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Fulltext Adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors among medical students using Facebook

Al-Dubai SA, Ganasegeran K, Al-Shagga MA, Yadav H, Arokiasamy JT

ScientificWorldJournal, 2013;2013:465161.
PMID: 24453859 DOI: 10.1155/2013/465161

Little is known about the relationships between adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors among medical students using Facebook. The aim of this study was to determine the associations between adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors with Facebook use. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a private university in Malaysia among 316 medical students. A self-administered questionnaire was used. It included questions on sociodemographics, pattern of Facebook use, social relationship, unhealthy behaviors, and health effects. Mean age was 20.5 (±2.7) years. All students had a Facebook account. The average daily Facebook surfing hours were 2.5 (±1.7). Significant associations were found between average hours of Facebook surfing and the following factors: isolation from family members and community, refusing to answer calls, musculoskeletal pain, headache, and eye irritation (P < 0.005). The average hours spent on Facebook were significantly associated with holding urination and defecation while online, surfing Facebook until midnight, and postponing, forgetting, or skipping meals (P < 0.005). The average hours spent on Facebook were associated with adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors among medical students, as well as social isolation from the family and community.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Financial strain, social relations, and psychological distress among older people: a cross-cultural analysis

Ferraro KF, Su Y

J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, 1999 Jan;54(1):S3-15.
PMID: 9934397

OBJECTIVES: This article examines how financial strain and social relations may independently and jointly influence psychological distress among older people in four nations.
METHODS: Data from four Western Pacific nations (N = 3,277) are used to test additive and multiplicative models of the relationships between financial strain, social relations, and psychological distress.
RESULTS: Financial strain is associated with higher levels of psychological distress in three of the four nations. Interactive models of the effects of financial strain and social relations on distress were uncovered in three of the four nations, but the type of social relation influencing the strain-distress relationship varied. Subjective-health and IADLs were significant predictors of psychological distress in all four nations.
DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that although financial strain is quite likely to lead to psychological distress among elders, this can be mitigated, at least in part, by social relationships. Modernization was not associated with higher psychological distress.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Social relations and health assessments among older people: do the effects of integration and social contributions vary cross-culturally?

Su YP, Ferraro KF

J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, 1997 Jan;52B(1):S27-36.
PMID: 9008679

Research on health assessments has shown the importance of social relations as a factor influencing health, especially among older people. Drawing upon sociological theories of social integration and social exchange, this research examines two domains of social relations which are expected to influence assessed health. In addition, the study uses a cross-national sample (N = 3,407) of noninstitutionalized older people from the Republic of Korea, Fiji, Malaysia, and the Philippines to determine if modernization conditions the relationships between social relations and health. Results indicate that social integration has a positive effect on subjective health assessments in all nations, whereas social contributions are significant only in Korea. Findings suggest that health assessments by elders in the most modernized nations appear to be much more influenced by the contributions they make to the social order than is the case in nations which are less modernized.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Stress and its relief among undergraduate dental students in Malaysia

Ahmad MS, Md Yusoff MM, Abdul Razak I

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2011 Jul;42(4):996-1004.
PMID: 22299483

This study was conducted to identify the prevalence of stress, types of stressors, consequences of stress and stress relievers among undergraduate dental students at the University of Malaya during the different years of study. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire among Bachelor of Dental Surgery students during Years 2 to 5. A 100% response rate was obtained. The instrument asked questions about the preceding academic year. The results of the questionnaire reveal the prevalence of stress was 100%. The most common cause of stress among preclinical students was academic concerns and among clinical students was patient management and clinical performance. Physical and behavioral problems were reported as consequences of stress. Most students overcame stress by having strong interpersonal relationships.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Fulltext The problem student on clinical rotations: a comparison of Malaysian and North American views

Hunt DD, Khalid BA, Shahabudin SH, Rogayah J

Med J Malaysia, 1994 Sep;49(3):275-81.
PMID: 7845279

The purpose of this study is to explore the types of problem students that clinical teachers encounter in clinical settings. A questionnaire developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges that lists a variety of types of problem students was completed by 466 clinicians at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) and 98 Malaysian clinicians from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). In addition, 120 medical students from UKM completed a slightly modified version of this questionnaire. Both the faculty and student questionnaires asked the respondent to identify the frequency of a given problem type. The faculty was also asked to estimate how difficult it was to evaluate a specific problem. In general, there was strong agreement among the North American and Malaysian faculty on the frequency and difficulty of the 24 types of problem students listed. There were some notable differences, such as Malaysian teachers perceiving the "shy" student more frequently than their North American counterparts who rated the student with deficits in knowledge more frequently. However, the overall similarity in the rankings suggest that clinical teachers face similar types of problems, independent of cultural differences and institutional differences.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Fulltext Husband-wife communication and family planning practices among Malay married couples in Mukim Rusila, Terengganu

