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Education Moderates the Relationship Between Spirituality with Quality of Life and Stress Among Malay Muslim Women with Breast Cancer

Pahlevan Sharif S, Ong FS

J Relig Health, 2019 Aug;58(4):1060-1071.
PMID: 29511922 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-018-0587-1

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between spirituality with quality of life and stress of Malay Muslim breast cancer patients in Malaysia. In addition, the moderating role of education on this relationship was examined. Participants consisted of 145 conveniently selected Malay breast cancer patients. The results indicated that the more spiritual respondents reported a higher level of quality of life and lower level of stress. Moreover, education weakened the relationship between spirituality with quality of life and stress.
Life events and stress: do older men and women in Malaysia cope differently as consumers?

Ong FS, Phillips DR, Chai ST

J Cross Cult Gerontol, 2013 Jun;28(2):195-210.
PMID: 23652824 DOI: 10.1007/s10823-013-9190-9

The study of major life events and their effects on well-being has considerable relevance for scientific disciplines and policy making in understanding the consumer behaviour of older people. There is evidence of differences in reactions to and coping with stress between males and females but relatively little knowledge about such gender differences amongst older people, especially in middle-income countries. This study of older Malaysians looked at both coping strategies and gender differences in reactions to stress when people are confronted with certain life events. Seventeen major life events were used in interviews with 645 respondents aged 50 years or older in five major urban areas in Peninsular Malaysia. The analysis showed older women tended to experience higher levels of chronic stress than older men. They also had more health problems, had lower levels of self-esteem and were less satisfied with life. Whilst the results showed little support for gender differences in coping behaviours, stress had a significant influence on the way older men and women change store preferences. A hypothesis that older women would use more emotion-focused coping strategies was not supported. Knowledge of how older Malaysians cope with life events and stress and especially in this instance with regard to consumption behaviour, is likely to be of considerable academic and policy related interest.
Fulltext Social media skepticism and belief in conspiracy theories about COVID-19: the moderating role of the dark triad

Ahadzadeh AS, Ong FS, Wu SL

Curr Psychol, 2023;42(11):8874-8886.
PMID: 34393466 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-02198-1

The prevalence of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 in the wide-open social media environment has raised considerable concerns about the adverse effects of believing such theories. The previous work showed that skepticism is negatively associated with acceptance of media content. However, this association has yet to be investigated between skepticism towards content on social media and conviction of COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Furthermore, this association can be a function of social media users' dark triad traits comprising Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy. A convenient sample of 439 Malaysian young adult social media users was recruited to complete the survey. Results showed that skepticism has a negative relationship with belief in conspiracy theories about COVID-19. However, the strength of the relationship is varied depending on respondents' Machiavellianism and narcissism levels. The negative association between skepticism and belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories is weaker for individuals with high scores on Machiavellianism. High and moderate scores on narcissism were also found to diminish the negative relationship of skepticism with COVID-19 conspiracy ideation. The results yield implications for enhancing healthy skepticism to mitigate belief in conspiracy theories promulgated on social media. Nonetheless, Machiavellianism and narcissism appeared to weaken the power of skepticism on conspiracy theories.
Fulltext Integrating health belief model and technology acceptance model: an investigation of health-related internet use

Ahadzadeh AS, Pahlevan Sharif S, Ong FS, Khong KW

J Med Internet Res, 2015;17(2):e45.
PMID: 25700481 DOI: 10.2196/jmir.3564

Today, people use the Internet to satisfy health-related information and communication needs. In Malaysia, Internet use for health management has become increasingly significant due to the increase in the incidence of chronic diseases, in particular among urban women and their desire to stay healthy. Past studies adopted the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Health Belief Model (HBM) independently to explain Internet use for health-related purposes. Although both the TAM and HBM have their own merits, independently they lack the ability to explain the cognition and the related mechanism in which individuals use the Internet for health purposes.
Materialism and life satisfaction: the role of religion

Rakrachakarn V, Moschis GP, Ong FS, Shannon R

J Relig Health, 2015 Apr;54(2):413-26.
PMID: 25811060

This study examines the role of religion and religiosity in the relationship between materialism and life satisfaction. The findings suggests that religion may be a key factor in understanding differences in findings of previous studies regarding the inverserelationship found in the vast majority of previous studies. Based on a large-scale study in Malaysia—a country comprised of several religious subcultures (mainly Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus), the findings suggest that the influence of religiosity on materialism and life satisfaction is stronger among Malays than among Chinese and Indians, and life satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between religiosity and materialism. The paper discusses implications for theory development and further research.
Private Self-Consciousness and Self-Monitoring on Instagram: The Mediating Effect of Internal Locus of Control and Self-Concept

Ahadzadeh AS, Ong FS, Wu SL, Deng R

J Psychol, 2021;155(3):334-355.
PMID: 33705270 DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2021.1884035

