Displaying publications 941 - 960 of 3016 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Correlates of susceptibility to smoking among secondary school students in Kota Tinggi district, Johor, Malaysia
    Hock LK, Ghazali SM, Cheong KC, Kuay LK, Li LH, Ying CY, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2013;14(11):6971-8.
    PMID: 24377635
    BACKGROUND: Smoking among adolescents has been linked to a variety of adverse and long term health consequences. "Susceptibility to smoking" or the lack of cognitive commitment to abstain from smoking is an important predictor of adolescent smoking. In 2008, we conducted a study to determine the psycho-sociological factors associated with susceptibility to smoking among secondary school students in the district of Kota Tinggi, Johor.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two thousand seven hundred students were randomly selected by proportional stratified sampling. Analyses on 1,736 non-smoking students revealed that prevalence of adolescents susceptible to smoking was 16.3%.

    RESULTS: Male gender (aOR=2.05, 95%CI= 1.23-3.39), poor academic achievement (aOR 1.60, 95%CI 1.05-2.44), ever-smoker (aOR 2.17, 95%CI 1.37-3.44) and having a smoking friend (aOR 1.76, 95%CI 1.10-2.83) were associated with susceptibility to smoking, while having the perception that smoking prohibition in school was strictly enforced (aOR 0.55, 95%CI 0.32-0.94), and had never seen friends smoking in a school compound (aOR 0.59, 95%CI 0.37-0.96) were considered protective factors

    CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that follow-up programmes need to capitalise on the modifiable factors related to susceptibility to smoking by getting all stakeholders to be actively involved to stamp out smoking initiation among adolescents.

    Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/psychology*; Students/psychology*; Tobacco Use Disorder/psychology*
  2. Fulltext Sexual abuse and substance abuse increase risk of suicidal behavior in Malaysian youth
    Chan LF, Maniam T, Saini SM, Shah SA, Loh SF, Sinniah A, et al.
    Asia Pac Psychiatry, 2013 Apr;5 Suppl 1:123-6.
    PMID: 23857848 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12057
    INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine the association between sexual abuse, substance abuse and socio-demographic factors with suicidal ideation (SI), plans (SP) and deliberate self-harm (DSH) and propose steps to prevent youth suicidal behavior.
    METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 6786 adolescents aged 17-18 years, selected randomly from all Malaysian adolescents to undergo compulsory youth camps located in Selangor, Malaysia (2008-2009). Participants were assessed using self-administered questionnaires developed to reflect the local cultural setting. However, only 4581 subjects were analyzed after excluding incomplete data.
    RESULTS: The rates of SI, SP and DSH were 7.6%, 3.2% and 6.3%, respectively. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio showed that sexual abuse was associated with SI 1.99 (95% CI: 1.56-2.55), SP 1.57 (95% CI: 1.09-2.27) and DSH 2.26 (95% CI: 1.75-2.94); illicit drug use was associated with SI 4.05 (95% CI: 2.14-7.67), SP 2.62 (95% CI: 1.05-6.53) and DSH 2.06, (95% CI: 1.05-4.04); for alcohol use DSH was 1.34 (95% CI: 1.00-1.79). Being female was associated with all suicidal behaviors: SI 2.51 (95% CI: 1.91-3.30), SP 2.07 (95% CI: 1.39-3.08) and DSH 1.59 (95% CI: 1.19-2.11).
    DISCUSSION: Given the well-founded concern of increasing risk of suicidal behavior among youth, preventive efforts should adopt a more comprehensive approach in dealing with sexual abuse and substance abuse, and their sequelae, especially in girls.
    KEYWORDS: adolescent; risks; sexual abuse; substance abuse; suicidal behavior
    Matched MeSH terms: Child Abuse, Sexual/psychology*; Self-Injurious Behavior/psychology; Substance-Related Disorders/psychology*
  3. Knowledge and attitude on sex among medical students of a Malaysian university: a comparison study
    Sidi H, Loh SF, Mahadevan R, Puteh SE, Musa R, Wong CY, et al.