Azimi YN, Atiya AS

Med J Malaysia, 2003 Jun;58(2):218-28.
PMID: 14569742 MyJurnal

The role of husband-wife communication in the practice of family planning was studied among the rural Malay couples in Mukim Rusila, Terengganu. It was a cross-sectional study in which a cluster sampling was used to select the study sample. A total of 193 (100.0%) wives and 74 (38.3%) husbands responded to a face-to-face interview. Visual Analogue Scale was used to measure the level of husband-wife communication. Husband-wife communication score was lower on family planning compared to other matters. There was a significant fair agreement on the scores between the husbands and the wives (p > 0.05) on family planning. There was a significant association between husband-wife communication on family planning and the current practice of family planning (p = 0.002). The 'likelihood' that couples who had had good husband-wife communication to practice family planning was about 2.8 times higher compared to those couples with poor husband-wife communication (95% C.I.: 1.4, 5.3). Further research need to be carried out, as the study was limited by certain constraints.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Fulltext Parent-adolescent relationships and its association to adolescents' self-esteem

Yaacob MJ

Malays J Med Sci, 2006 Jan;13(1):21-4.
PMID: 22589586

Psychoanalysts believed that early mother-child relationships form the prototype of all future relationships and the outcome of adolescents development depends on their ego-strength. Object relations theory believed that intrapsychic process mediates interpersonal interaction to develop a sense of secure self and adolescents must relinquish the internalized other in order to develop a more mature sense of self. Social-relation theory believed that mothers and fathers provide different socialization experiences. Self-esteem depends on the functioning of the whole family in which adolescent is intimately related to the dyadic relationship in a family. There is an association between interparental conflict and adolescent's self-esteem and problem behaviour.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Social skills, friendship and happiness: a cross-cultural investigation

Demir M, Jaafar J, Bilyk N, Ariff MR

J Soc Psychol, 2012 May-Jun;152(3):379-85.
PMID: 22558831 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2011.591451

The present study investigated the associations between social skills, friendship quality, and happiness, and tested a mediational model positing that friendship quality would mediate the relationship between social skills and happiness among American and Malaysian college students. Although American students reported significantly higher levels of psychosocial well-being than Malaysian students, the study variables were positively associated with each other in both cultures. More importantly, findings supported the proposed model in both groups. Results suggest that part of the reason why social skills are associated with positive psychological well-being is because of friendship experiences. Overall, the findings of the present study reinforce, extend and cross-culturally generalize the presumed benefits of social skills in positive well-being elaborated by Segrin and Taylor (2007). The authors also provided suggestions for future research.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Shyness, Loneliness Avoidance, and Internet Addiction: What are the Relationships?

Ang CS, Chan NN, Lee CS

J Psychol, 2018 Jan 02;152(1):25-35.
PMID: 29236584 DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2017.1399854

Given that shyness has been consistently linked to Internet addiction in youth, an examination into the mediating effect of a desire to avoid loneliness on the shyness-Internet addiction link could offer potential insights into a possible explanatory mechanism as well as directions for Internet addiction prevention and intervention in young adulthood. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the mediating role of loneliness avoidance in the relationship between shyness and Internet addiction among 286 youth Internet users. Shyness was significantly and positively correlated with loneliness avoidance and Internet addiction. In addition, loneliness avoidance was significantly and positively correlated with Internet addiction. Most importantly, loneliness avoidance may predispose shy youth to become addicted to the Internet. Theoretical and practical implications of the research findings for youth wellness are addressed in this study.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Assessment of patients' level of satisfaction with cleft treatment using the Cleft Evaluation Profile

Noor SN, Musa S

Cleft Palate Craniofac J, 2007 May;44(3):292-303.
PMID: 17477746

OBJECTIVES: Determination of the psychosocial status and assessment of the level of satisfaction in Malaysian cleft palate patients and their parents.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Sixty cleft lip and palate patients (12 to 17 years of age) from Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia and their parents were selected. The questionnaires used were the Child Interview Schedule, the Parents Interview Schedule, and the Cleft Evaluation Profile (CEP), administered via individual interviews.
RESULTS: Patients were teased because of their clefts and felt their self-confidence was affected by the cleft condition. They were frequently teased about cleft-related features such as speech, teeth, and lip appearance. Parents also reported that their children were being teased because of their clefts and that their children's self-confidence was affected by the clefts. Both showed a significant level of satisfaction with the treatment provided by the cleft team. There was no significant difference between the responses of the patients and their parents. The features that were found to be most important for the patients and their parents, in decreasing order of priority, were teeth, nose, lips, and speech.
CONCLUSIONS: Cleft lip and/or palate patients were teased because of their clefts, and it affected their self-confidence. The Cleft Evaluation Profile is a reliable and useful tool to assess patients' level of satisfaction with treatment received for cleft lip and/or palate and can identify the types of cleft-related features that are most important for the patients.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
'Rallying around the flag': Can an intergroup contact intervention promote national unity?

