MyMedR

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 37 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Academic mobbing: hidden health hazard at workplace

Khoo SB

Malays Fam Physician, 2010;5(2):61-7.
PMID: 25606190

Academic mobbing is a non-violent, sophisticated, 'ganging up' behaviour adopted by academicians to "wear and tear" a colleague down emotionally through unjustified accusation, humiliation, general harassment and emotional abuse. These are directed at the target under a veil of lies and justifications so that they are "hidden" to others and difficult to prove. Bullies use mobbing activities to hide their own weaknesses and incompetence. Targets selected are often intelligent, innovative high achievers, with good integrity and principles. Mobbing activities appear trivial and innocuous on its own but the frequency and pattern of their occurrence over long period of time indicates an aggressive manipulation to "eliminate" the target. Mobbing activities typically progress through five stereotypical phases that begins with an unsolved minor conflict between two workers and ultimately escalates into a senseless mobbing whereby the target is stigmatized and victimized to justify the behaviours of the bullies. The result is always physical, mental, social distress or illness and, most often, expulsion of target from the workplace. Organizations are subjected to great financial loss, loss of key workers and a tarnished public image and reputation. Public awareness, education, effective counselling, establishment of anti-bullying policies and legislations at all levels are necessary to curb academic mobbing. General practitioners (GPs) play an important role in supporting patients subjected to mental and physical health injury caused by workplace bullying and mobbing.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Fulltext Impact of Multifaceted Workplace Bullying on the Relationships between Technology Usage, Organisational Climate and Employee Physical and Emotional Health

Iftikhar M, Qureshi MI, Qayyum S, Fatima I, Sriyanto S, Indrianti Y, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 03 19;18(6).
PMID: 33808837 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18063207

This research article investigates the effect of organisational climate and technology usage on employees' physiological and emotional health damage resulting from face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying at the workplace. Furthermore, we investigated emotional intelligence as a coping strategy to moderate employee physiological and emotional health damage. The research used a quantitative research design. A five-point Likert-scale questionnaire was used to collect data from a multistage sample of 500 officials from Pakistan's four service sectors. Results revealed that organisational climate and technology usage are negatively related to face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying at the workplace. At the same time, workplace bullying adversely affects an employee's emotional and physiological health. However, emotional intelligence can reduce an employee's emotional health damage due to workplace bullying. Thus, we suggest incorporating emotional intelligence training at the workplace to minimise the devastating effects of face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying on employees' physical and emotional health.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Fulltext Workplace bullying: time to understand its roots

Khalib AL, Ngan HU

Malaysian Journal of Community Health, 2006;12(1):0-0.
MyJurnal

Workplace bullying has drawn greater attention in the last one and half decades. Despite its recognition by many organizations and countries, it is still rife. Why is that so? Could it be that the root of the problem has not been addressed? Or, could it be due to difficulties and resistances in embarking preventive and control measures. In this paper, we will examine the possible causes of workplace bullying based on a proposed model. In depth discussion of the personal and organizational factors are made while the work group and societal factors are dealt with in brief. In summary, the root of workplace bullying is multi-factorial. Understanding the complexity and subtlety of workplace bullying is pertinent in the effort to prevent or curtail it.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying
Application of socio-ecological model in developing preventive strategies against suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt among youth in low and middle-income countries: A scoping review

Zulkiply SH, Rosliza AM

Med J Malaysia, 2022 Nov;77(6):755-763.
PMID: 36448396

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is recognized as an important public health concern, as it is the second leading cause of death among young people. About 80% of all suicide cases occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Understanding the risk factors for suicidal behaviours among young people in LMIC is important in developing preventive strategies; however, evidence on this is still lacking. Socio-ecological model (SEM) is a suitable framework in explaining the factors of suicidal behaviour. The aim of this review is to identify the factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt among young people in LMIC, guided by the SEM model, and eventually develop its preventive strategies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This review has two parts. The first part is a scoping review of the factors associated with suicidal ideation and attempt among young people. The search was conducted in Pubmed, Scopus, and PsycInfo. The second part is the development of preventive strategies according to the identified factors. Both parts will be guided by the SEM model.
RESULTS: A total of ten studies with 45,278 participants that matched the criteria are included in this review. The review found that the risk factors for suicidal ideation among young people in LMIC are being female, psychiatric illness, psychology problem, smoking, alcohol intake, victim of abuse, bullied, and food insecurity. The preventive strategies include policy, mental healthcare services, awareness programme, and coping strategies.
CONCLUSION: More epidemiological studies are needed to evaluate the risk factors of suicide that are unique in LMIC, such as help-seeking behaviour and available mental healthcare services. Suicide prevention requires concerted effort of policymakers, healthcare services, community and individual; thus, SEM framework is suitable as a guidance for suicide prevention.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Adopting global perspectives in school psychology

