A cross sectional study on work stress prevalence was carried out among 185 executives and managers in the head quarter of an international tobacco company. The aim of the study was to identify work stress prevalence in this company and work stressors that were associated with stress experienced by the workers. A questionnaire based on the Personal Stress Inventory by O'Donell (1984) was used. Data collected from participants included sociodemography factors, symptoms of stress and work stressors related to organizational policy, organizational structure, organizational process, and work environment. The study showed that the prevalence of stress among executives was 68.1% and managers were 67.9%. There was no significant difference in the level of stress between the executives and the managers in the company. The sociodemographic factors that were significantly associated with stress were salary, number of children and personal factors. The significant stressors in the workplace were lack of job recognition, over focusing on quality of work, heavy workload and long working hours.
Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common sexual dysfunction among the general population. PE has often been associated with a psychological state of mind. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) can be used as an instrument to assess the emotional and psychological state. The present study was designed to assess the reliability and validity of the HADS in a Malaysian population. The validity and reliability were studied in subjects with and without PE. Test-retest methodology was used to assess the reliability whereas Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the internal consistency. In the control and the PE groups, the internal consistency was good and a high degree of internal consistency was observed for all 14 items. In the control group, the Cronbach's alpha values at baseline were from 0.811 to 0.834, whereas for retest, the Cronbach's alpha values were from 0.821-0.838 items. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was high for the control (0.797-0.868: baseline and 0.805-0.872: retest) and PE group (0.822-0.906: baseline and 0.785-0.887: retest). The high value of ICC and the internal consistency was due to high reliability and consistency of the items at 2-week interval. A degree of significance between the baseline and week-2 scores was observed across all items in the PE group but not in the control group. The HADS is a suitable, reliable, valid and sensitive instrument to measure the clinical change for anxiety and depression in the Malaysian population.
There has been an increasing interest in personality study over the years. This has led to the necessity for personality measures with good psychometric properties. However, good personality measures are usually too cumbersome to apply in real practical settings due to their length. This study aims to validate a commonly used short personality measure of the Big Five model, i.e., Mini-IPIP (Mini International Personality Item Pool), which has never been validated and used in the substance abuse population in the local setting. The participants were 239 individuals attending one of the six methadone clinics in Malaysia. Structural analysis was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis. Results showed a good model fit for Mini-IPIP when item-parcelling and adding-in correlated uniqueness items were applied (fit indices: Comparative Fit Index = 0.949, Standardised Root Mean Residual = 0.044). Our study supported the five-factor solution for the Mini-IPIP. It is valid and reliable to be used among individuals with drug abuse in Malaysia.
Introduction: The Five-Factor Nonverbal Personality Questionnaire (FF-NPQ) is a non-verbal personality inventory consisting of illustrations of different social situations, designed to measure five broad factors underlying the Big-Five model of personality. This study aimed to prove the validity of the FF-NPQ in Malaysia. Methods: The FF-NPQ instruction and the answer option were translated to the Malay language, which is the main language spoken in Malaysia. A total of 153 university students aged 18–30 years from Universiti Sains Malaysia were involved in this study. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), composite reliability and intraclass correlation (ICC) were applied to show evidence of validity by internal structure. Results: CFA indicated that only 26 out of 60 items remained in the final model while maintaining the five personality factors. Each factor had a good composite reliability value of 0.68–0.77. The ICC values from the test-retest analysis ranged from 0.65 to 0.75. Conclusion: Overall, the shortened Malay Version of the FF -NPQ (five-factor, 26 items) exhibited acceptable evidence of validity in Malaysia.
The present study examined the psychometric properties of a Malay translation of the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS; Henderson-King & Henderson-King, 2005). A total of 373 Malaysian women completed the ACSS along with measures of ideal-actual weight discrepancy, body appreciation, sociocultural attitudes toward appearance, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and demographics. Results showed that the Malay ACSS was best reduced to a two-factor solution, although an overall score of all 15 ACSS items showed the highest internal consistency. Results also showed that this overall score had good discriminant and divergent validity. It is expected that the availability of a Malay version of the ACSS will stimulate cross-cultural research on the acceptance of cosmetic surgery.
Objective: To determine the sensitivity, specificity and internal consistency of the Malay version GHQ-12 among medical student population. This study determined the appropriate GHQ-12 score to detect distressed medical students. Methods: The Malay version of GHQ-12 was derived based on two sources which were the original version GHQ-12 and the validated Malay version 30-items GHQ. The GHQ-12 and the Malay version Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) were administered to a total of 141 medical students. Distress diagnoses were made based on the Malay version BDI-II. ROC curve analysis was applied to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the GHQ-12 by testing against the BDI-II. Reliability analysis (Cronbach’s alpha and item total correlation) was applied to test internal consistency of the
GHQ-12. The analysis was done using SPSS version 12.Results: The GHQ-12 sensitivity and specificity at cut-off point of 3/4 was 81.3% and 75.3% respectively with positive predictive value (PPV) of 62.9% as well as area under ROC curve more than 0.7. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the GHQ-12 was 0.85.Conclusion: This study showed the Malay version GHQ-12 is a valid and reliable screening tool in detecting distressed medical students. The
GHQ-12 score equal to or more than 4 was considered as significant distress.
