conducted on the most common subject areas and keywords from ASEAN research. This study found that Singapore in ASEAN had the highest total publications and citations from 2007 till 2011. Singapore in ASEAN’s university has the highest publications and citations as well. The most productive researcher is Viren Swami from Malaysia while the most influential researcher is Chiyue Chiu from Singapore.

In recent years, there have been increasing accounts of illegal substance abuse among university students and professional groups in Malaysia. This study looks at university students' perceptions about this phenomenon. Students from Malaysian universities were asked for their impressions about drug availability and abuse, as well as factors contributing to drug abuse and relapse. The questionnaire also inquired into their knowledge and views regarding government versus private rehabilitation centers, as well as their exposure to, and views about, school-based drug-prevention education. Participants were 460 university students from five Malaysian states: Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, and Sarawak. Results showed gender differences in perceptions of relapse prevention strategies, as well as factors leading to drug abuse and relapse. Students also believed that drug education would be more effective if initiated between the ages of 11 and 12 years, which is slightly older than the common age of first exposure, and provided suggestions for improving existing programs. Implications of student perceptions for the improvement of current interventions and educational programs are discussed.

The present study investigated the mediating role of depressive symptom severity in the relationship betweenOCD severity and quality of life (QoL) with Malaysian sample. A total of 126 Malaysians were required tocomplete the questionnaires given, which measure for different aspects of QoL, OCD and depression severity.The results revealed that depression severity and OCD severity were positively correlated. OCD severity wasnegatively correlated with physical functioning, emotional well-being, social functioning and general health. Inaddition, depression severity mediated the relationship between OCD severity and emotional well-being andsocial functioning.

The aim of this review was to evaluate research relating to the effects of coping strategies and resilience on the level of workplace stress. Much of the research focused on working mothers and working females in general. It was found that working females experienced more work stress as compared to men. And currently in Malaysia, social policies that support working females, especially working mothers, has not been adopted fully by most corporations. Furthermore, the evidence for effective problem-focused and emotion-focused coping was inconsistent. It was concluded that correlation between work stressors and the adopted coping strategies may vary depending on the type of problems being dealt with and the interplay between the employee and the demand. Moreover, resilience literature revealed this concept as an enhancement of an individual’s adaptability and survival in the presence of occupational stressors and success in overcoming the stressors results in increased resilience to future hardships. This article identifies a number of research gaps for advancing work stress research, in particular: 1) limited work stress research on Malaysian working women and mothers, and; 2) limited literature on relating resilience to coping strategies and work stress.

Research quality and productivity are the important dimensions that affect the employability and rewards of university faculty members. Generally, the publication achievement of university faculty members can be measured by the number of papers published in reputable journals as well as the number of citations obtained from their publications. This study examines the publication productivity of accounting faculty members of Asia Pacific universities in the top accounting journals for the period 2000 to 2010. The present study also measures the publication achievement using the number of citations of the researchers’ publications in these journals for the same period based on the search from Google Scholar, Scopus and Social Science Citation Index. The study found that Hun-Tong Tan is the most productive researcher in the top 18 accounting journals, followed by R. G. Walker and Michael Bradbury. When a sub-set of the top 5 accounting journals is used, the top three researchers are Hun-Tong Tan (NTU), Clive S. Lennox (HKUST) and Robert H. Chenhall (Monash U). Using the citation count, the present study found that T.J. Wong (CUHK), Robert H. Chenhall, and Ferdinand A. Gul (Monash U) obtained the highest total citations from both Google Scholar and Scopus. However, when Social Science Citation Index is used, T.J. Wong, Robert H. Chenhall, and Hun-Tong Tan are the top three. The results of this study provide the evidence of the contributions by the Asia Pacific universities’ faculties towards high quality accounting research and publications over the last decade.

In recent years, central research on relationships has focused mostly on the quality of relationships. It has been postulated that married and dating couples tend to rate the quality of their relationship differently. The present study aims to explore this statement in addition to examining the role of gender in couple satisfaction and consensus. A total of 160 participants that were made up of 80 married individuals and 80 individuals who were dating were surveyed for this purpose. The Dyadic Consensus and Dyadic Satisfaction subscale from the Dyadic Adjustment Scale were administered to the couples. Independent-samples T-test was used to analyse the gender differences in regards to dyadic consensus and dyadic satisfaction. It was found that there was a significant difference between married and dating couples in regards to dyadic satisfaction in a relationship. However, it was found that there was no significant difference between married and dating couples in relate to dyadic consensus in a relationship. In addition, findings of this study revealed that there was no significant difference in satisfaction and consensus among males and females. Further investigation is recommended on couple’s problem-solving styles which may lead to noticeable differences between genders, married and dating couples as relate to their level of satisfaction and consensus.

The study aims to examine the relationship between self-esteem and perceived social support among the Malaysian adolescents. Gender differences of perceived social support and self-esteem among the respondents were also investigated. To achieve the objectives of the study, a survey was conducted with a relatively large (n=460) random samples of adolescents, aged 16-20, drawn from schools, colleges and universities in Malaysia. The Self-esteem Rating Scale (SERS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used in the study. The results indicated that there were no gender differences in perceived social support and self-esteem among adolescents. However, a positive correlation was found between perceived social support and self-esteem. The study also found peer support was the highest form of perceived social support.

Teenage suicide has become a very serious problem and has been labeled as a growing epidemic by many health professionals worldwide. Through a questionnaire survey, the study aims to examine gender difference in public perceptions on various reasons for and methods used in suicidal attempts among teenagers. 90 college students participated in this study. The results showed a significant difference among males and females for the reasons why teenagers attempt suicide. The reasons were secularism, poor parent-child relationship and atheism. For the methods of suicidal attempts, a significant gender difference was also obtained for the slit wrist method.

The main purpose of the study is to examine the interrelationships of communication skills, conflict tactics, and mental health of married and cohabitating couples in Malaysia. The study also investigated how an individual’s conflict tactics would affect spouse’s reaction. Participating in the study were 400 married or cohabitating couples from Selangor state of Malaysia. The research instruments used were General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS), and Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA). The research findings reveal significant relationships between conflict tactics and mental health, conflict tactics and spouse’s communication response, conflict tactics and communication skills, and between communication skills and mental health. In summary, the study shows that couples with better communication skills and conflict tactics have better mental health.