Al Ramiah A, Hewstone M

Br J Soc Psychol, 2012 Jun;51(2):239-56.
PMID: 21793860 DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8309.2011.02041.x

A longitudinal study evaluated the success of a contact-based nation-building intervention (the Malaysian National Service Programme) in promoting various facets of national unity. The study assessed how post-test measures of quality of intergroup contact, outgroup evaluations, and levels of identification changed compared to their respective pre-test levels, for both National Service and control group participants. The intervention did not lead to a worsening of any of the constructs related to intergroup relations, which is noteworthy given the novelty for many participants of mixing in a multi-ethnic setting. Furthermore, all rater groups (Malays, Chinese, and Indians) maintained their ethnic identity, even in the presence of high levels of national identity, which we discuss with respect to past research on the effects of positive intergroup contact on minority group identification. However, the changes associated with the intervention yielded only small effect sizes, and, on the whole, National Service participants did not show significantly greater improvement than that experienced by control participants. We discuss the value of intergroup contact in this novel setting, considering various features of this programme that may have limited its effectiveness and discuss how such interventions can more successfully meet their goals.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Strabismus-related prejudice in 5-6-year-old children

Lukman H, Kiat JE, Ganesan A, Chua WL, Khor KL, Choong YF

Br J Ophthalmol, 2010 Oct;94(10):1348-51.
PMID: 20601661 DOI: 10.1136/bjo.2009.173526

There is a general consensus that individuals with conspicuous strabismus are perceived more negatively with respect to physical appearance, personality and capability. Such social biases can potentially lead to social alienation and negative psychosocial development, particularly when experienced at a young age. This study aims to explore young children's perception of peers with noticeable exotropia.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Proceedings: Cultural conflict and transition: epidemic hysteria and social sanction

Teoh JI, Yeoh KL

Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 1973 Dec;7(4):283-95.
PMID: 4522945
Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Fulltext Solving the second-order free rider problem in a public goods game: An experiment using a leader support system

Ozono H, Jin N, Watabe M, Shimizu K

Sci Rep, 2016 12 09;6:38349.
PMID: 27934871 DOI: 10.1038/srep38349

Punishment of non-cooperators-free riders-can lead to high cooperation in public goods games (PGG). However, second-order free riders, who do not pay punishment costs, reduce the effectiveness of punishment. Here we introduce a "leader support system," in which one group leader can freely punish group followers using capital pooled through the support of group followers. In our experiment, participants engage in three stages repeatedly: a PGG stage in which followers decide to cooperate for their group; a support stage in which followers decide whether to support the leader; and a punishment stage in which the leader can punish any follower. We compare a support-present condition with a no-support condition, in which there is an external source for the leader's punishment. The results show that punishment occurs more frequently in the support-present condition than the no-support condition. Within the former, both higher cooperation and higher support for a leader are achieved under linkage-type leaders-who punish both non-cooperators and non-supporters. In addition, linkage-type leaders themselves earn higher profits than other leader types because they withdraw more support. This means that leaders who effectively punish followers could increase their own benefits and the second-order free rider problem would be solved.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Fulltext Facial Complexity in Sun Bears: Exact Facial Mimicry and Social Sensitivity

Taylor D, Hartmann D, Dezecache G, Te Wong S, Davila-Ross M

Sci Rep, 2019 03 21;9(1):4961.
PMID: 30899046 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39932-6

Facial mimicry is a central feature of human social interactions. Although it has been evidenced in other mammals, no study has yet shown that this phenomenon can reach the level of precision seem in humans and gorillas. Here, we studied the facial complexity of group-housed sun bears, a typically solitary species, with special focus on testing for exact facial mimicry. Our results provided evidence that the bears have the ability to mimic the expressions of their conspecifics and that they do so by matching the exact facial variants they interact with. In addition, the data showed the bears produced the open-mouth faces predominantly when they received the recipient's attention, suggesting a degree of social sensitivity. Our finding questions the relationship between communicative complexity and social complexity, and suggests the possibility that the capacity for complex facial communication is phylogenetically more widespread than previously thought.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Development, validity and reliability of the short multidimensional positive mental health instrument

Vaingankar JA, Subramaniam M, Abdin E, Picco L, Chua BY, Eng GK, et al.