Objective: To determine the sensitivity, specificity and internal consistency of the Malay version GHQ-30 among medical student population. This study also determined the level of agreement between GHQ-30 and M-BDI.
Methods: The Malay version GHQ-30 and Malay version Beck Depression Inventory (M-BDI) were administered to 190 medical students. ROC curve analysis was applied to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the GHQ-30 by testing against the M-BDI diagnoses. Reliability and Kappa analysis were applied to test internal consistency of the GHQ and to determine the level of agreement between GHQ-30 and M-BDI respectively.
Results: 141 (74.2%) medical students participated in this study. The GHQ-30 sensitivity and specificity at cut-off point of 5/6 was 87.5% and 80.6% respectively with positive predictive value (PPV) of 70% as well as area under ROC curve was 0.84. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the GHQ-30 was 0.93. The Kappa coefficient was 0.64 (p<0.001).
Conclusion: This study showed the Malay version GHQ-30 is a valid and reliable screening tool in detecting distressed medical students. The GHQ-30 score equal to or more than 6 was considered as significant distress. The GHQ-30 showed a good level of agreement with M-BDI in detecting distressed medical students.
Keywords: Kelantan; Malaysia; medical student
Objective: The aim of the study is to examine the prevalence and factors influencing PTSD among a sample of help-seeking women experiencing domestic violence. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study of 40 women in two shelters in Malaysia from 2007 to 2008. Measures include the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress; the Measure of Wife Abuse; the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory; the Coping Scale for Adults; and the Provision of Social Relations. Results: Results showed that 60% of subjects
exhibited patterns of symptoms consistent with the diagnosis of PTSD. The most prominent posttraumatic symptoms reported were re-experience, avoidance, dissociative responses, and symptoms of increased arousal. Both negative appraisals about themselves and self blame for the abusive situations were positively associated with increased tendency to develop PTSD. The greater use of optimism coping style and the higher quality social
support appeared to lead to a significantly reduced tendency of developing PTSD. Negative appraisals about themselves were found to be the strongest positive predictor of PTSD [R² = 0.32, F(1,38)=17.67, p
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 100% feedback frequencies, 65% of feedback frequencies and bandwidth feedback on overhand throwing skill among children and motivation of the children during practices. 60 of female students from range of aged 10 to 11 years old are participated in this study (age: M=10.53 years/SD=.503, weight: M=29.11/SD3.08, height=126.68/3.04). All participants practiced 60 trials of overhand throwing accuracy task and the motivation of the participant had been measured by using Intrinsic Motivation Inventory Questionnaire (IMI) (r=0.59). Participants were randomly assigned into three group 100% feedback, 65% feedback and bandwidth feedback groups. Learning was inferred from the performance on the delayed (24-hour) retention. To analyze the data, we use mixed-between ANOVA for practice phases, One Way ANOVA for retention test and correlation analysis to measure the relationship between feedback frequencies and motivation. There was no significant result between group (F (2, 57) =.286, p= .752) during practices, there is a significant difference on retention test phase (p
Deinstitutionalization has shifted much of the burden of care of chronic schizophrenia from mental institutions to the family. The aim of this study is to asses the prevalence of mental disorders among 210 primary carers of Malay schizophrenic patients, explored the burden and hardship experienced by them. This is a two-stage psychiatric screening procedure. All the cases suspected from initial screening with WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaires (SRQ-20) were called for clinical interview. Patients' behavioural problems and the burden of relatives were assessed by the Social Behaviour Schedule and the Interview Schedule respectively. It was found that about 23% of the carers developed neurotic disorders resulting from the stress; nearly half of them had neurotic depression. Despite their burden, they do not complaint about it. Neurotic carers compared with non-neurotic carers had significantly more subjective burden and distress related to the product of active psychosis. The carers were generally able to tolerate the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The number of problem behaviours and previous admissions were significantly correlated with the severity of burden.