    Asia Pac Psychiatry, 2013 Apr;5 Suppl 1:103-9.
    PMID: 23857845 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12053
    INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between clinical/socio-demographic factors with knowledge and attitude on sex among medical students of the National University of Malaysia (UKM).
    METHODS: A cross-sectional study assessing 452 students using a self-administered questionnaire of knowledge and attitude was performed and had a response rate of 80%.
    RESULTS: The majority of respondents were Malays (56%), females (57.5%), lived in urban areas (66.4%), had a median family income of RM3000 and perceived themselves as moderately religious (60%). The overall score on knowledge about sex was 21.7 of 35 (a higher score indicates better knowledge about sex). It was noted that 73.2% of students felt that they did not receive adequate training in medical school to deal with patients' sexuality and sexual problems, while 51.5% felt uncomfortable talking to patients about these issues. Students in the clinical year were more knowledgeable than those in pre-clinical years (22.67 versus 20.71, P 22 marks [median score]).
    DISCUSSION: The students' attitude on sex was considered conservative as the majority of them disagreed on premarital sex, masturbation, abortion, homosexuality and oral sex. Gender and religiosity have a large influence on attitudes on controversial sexual issues, whereas clinical status plays a small role. Knowledge on sex among UKM medical students is inadequate and their attitudes on sex are considered conservative. Integration of sexual medicine and health modules in the medical curriculum is crucial for students to more effectively address patients' sexual problems and promote non-judgmental attitudes towards patients.
    KEYWORDS: attitude; knowledge; medical student; sex
    Matched MeSH terms: Homosexuality/psychology; Sexual Behavior/psychology*; Students, Medical/psychology*
  4. Relationships between social support and depression, and quality of life of the elderly in a rural community in Malaysia
    Ibrahim N, Din NC, Ahmad M, Ghazali SE, Said Z, Shahar S, et al.
    Asia Pac Psychiatry, 2013 Apr;5 Suppl 1:59-66.
    PMID: 23857839 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12068
    INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to examine the role of social support and depression in predicting the quality of life among the elderly living in a rural Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) community in Malaysia.
    METHODS: A total of 162 elderly settlers of FELDA Sungai Tengi, aged 60 years and above, were selected by universal sampling method in this cross-sectional study. Three standardized instruments - the 12-item Short Form (SF-12), 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and Medical Outcome Study Social Support (MOS-Social Support) - were used to assess for quality of life, depression and social support.
    RESULTS: Quality of life of the elderly people in this community was high, especially in terms of physical components as compared to mental components. The mean scores for emotional role in the SF-12 was relatively the highest (90.74 ± 21.59) with social functioning being the lowest (30.35 ± 22.29). The results also showed that the mean value was higher for physical component summary (74.40) as compared to mental component summary (51.51). Approximately 23.5% suffered mild depression and only 2.5% had severe depression.
    DISCUSSION: This study showed that the elderly FELDA settlers have a high quality of life, mainly on the physical components of life and low rate of severe depression, a positive indicator of their psychological well-being. Social support in the form of emotional/informational support, and depression were significant factors related to their good quality of life.
    KEYWORDS: depression; elderly; quality of life; rural community; social support
    Study site; FELDA Sungai Tengi, Selangor, Malaysia
    Device, Questionnaire & Scale: Short Form Health Survey (SF-12); Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15; Medical Outcome Study Social Support (MOS-Social Support)
    Matched MeSH terms: Activities of Daily Living/psychology; Depression/psychology; Quality of Life/psychology*
  5. Relationship of psychological symptoms, antipsychotics and social data with psychosocial function in schizophrenia patients in Malaysia
    Norlelawati AT, Kartini A, Norsidah K, Ramli M, Wan Azizi WS, Tariq AR
    Asia Pac Psychiatry, 2015 Mar;7(1):45-53.