Qual Life Res, 2014 Jun;23(5):1459-77.
PMID: 24307210 DOI: 10.1007/s11136-013-0589-0

PURPOSE: The 47-item positive mental health (PMH) instrument measures the level of PMH in multiethnic adult Asian populations. This study aimed to (1) develop a short PMH instrument and (2) establish its validity and reliability among the adult Singapore population.
METHODS: Two separate studies were conducted among adult community-dwelling Singapore residents of Chinese, Malay or Indian ethnicity where participants completed self-administered questionnaires. In the first study, secondary data analysis was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to shorten the PMH instrument. In the second study, the newly developed short PMH instrument and other scales were administered to 201 residents to establish its factor structure, validity and reliability.
RESULTS: A 20-item short PMH instrument fulfilling a higher-order six-factor structure was developed following secondary analysis. The mean age of the participants in the second study was 41 years and about 53% were women. One item with poor factor loading was further removed to generate a 19-item version of the PMH instrument. CFA demonstrated a first-order six-factor model of the short PMH instrument. The PMH-19 instrument and its subscales fulfilled criterion validity hypotheses. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PMH-19 instrument were high (Cronbach's α coefficient = 0.87; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.93, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: The 19-item PMH instrument is multidimensional, valid and reliable, and most importantly, with its reduced administration time, the short PMH instrument can be used to measure and evaluate PMH in Asian communities.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
"Our Country Needs a Strong Leader Right Now": Economic Inequality Enhances the Wish for a Strong Leader

Sprong S, Jetten J, Wang Z, Peters K, Mols F, Verkuyten M, et al.

Psychol Sci, 2019 11;30(11):1625-1637.
PMID: 31566081 DOI: 10.1177/0956797619875472

Societal inequality has been found to harm the mental and physical health of its members and undermine overall social cohesion. Here, we tested the hypothesis that economic inequality is associated with a wish for a strong leader in a study involving 28 countries from five continents (Study 1, N = 6,112), a study involving an Australian community sample (Study 2, N = 515), and two experiments (Study 3a, N = 96; Study 3b, N = 296). We found correlational (Studies 1 and 2) and experimental (Studies 3a and 3b) evidence for our prediction that higher inequality enhances the wish for a strong leader. We also found that this relationship is mediated by perceptions of anomie, except in the case of objective inequality in Study 1. This suggests that societal inequality enhances the perception that society is breaking down (anomie) and that a strong leader is needed to restore order (even when that leader is willing to challenge democratic values).

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*
Social support as a moderator of positive psychological strengths and subjective well-being

Khan A, Husain A

Psychol Rep, 2010 Apr;106(2):534-8.
PMID: 20524555

The present study was conducted to examine: (a) the relation of positive psychological strengths, i.e., hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and resiliency, with subjective well-being, and (b) the role of social support as a moderator of positive psychological strengths and subjective well-being. The following hypotheses were proposed: (a) that positive psychological strengths would be positively related with subjective well-being and social support; (b) social support would moderate the relation of positive psychological strengths with subjective well-being. 116 men and 64 women (M age=21.53 yr., SD=4.99, range=33) from India participated. Significant positive relationships were found for positive psychological strengths with subjective well-being and with social support network (family, friends, and others). Regression analysis showed social support significantly moderated the relations of positive psychological strengths with subjective well-being.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
The sociocultural dynamics of mass hysteria: a case study of social conflict in West Malaysia

Lee RL, Ackerman SE

Psychiatry, 1980 Feb;43(1):78-88.
PMID: 7355184

This discussion of an episode of mass hysteria in a Malay college in West Malaysia examines stress and conflict in relation to the interpretive process within a specific social setting. Unlike previous studies, which conceptualize mass hysteria as a cathartic response to accumulated stress, the present study treats stress as a matter of definition in a specific sociocultural context rather than as an objective given from which predictions can be made. Objections are raised to the logic of explanations that attribute mass hysteria to environmental stress. What is of concern is how meanings are assigned to events that are experienced as stressful, how participants and observers explain these events, and the consequences that follow from their interpretations.

Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations
Communication problems with psychiatric patients in the multilingual society of Sarawak

Schmidt KE

Psychiatry, 1965 Aug;28:229-33.
PMID: 14318932 DOI: 10.1080/00332747.1965.11023430
Matched MeSH terms: Interpersonal Relations*

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