Past studies examining the direct relationship between private self-consciousness and online self-presentation behavior have not met with much success. The aim of this study was to examine the direct relationship between private self-consciousness and self-monitoring as well as the indirect relationship between these two variables through the mediation of locus of control and self-concept among Instagram users. Besides investigating locus of control and self-concept independently, serial mediation of locus of control and self-concept in the relationship between private self-consciousness and self-monitoring was also examined. A sample of 309 university students was conveniently drawn from three private universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Participants completed a survey that collected data on private self-consciousness, internal locus of control, self-concept, self-monitoring on Instagram and relevant demographic data. Results of this study showed that there is no direct relationship between private self-consciousness and self-monitoring on Instagram. Independently, locus of control was found to mediate the relationship between private self-consciousness and self-monitoring while self-concept did not. The serial-multiple mediation test supported the mediating role of locus of control and self-concept on this relationship. These indirect relationships contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanism through which private self-consciousness influences self-monitoring on Instagram.
Fear of negative appearance evaluation and attitude towards mammography: Moderating role of internal health locus of control,cancer worry and age

Pahlevan Sharif S, Ahadzadeh AS, Ong FS, Naghavi N

Health Promot Perspect, 2020;10(3):220-229.
PMID: 32802758 DOI: 10.34172/hpp.2020.35

Background: Mammography screening tends to reduce mortality rate through early detection. One of the barriers to mammography screening is fear of negative appearance evaluation(FNAE). This study investigated the impact of internal health locus of control, breast cancer worries and age on the relationship between FNAE and attitude towards mammography. Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey design was used. Samples were Iranian women, living in Iran, aged at least 30 years old, without any history of cancer, and had not performed mammography previously based on self-report. In total, 823 samples were collected through conducting an online survey from April to June 2016. The questionnaire consisted of several instruments including attitude toward breast cancer screening procedures scale, FNAEscale, the internal dimension of the multidimensional health locus of control, and two items to measure breast cancer worry. Using covariance-based structural equation modeling the model was tested. Results: The interaction of FNAE with internal health locus of control (β = -0.128, P<0.05,CI: -0.200, -0.056), breast cancer worry (β = 0.090, P<0.05, CI: -0.162, -0.017), and age (β =-0.095, P<0.05, CI = -0.163, -0.026) was significant. The three tested moderators dampened the positive relationship between FNAE and negative attitude towards mammography. Conclusion: More information about the screening procedure should be given to women to overcome their fear. The findings indicate the need for interventions seeking to shift women's health locus of control from external to internal. Women with low level of cancer worry need more attention.
Fulltext The Mediating Influence of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology on the Relationship Between Internal Health Locus of Control and Mobile Health Adoption: Cross-sectional Study

Ahadzadeh AS, Wu SL, Ong FS, Deng R

J Med Internet Res, 2021 Dec 29;23(12):e28086.
PMID: 34964718 DOI: 10.2196/28086

BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) as an innovative form of information and communications technology can efficiently deliver high-quality health care by enhancing communication and health management, reducing costs, and increasing access to health services. An individual's internal health locus of control (HLOC) is found to be associated with the behavioral intent to adopt mHealth. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism of this association.
OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to test the mediation influence of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) on the relationship between internal HLOC and the behavioral intention to use mHealth.
METHODS: A total of 374 responses were collected from Malaysian adult users of mHealth, using convenience and snowball sampling methods. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Data were collected for variables, including demographics, internal HLOC, and modified UTAUT constructs (ie, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence).
RESULTS: The results showed that there was no direct relationship between internal HLOC and the behavioral intention to use mHealth (β=-0.039, P=.32). The indirect relationship between internal HLOC and the intent to adopt mHealth was supported, indicating that the UTAUT constructs performance expectancy (β=0.104, P
Materialism and Life Satisfaction: The Role of Religion

Rakrachakarn V, Moschis GP, Ong FS, Shannon R

J Relig Health, 2013 Nov 15.
PMID: 24233840

This study examines the role of religion and religiosity in the relationship between materialism and life satisfaction. The findings suggests that religion may be a key factor in understanding differences in findings of previous studies regarding the inverse relationship found in the vast majority of previous studies. Based on a large-scale study in Malaysia-a country comprised of several religious subcultures (mainly Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus), the findings suggest that the influence of religiosity on materialism and life satisfaction is stronger among Malays than among Chinese and Indians, and life satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between religiosity and materialism. The paper discusses implications for theory development and further research.
Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Herth Hope Index Within a Sample of Iranian Older Peoples

Yaghoobzadeh A, Pahlevan Sharif S, Ong FS, Soundy A, Sharif Nia H, Moradi Bagloee M, et al.

Int J Aging Hum Dev, 2019 12;89(4):356-371.
PMID: 30569732 DOI: 10.1177/0091415018815239