    PMID: 23857669 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12089
    INTRODUCTION: The present study investigated the relationship between psychological symptoms and psychosocial function and the role of relevant sociodemographic data and antipsychotic use in the prediction of psychosocial function among multiracial schizophrenia outpatients in Malaysia.
    METHODS: A total of 223 participants were recruited in this cross-sectional study conducted from December 2010 to April 2011. Psychological symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale whilst the psychosocial function was assessed using the Personal and Social Performance scale. Sociodemographic and treatment variables were gathered through interview or review of the medical records.
    RESULTS: All dimensions of psychosocial functions were inversely correlated with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale sub-domains. Only the disorganization sub-domain significantly predicts all dimensions of psychosocial function. For social data, body mass index and employment status were significant predictors of all dimensions of psychosocial functions. Typical antipsychotics significantly predict social function negatively as compared to sulpiride (β = -0.152, P = 0.028).
    DISCUSSION: We found that the relationship between psychological symptoms and psychosocial functions were relatively consistent with the findings from the Caucasian population. Additionally, disorganization was the only significant predictor of all dimensions of psychosocial functions. This further emphasized the importance of cognition in psychosocial function. The roles of sulpiride, body mass index and employment status as predictors of psychosocial function were also discussed.
    KEYWORDS: antipsychotics; psychosocial function; schizophrenia; symptoms
    Study site: Psychiatric clinic, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Quality of Life/psychology; Schizophrenic Psychology*
  6. Fulltext Social isolation in older Malaysians: prevalence and risk factors
    Ibrahim R, Abolfathi Momtaz Y, Hamid TA
    Psychogeriatrics, 2013 Jun;13(2):71-9.
    PMID: 23909963 DOI: 10.1111/psyg.12000
    Social isolation is one of the most important emerging issues among ageing populations, as it reduces well-being, health and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to identify prevalence and risk factors of social isolation in older Malaysians.
    Matched MeSH terms: Aging/psychology*; Quality of Life/psychology*; Social Isolation/psychology*
  7. Externalizing and internalizing syndromes in relation to school truancy among adolescents in high-risk urban schools
    Nik Jaafar NR, Tuti Iryani MD, Wan Salwina WI, Fairuz Nazri AR, Kamal NA, Prakash RJ, et al.
    Asia Pac Psychiatry, 2013 Apr;5 Suppl 1:27-34.
    PMID: 23857834 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12072
    To examine the relationship between externalizing/internalizing syndromes and school truancy among Form Four (10th grade) students attending "high-risk" schools in Kuala Lumpur.
    Matched MeSH terms: Psychology, Adolescent/statistics & numerical data*; Students/psychology
  8. Why do young adolescents bully? Experience in Malaysian schools
    Wan Ismail WS, Nik Jaafar NR, Sidi H, Midin M, Shah SA
    Compr Psychiatry, 2014 Jan;55 Suppl 1:S114-20.
    PMID: 23763872 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.05.002
    INTRODUCTION: To determine sociodemographic and psychological factors associated with bullying behavior among young adolescents in Malaysia.
    METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of four hundred ten 12-year-old adolescents from seven randomly sampled schools in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sociodemographic features of the adolescents and their parents, bullying behavior (Malaysian Bullying Questionnaire), ADHD symptoms (Conners Rating Scales), and internalizing and externalizing behavior (Child Behaviour Checklist) were obtained from adolescents, parents and teachers, respectively.
    RESULTS: Only male gender (OR=7.071, p=0.01*, CI=1.642-30.446) was a significant sociodemographic factor among bullies. Predominantly hyperactive (OR=2.285, p=0.00*, CI=1.507-3.467) and inattentive ADHD symptoms reported by teachers (OR=1.829, p=0.03*, CI=1.060-3.154) and parents (OR=1.709, p=0.03*, CI=1.046-2.793) were significant risk factors for bullying behavior while combined symptoms reported by young adolescents (OR=0.729, p=0.01*, CI=0.580-0.915) and teachers (OR=0.643, p=0.02*, CI=0.440-0.938) were protective against bullying behavior despite the influence of conduct behavior (OR=3.160, p=0.00*, CI=1.600-6.241). Internalizing behavior, that is, withdrawn (OR=0.653, p=0.04*, CI=0.436-0.977) and somatic complaints (OR=0.619, p=0.01*, CI=0.430-0.889) significantly protect against bullying behavior.
