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Fulltext Malaysians' Preferences and Concerns Regarding Seeking Information About Illegal Drugs

Chie QT, Tam CL, Bonn G

Front Public Health, 2018;6:143.
PMID: 29868548 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00143

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.
Fulltext Drug abuse, relapse, and prevention education in malaysia: perspective of university students through a mixed methods approach

Chie QT, Tam CL, Bonn G, Wong CP, Dang HM, Khairuddin R

Front Psychiatry, 2015;6:65.
PMID: 25999867 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00065

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.
Fulltext Substance Abuse, Relapse, and Treatment Program Evaluation in Malaysia: Perspective of Rehab Patients and Staff Using the Mixed Method Approach

Chie QT, Tam CL, Bonn G, Dang HM, Khairuddin R

Front Psychiatry, 2016;7:90.
PMID: 27303313 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00090

This study examined reasons for substance abuse and evaluated the effectiveness of substance treatment programs in Malaysia through interviews with rehab patients and staff. Substance rehab patients (aged 18-69 years; n = 30) and staff (ages 30-72 years; n = 10) participated in semi-structured interviews covering a range of topics, including family and peer relationships, substance use and treatment history, factors for substance use and relapse, motivation for entering treatment, work experience, job satisfaction, treatment evaluation, and patient satisfaction. Most patients did not demonstrate the substance progression trend and had normal family relationships. Most patients reported having peers from normal family backgrounds as well. Various environmental and personal factors was cited as contributing to substance abuse and relapse. There was no significant difference between patient and staff program evaluation scores although the mean score for patients was lower. A holistic treatment approach with a combination of cognitive-behavioral, medical, social, and spiritual components was favored by patients. Suggestions for improving existing programs include better tailoring treatment to individual needs, and providing more post-treatment group support.
Fulltext Reliability and Validity of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire in Bahasa Malaysia for Patients with Cancer

Rajah HDA, Chie QT, Ahmad M, Leong WC, Bhoo-Pathy N, Chan CMH

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2021 Aug 01;22(8):2487-2492.
PMID: 34452562 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2021.22.8.2487

OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this study was to identify the psychometric properties and validate the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire among patients with cancer.
METHODS: A total of 129 newly diagnosed patients with cancer were consecutively sampled. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire were tested using translation validity, test-retest reliability, Principal Component Analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient for domains and item-total correlation.
RESULTS: The questionnaire indicates excellent test-retest reliability. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) is 0.60 for the two-factor structure of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire of the Bahasa Malaysia version which consists of cognitive illness representation and emotional illness representation.
CONCLUSION: The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire in the Bahasa Malaysia version is a useful tool to use among patients with cancer in Malaysia context despite moderate psychometric properties. This is based on the premise that the questionnaire can be used as a quick tool to assess illness perceptions among Malaysian with cancer in routine oncology practice.