Matched MeSH terms: Personality Inventory/statistics & numerical data
Objective: The aim of this study is to translate the original English version of List of Threatening Experiences (LTE) into Malay and to test the reliability on a group of medical students. Method: The LTE was translated into Malay and back-translated. The Malay LTE (LTE-M) was then tested on a total of 237 medical students. They were given LTE-M, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and English version of LTE. A week later, these students were again given the LTE-M. Results: The parallel and test-retest reliability were satisfactory for 7 out of the 12 event categories (Kappa=0.67- 0.88). However 3 event categories were not reported. There was no statistical significant difference in the BDI and GHQ scores between the students with and without threatening experiences. Conclusion: The parallel and test-retest reliability of the LTE-M were acceptable. An association between the threatening experiences and increased disorders was not established.
In addition to social and environmental factors, individual personality traits have intricately linked with maladaptive behaviour. Thus, the purpose of this article was to review the link between individual personality traits and criminality. A systematic review was conducted to obtain information regarding the link between individual personality traits with criminal behaviour in the Sage, Web of Science, APA PsycNet, Wiley Online Library, and PubMed databases. The results indicate that individual personality traits that contribute towards criminality are (i) psychopathy; (ii) low self-control; and (iii) difficult temperament. As an overall impact, the review is expected to provide in-depth understanding of the link between individual personality traits and criminality; hence, greater consideration will be given to the dimension of personality as a notable risk factor of criminal behaviour.
Caregivers face challenges to adapt while handling individual with learning disabilities (LD). The Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (F-COPES) is a widely used instrument to measure coping strategies among caregivers. The current study performed cross cultural translation of F-COPES in Malay language. This study aims to examine the reliability by testing internal consistency of Malay version of F-COPES which is developed through back to back translation method from original English version.
Objective: Medical housemanship training has always been regarded as a highly stressful environment to doctors. This article described findings on stress, stressors and coping strategies among house officers in a Malaysian hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on house officers in a Malaysian hospital. The 12 items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), General Stressors Questionnaire (GSQ) and Brief COPE inventory were administered to measure perceived stress, sources of stress and coping strategies among house officers respectively. Data was analysed using SPSS version 12. Results: Forty two house officers participated in this study. This study found that approximately 31% of the house officers were in distress. The top five stressors were fears of making mistakes that can lead to serious consequences, work overload, working with uncooperative colleagues, doing
work that mentally straining and feeling of being underpaid. The most frequent coping strategies used by house officers were religion, acceptance and self-distraction. Conclusion: This study found that there was a high percentage of distressed house officers. It also found that major stressors were related to performance pressure. The main coping strategy used by house officer was emotion-focused coping.
Stress is on one of the important hazards faced by nursing staff. Although various intervention methods to reduce stress have been developed, its effectiveness among Malaysian nurses has yet to be established. This study involved 185 health nursing staff working at health districts Kemaman and Dungun in Terengganu. Health nursing staff from Kemaman (n=94) was selected as intervention group whereas those from Dungun (n=91) were chosen as controls. Members of the intervention group were given stress awareness education. They were taught how to reduce stress by relaxation methods. Teaching was conducted through lectures, practical training and providing a stress guidebook. A stress reliever card and letter reminding respondents to practice stress reduction methods were sent every two weeks. The total intervention period was 6 weeks. The control did not receive any education on stress reduction or encouragement to practice any stress reduction techniques throughout this period. The effectiveness of the intervention programme was measured by comparing changes in stress symptoms scores. Stress symptoms were measured using a modified Personal Stress Inventory questionnaire. The study found significant reduction of stress symptoms (42.66 ± 20.36 to 35.51 ± 22.60) in the intervention group after intervention compared to before intervention. However there was no significant difference in change of mean score of stress symptoms between both groups. Further studies need to be conducted to establish an intervention programme, which is suitable and effective in reducing stress among health nursing staff.
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between stress score and body mass index (BMI) of students of Science in Kuala Lumpur. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 126 students. Data about stress score were collected using a questionnaire, the Student-Life Stress Inventory (SLSI) Data about BMI were calculated from height and weight of the respondents. Results: A total of 117 (92.85%) out of 126 students had responded. The mean difference of stress score among first, second and third year students were 87.6 ± 17.0, 83.4 ± 16.9 and 86.7 ± 15.4 respectively. The mean difference of stress scores between the Bumiputra and non-Bumiputra students were 87.9 ± 16.5 and 83.2 ± 15.9 .The mean of body mass Index(BMI) between first, second and third year students were 21.0 ± 3.5, 20.3 ± 2.7 and 21.8 ± 4.3 respectively. Conclusions: This study showed that the stress level is higher in first year, female and bumiputra student. There was no significant relationship between stress score and BMI.
Introduction : Stress is part of our life. It can happen anywhere including in medical school. Medical school is perceived as being stressful because their difficulties in education, longest period of study and dealing with the patients. Stress can be perceive as negative or positive. Coping strategies are the method that we can use to prevent stress when it comes to us. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of stress and coping strategies among of medical students in National University of Malaysia, Malaysia University of Sabah and Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak.