    DISCUSSIONS: Recognizing factors associated with bullying behavior, in particular factors distinctive to the local population, facilitates in strategizing effective interventions for school bullying among young adolescents in Malaysian schools.
    Matched MeSH terms: Students/psychology*; Conduct Disorder/psychology*; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders/psychology*
  9. Clinical depression while caring for loved ones with breast cancer
    Nik Jaafar NR, Selamat Din SH, Mohamed Saini S, Ahmad SN, Midin M, Sidi H, et al.
    Compr Psychiatry, 2014 Jan;55 Suppl 1:S52-9.
    PMID: 23706655 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.03.003
    The period of the cancer patients undergoing treatment is also the most stressful time for their family caregivers. This study aimed to determine the rates of major depressive disorder and dysthymia; and their associated factors in the caregivers during this time.

    Study site: Oncology centre, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder, Major/psychology*; Family/psychology*; Dysthymic Disorder/psychology*
  10. Fulltext Beliefs and behavior of Malaysia undergraduate female students in a public university toward breast self-examination practice
    Akhtari-Zavare M, Juni MH, Said SM, Ismail IZ
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2013;14(1):57-61.
    PMID: 23534796
    BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second principal cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, including Malaysia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 262 female undergraduate students in University Putra Malaysia using a validated questionnaire which was developed for this study.

    RESULTS: The mean age of respondents was 22∓2.3 years. Most of them were single (83.1%), Malay (42.3%) and 20.7% reported having a family history of breast cancer. Eighty-seven (36.7%) claimed they had practiced BSE. Motivation and self-efficacy of the respondents who performed BSE were significantly higher compared with women who did not (p<0.05).There was no association between BSE practice and demographic details (p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis indicated that women who perceived greater motivation (OR=1.089, 95%CI: 1.016-1.168) and had higher confidence of BSE (OR=1.076, 95%CI: 1.028-1.126) were more likely to perform the screening.

    CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that Malaysian young female's perception regarding breast cancer and the practice of BSE is low. Targeted education should be implemented to improve early detection of breast cancer.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/psychology*; Students/psychology*; Breast Self-Examination/psychology*
  11. Delinquency, androgens, and the family: a test of evolutionary neuroandrogenic theory
    Ellis L, Das S
    Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol, 2013 Aug;57(8):966-84.
    PMID: 22514238 DOI: 10.1177/0306624X12440564
    There is little doubt that family factors can influence involvement in delinquency, although the full nature and extent of their influences remain unclear. In recent decades, testosterone has been increasingly implicated as a contributor to adolescent offending. The present study sought to determine whether two important types of familial factors--parental socioeconomic status and amicable parent-child relationships--are interacting with testosterone (and possibly other androgens) to affect delinquency. A large sample of North American college students self-reported their involvement in eight categories of delinquency along with self-ratings of various androgen-promoted traits (e.g., muscularity and low-deep voice), parental social status, and the quality of the relationships they had with parents. In both sexes, parent-child relationships and androgens were significantly associated with delinquency but parental social status was not. Factor analysis revealed that the authors' measures of all four categories of variables exhibited strong loadings onto their respective factors. Androgens and amicable parent-child relationships were associated with delinquency but parental social status was not. About one third of the influence of parent-child relationships on delinquency appeared to be attributable to androgens. Findings are discussed from the perspective of the evolutionary neuroandrogenic theory of delinquent and criminal behavior.
    Matched MeSH terms: Juvenile Delinquency/psychology*; Students/psychology; Violence/psychology
  12. Understanding barriers to Malaysian women with breast cancer seeking help
    Norsa'adah B, Rahmah MA, Rampal KG, Knight A
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2012;13(8):3723-30.
    PMID: 23098462
    Delay in help-seeking behaviour which is potentially preventable has a major effect on the prognosis and survival of patients with breast cancer. The objective of this study was to explore reasons for delay in seeking help among patients with breast cancer from the East Coast of peninsular Malaysia. A qualitative study using face- to-face in-depth interview was carried out involving 12 breast cancer patients who had been histo-pathologically confirmed and were symptomatic on presentation. Respondents were selected purposely based on their history of delayed consultation, diagnosis or treatment. All were of Malay ethnicity and the age range was 26-67 years. Three were in stage ll, seven in stage lll and two in stage lV. At the time of interview, all except one respondent had accepted treatment. The range of consultation time was 0.2-72.2 months with a median of 1.7 months, diagnosis time was 1.4-95.8 months( median 5.4 months )and treatment time was 0-33.3 months (median 1.2 months). The themes derived from the study were poor knowledge or awareness of breast cancer, fear of cancer consequences, beliefs in complementary alternative medicine, sanction by others, other priorities, denial of disease, attitude of wait and see and health care system weakness. Help-seeking behaviour was influenced by a complex interaction of cognitive, environmental, beliefs, culture and psycho-social factors. Breast cancer awareness and psychological counselling are recommended for all patients with breast symptoms to prevent delay in seeking clinical help.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/psychology*; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/psychology*; Breast Self-Examination/psychology*
  13. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and self-reported delinquency by offspring
    Ellis L, Widmayer A, Das S
    Crim Behav Ment Health, 2012 Dec;22(5):325-35.
    PMID: 22696101 DOI: 10.1002/cbm.1828
    BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported significant positive correlations between smoking during pregnancy by mothers and the involvement of their offspring in criminal/delinquent behaviour later in life, but these findings have been described as modest and the criminality based on official conviction statistics.
    AIMS: We sought to verify this relationship and probe for more details on the basis of self-reported offending among college students.
    METHODS: Independently completed questionnaires were collected from 6332 students and their mothers. The students provided information about their delinquent acts, if any, according to eight categories. Their mothers provided retrospective reports of their smoking habits, if any, during pregnancy.
    FINDINGS: Mothers who recalled having smoked during pregnancy were significantly more likely than non-smoking mothers to have offspring who self-reported engaging in some types of delinquency. This relationship was more evident for female offspring than for male offspring and was most pronounced for illegal drug use by the offspring. There was, however, no relationship between offspring offending and estimated number of cigarettes smoked by mothers, month of pregnancy when smoked or consistency of smoking throughout pregnancy.
    CONCLUSION: Overall, our study confirms that maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with offspring involvement in delinquency, but the lack of critical timing or dose-response relationships between maternal smoking and later offspring delinquency cast doubt on the possibility that the associations are due to teratogenic effects of tobacco smoke.
    Study site: college students at 20 US and two Canadian universities
    Matched MeSH terms: Juvenile Delinquency/psychology*; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/psychology*; Smoking/psychology*
  14. Visualizing disaster attitudes resulting from terrorist activities
    Khalid HM, Helander MG, Hood NA
    Appl Ergon, 2013 Sep;44(5):671-9.
    PMID: 22944486 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2012.06.005
    The purpose of this study was to analyze people's attitudes to disasters by investigating how people feel, behave and think during disasters. We focused on disasters induced by humans, such as terrorist attacks. Two types of textual information were collected - from Internet blogs and from research papers. The analysis enabled forecasting of attitudes for the design of proactive disaster advisory scheme. Text was analyzed using a text mining tool, Leximancer. The outcome of this analysis revealed core themes and concepts in the text concerning people's attitudes. The themes and concepts were sorted into three broad categories: Affect, Behaviour, and Cognition (ABC), and the data was visualized in semantic maps. The maps reveal several knowledge pathways of ABC for developing attitudinal ontologies, which describe the relations between affect, behaviour and cognition, and the sequence in which they develop. Clearly, terrorist attacks induced trauma and people became highly vulnerable.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology; Wounds and Injuries/psychology; Terrorism/psychology*
  15. Fulltext Executive function and attention span in euthymic patients with bipolar 1 disorder
    Normala I, Abdul HA, Azlin B, Nik Ruzyanei NJ, Hazli Z, Shah SA
    Med J Malaysia, 2010 Sep;65(3):199-203.