Methods : This study involved 450 medical students through stratified sampling in which 150 medical students from each of the three universities. This study was conducted through self administered questionnaires. The questionnaires included were socio demographic factor, Personal Stress Inventory (using Stress Symptoms Scale with 52 items), BRIEF COPE (Coping Orientation for Problems Experienced with 28 items). The determination of cut off point for stress symptoms score was using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve.
Results : Response rate was 90.8%. The prevalence of stress among medical students were 44.1%. The contributory factors to the stress were financial problems, stress of up coming examination period, relationship problems with parents, peers, siblings and lecturers. Coping mechanisms which had significant association with stress includes self distraction, venting of emotion, denial, behavioral disengagement, humor and self blaming. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed a significant association (p
Background : Study of stress among adults in rural community is seldom been conducted and this study aims to see the prevelence of the stress among this group of population.
Methodology : A cross sectional study was conducted to measure the prevalence of stress among the rural people in Hulu Langat District, Selangor using O`Donnell Personal Stress Inventory and coping mechanism practiced by them.
Result : A total of 265 respondents through universal sampling participated in this study. The stress prevalence identified was 16.2%. The factors which have significant association with stress were age, education level, marital status, working women, duration of working per day and body mass index. Diseases such as diabetis mellitus and hypertension showed no association with stress. Preferred coping mechanism used by respondents included emotional support, instrumental support, behavior modification and denial.
Conclusion : Stress among the rural population is high in Malaysia. Measures has to be taken to reduce the stress as it can effect the general health of the people.
Learning Strategy and Study Inventory (LASSI) merupakan suatu instrumen laporan kendiri yang digunakan untuk menilai strategi pembelajaran berdasarkan model umum pembelajaran kognitif dan model strategik pembelajaran. untuk mendapatkan maklumat tentang strategi pembelajaran pelajar Perubatan dan Pergigian di Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam (IPTA) dan Swasta (IPTS). Instrumen yang telah dibangunkan oleh LASSI diadaptasi dan digunapakai. Tiga komponen utama yang diukur dalam LASSI iaitu KEMAHuAn, KEMAHIrAn dan PErATurAn KEnDIrI. Populasi kajian merangkumi pelajar lepasan STPM dan Matrikulasi dari IPTA dan IPTS yang mengikuti program Perubatan serta Pergigian atau program Perubatan sahaja. Secara keseluruhannya, persepsi pelajar menunjukkan keperihatinan pelajar untuk mempelajari maklumat baru, sikap dan minat terhadap bidang yang dipelajari dan disiplin diri amat rendah berbanding pelajar di negara maju. Perbandingan skor pelajar IPTA dan IPTS menunjukkan terdapat perbezaan bagi faktor Kebimbangan, Pemprosesan Maklumat dan Strategi Pengujianan. Perbandingan skor pelajar lepasan Matrikulasi dan STPM pula menunjukkan tiada perbezaan signifikan bagi hampir semua skor bagi faktor LASSI kecuali Mat Bantu Pembelajaran dan Pengujian Kendiri. Perbandingan skor pelajar Perubatan dan Pergigian pula menunjukkan strategi pembelajaran bagi kedua dua kumpulan pelajar yang mengikuti bidang kritikal tersebut adalah sama dengan tiada sebarang perbezaan yang signifikan dalam sebarang faktor LASSI. Dapatan kajian juga menunjukkan bahawa keseluruhan pelajar yang mengikuti program kritikal mempunyai strategi pembelajaran yang kurang baik. Sehubungan itu pihak pengurusan perlu mengambil inisiatif untuk membantu pelajar dalam memperkemaskan strategi pembelajaran mereka. Strategi pembelajaran yang kurang efektif akan mengundang kesan sampingan yang tidak sihat seperti kemurungan atau stress di kalangan pelajar.
Age trajectories for personality traits are known to be similar across cultures. To address whether stereotypes of age groups reflect these age-related changes in personality, we asked participants in 26 countries (N = 3,323) to rate typical adolescents, adults, and old persons in their own country. Raters across nations tended to share similar beliefs about different age groups; adolescents were seen as impulsive, rebellious, undisciplined, preferring excitement and novelty, whereas old people were consistently considered lower on impulsivity, activity, antagonism, and Openness. These consensual age group stereotypes correlated strongly with published age differences on the five major dimensions of personality and most of 30 specific traits, using as criteria of accuracy both self-reports and observer ratings, different survey methodologies, and data from up to 50 nations. However, personal stereotypes were considerably less accurate, and consensual stereotypes tended to exaggerate differences across age groups.