    PMID: 21939168
    This is a cross sectional comparison study to assess executive function and attention span in euthymic patients with bipolar 1 disorder. It compares the performance of these two cognitive domains in 40 patients with bipolar 1 disorder to that of 40 healthy normal subjects using Trail Making (TMT), Digit Span (Forward and Backward) and Verbal Fluency (VF) tests. The association between demographic, clinical characteristics and performance in all tests were examined. Patients with bipolar illness showed significant impairment with moderate to large effect sizes (VF = 0.67, TMT A = 0.52, TMT B = 0.81, Digit Forward = 0.97, Digit backward = 1.10) in all tasks of executive and attention functioning. These impairments are observed in the absence of active mood symptoms while duration and severity of illness are not found to have an effect on both cognitive domains. Medications received by patients with bipolar disorder have significant association with performance on executive tasks. The results of this study add on to the existing global evidence of cognitive impairment in bipolar illness despite its cross cultural differences. Its presence in the absence of mania, depression or mixed episode indicates that cognitive impairment is stable even after symptoms recovery.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bipolar Disorder/psychology; Cognition Disorders/psychology; Dysthymic Disorder/psychology
  16. Premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea: urban-rural and multiethnic differences in perception, impacts, and treatment seeking
    Wong LP
    J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol, 2011 Oct;24(5):272-7.
    PMID: 21600811 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpag.2011.03.009
    Attitudes toward menarche and menstruation are largely influenced by sociological, cultural, and family environmental factors. Recognizing the influential effects that these factors might have on shaping adolescents' attitudes is crucial in designing a more effective means of transmitting health information.
    Matched MeSH terms: Dysmenorrhea/psychology*; Menarche/psychology; Premenstrual Syndrome/psychology*
  17. Fulltext Informational needs of breast cancer patients on chemotherapy: differences between patients' and nurses' perceptions
    Lei CP, Har YC, Abdullah KL
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2011;12(3):797-802.
    PMID: 21627386
    BACKGROUND: Cancer and chemotherapy are sources of anxiety and worry for cancer patients. Information provision is therefore very important to empower them to overcome and adjust to the stressful experience. Thus, nurses should be aware of the informational needs of the patients throughout the course of their care.
    PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to identify the important information required by breast cancer patients during the first and fourth cycles of chemotherapy from both the patients' and nurses' perceptions.
    METHODOLOGY: This is a longitudinal study used a questionnaire adapted from the Toronto Informational Needs Questionnaires-Breast Cancer (TINQ-BC). Some modifications were made to meet the specific objectives of the study. The study was conducted in the Chemotherapy Day Care at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Malaysia. A total of 169 breast cancer patients who met the inclusion criteria, and 39 nurses who were involved in their care were recruited into the study.
    RESULTS: The overall mean scores at first and fourth cycle of chemotherapy were 3.91 and 3.85 respectively: i.e., between 3 (or important) and 4 (or very important), which indicated a high level of informational needs. There was no significant difference in information needed by the breast cancer patients between the two cycles of chemotherapy (p=0.402). The most important information was from the subscale of disease, followed closely by treatment, physical care, investigative tests and psychosocial needs. Nurses had different views on the important information needed by breast cancer patients at both time points (p = 0.023).
    CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer patients on chemotherapy have high levels of informational needs with no significant differences in information needed at first cycle as opposed to fourth cycle. There were differences between the perceptions of the breast cancer patients and the nurses on important information needed. A paradigm shift, with an emphasis on patients as the central focus, is needed to enhance the information giving sessions conducted by nurses based on the perceptions of the patients themselves.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/psychology*; Nurses/psychology*; Patients/psychology*
  18. Fulltext Student perceptions regarding the usefulness of explicit discussion of "Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome" taxonomy
    Prakash ES, Narayan KA, Sethuraman KR
    Adv Physiol Educ, 2010 Sep;34(3):145-9.
    PMID: 20826769 DOI: 10.1152/advan.00026.2010
    One method of grading responses of the descriptive type is by using Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy. The basis of this study was the expectation that if students were oriented to SOLO taxonomy, it would provide them an opportunity to understand some of the factors that teachers consider while grading descriptive responses and possibly develop strategies to improve scores. We first sampled the perceptions of 68 second-year undergraduate medical students doing the Respiratory System course regarding the usefulness of explicit discussion of SOLO taxonomy. Subsequently, in a distinct cohort of 20 second-year medical students doing the Central Nervous System course, we sought to determine whether explicit illustration of SOLO taxonomy combined with some advice on better answering descriptive test questions (to an experimental group) resulted in better student scores in a continuous assessment test compared with providing advice for better answering test questions but without any reference to SOLO taxonomy (the control group). Student ratings of the clarity of the presentation on SOLO taxonomy appeared satisfactory to the authors, as was student understanding of our presentation. The majority of participants indicated that knowledge of SOLO taxonomy would help them study and prepare better answers for questions of the descriptive type. Although scores in the experimental and control group were comparable, this experience nonetheless provided us with the motivation to orient students to SOLO taxonomy early on in the medical program and further research factors that affect students' development of strategies based on knowledge of SOLO taxonomy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Psychology, Educational/methods*; Students, Medical/psychology*
  19. Childhood cruelty to animals: a tri-national study
    Mellor D, Yeow J, Mohd Hapidzal NF, Yamamoto T, Yokoyama A, Nobuzane Y
    Child Psychiatry Hum Dev, 2009 Dec;40(4):527-41.
    PMID: 19449100 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-009-0142-0
    Childhood cruelty to animals is a symptom of conduct disorder that has been linked to the perpetration of violence in later life. Research has identified several factors associated with its etiology, including social factors. However, no cross-cultural studies on this phenomenon have been reported. This study investigated childhood cruelty to animals in Japan, Australia and Malaysia. Parents of 1,358 children between the ages of 5 and 13 years completed the Children's Attitudes and Behaviours towards Animals questionnaire (CABTA) which assesses Typical and Malicious Cruelty to animals. Analyses revealed no overall differences between children from these countries on either scale. However, younger boys were more likely to be cruel than younger girls in each country, and younger children in Australia and Japan were more likely to be cruel that older children in those countries. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research, and recommendations for future studies are suggested.
    Matched MeSH terms: Child Behavior Disorders/psychology*; Violence/psychology*; Conduct Disorder/psychology*
  20. Fulltext Knowledge and behavior regarding breast cancer screening among female teachers in Selangor, Malaysia
    Parsa P, Kandiah M, Mohd Zulkefli NA, Rahman HA
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2008 Apr-Jun;9(2):221-7.
    PMID: 18712963
    A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the knowledge and practices of 425 female secondary school teachers from 20 selected secondary schools in Selangor, Malaysia on breast cancer screening (BCS). A self-administered, structured questionnaire was used for data collection. This study showed moderate to low knowledge on breast cancer (BC) and BCS among teachers. Only 19%, 25% and 13.6% eligible women performed breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammography respectively, on a regular basis. Level of breast cancer knowledge was significantly associated with BSE (p<0.001). Having heard/ read about BCS, and regular visit with a physician were associated with BCS behaviors (P<0.05). There was no association between BCS behaviors (P>0.05) and age, family history of breast cancer, marital status or having health insurance. Efforts are needed to increase knowledge and remove misconceptions about breast cancer and screening practices among Malaysian women.
    Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/psychology*; Mammography/psychology; Breast Self-Examination/psychology
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links