Nastasi BK, Clinton A

Sch Psychol, 2024 Mar;39(2):119-121.
PMID: 38546600 DOI: 10.1037/spq0000631

This introduction to the special issue on global perspectives frames the collection of articles around recent calls for expanding the focus of research in psychology in general, and school psychology specifically, beyond Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic countries and cross-cultural comparisons with non-Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic Confucian East Asian countries (cf. individualistic vs. collectivist societies; see Krys et al., 2024), while neglecting populations in Latin American, Eastern Europe, Africa, Middle East, South Asia, and Oceania. The articles in this issue represent research from China, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, Ukraine, Vietnam, and the United States and address topics as diverse as teacher consultation, implementation science, adapting evidence-based interventions, parent-teacher and teacher-child relationships, bullying, behavior management, school climate and equity, resilience during war, newcomer immigrants, refugee status in transit countries, and social media use. Research methods represented in this issue include correlational, case study, comparative (cross-country), mixed methods, and participatory approaches. We hope that the articles in this internationally focused collection heighten school psychologists' knowledge of and interest in a world where science and practice expand beyond borders, and that the global-intercultural perspective represented herein can facilitate collaboration across cultures and contexts as we advocate for the rights and well-being of each child. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Fulltext Cyberbullying, Social Media Addiction and Associations with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among Medical Students in Malaysia

Lee MHL, Kaur M, Shaker V, Yee A, Sham R, Siau CS

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2023 Feb 10;20(4).
PMID: 36833827 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043136

This study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with cyberbullying and social media addiction. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 270 medical students from a public university in Kuching, Malaysia. The instruments used in this study included the cyberbullying questionnaire survey, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21-item (DASS-21). The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization was 24.4%, whilst 13.0% reported cyberbullying perpetration over the past six months. Male gender was positively associated with both cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization, whilst social media addiction was positively associated with cybervictimization. Psychological motives such as positive attitudes toward cyberbullying and gaining power were associated with cyberbullying perpetration. Cybervictimization doubled the tendency to depression (aOR 2.50, 95% CI [1.23, 5.08], p = 0.012), anxiety (aOR 2.38, 95% CI [1.29, 4.40], p = 0.006), and stress (aOR 2.85, 95% CI [1.41, 5.77], p = 0.004), whilst social media addiction was associated with a higher tendency to depression (aOR 1.18, 95% CI [1.10, 1.26], p < 0.001), anxiety (aOR 1.15, 95% CI [1.08, 1.22], p < 0.001), and stress (aOR 1.21, 95% CI [1.12, 1.32], p < 0.001). Medical schools in Malaysia need policies and guidelines against cyberbullying.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Fulltext Suicide attempt among Malaysian school-going adolescents: relationship with bullying

Liew SH, Razak MAA, Kassim MSA, Ahmad NA, Tan L

BMC Public Health, 2023 Nov 06;23(1):2165.
PMID: 37932717 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17019-2

BACKGROUND: According to World Health Organization (WHO), the fourth leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15 -19 years is suicide. The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2017 reported that suicidal attempts among school adolescents increased from 6.8%-6.9% as compared to NHMS 2012. Suicide attempts can cause significant negative impacts on health, social and economic status. Bullying is one of the factors for adolescent suicide attempts, and its relationship to suicidality in adolescents has been shown in numerous research.
OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between suicide attempts and bullying among school adolescents in Malaysia.
METHODS: Data from the Malaysia NHMS 2017, a nationwide study that adopted a two-stage cluster sampling design, were analysed. The survey used a self-administered questionnaire in bilingual language adapted from GSHS developed by WHO. Participants were secondary school students aged 13 -17 in all states. Descriptive and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 28.
RESULTS: A total of 27,497 school adolescents participated in the study. Results showed that 6.9% of school adolescents had attempted suicide. There was 16.2% of adolescents being bullied. Multiple logistic regression revealed that students who were bullied were more likely to have suicide attempts (aOR 4.827, 95% CI: 4.143, 5.624) P

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Fulltext Bullying and Its Associated Individual, Peer, Family and School Factors: Evidence from Malaysian National Secondary School Students

Sabramani V, Idris IB, Ismail H, Nadarajaw T, Zakaria E, Kamaluddin MR

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 Jul 05;18(13).
PMID: 34281145 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18137208

Adolescents involved in bullying can be at risk of developing behavioural problems, physical health problems and suicidal ideation. In view of this, a quantitative research design using a cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of bullying and associated individual, peer, family and school factors. The study involved 4469 Malaysian public-school students who made up the response rate of 89.4%. The students were selected using a randomized multilevel sampling method. The study found that 79.1% of student respondents were involved in bullying as perpetrators (14.4%), victims (16.3%), or bully-victims (48.4%). In a multivariate analysis, the individual domain showed a significant association between students' bullying involvement and age (OR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.12-1.70), gender (OR = 1.73; 95% CI 1.47-0.91), ethnicity (OR = 0.66; 95% CI 0.47-0.91), duration of time spent on social media during the weekends (OR = 1.43; 95% CI 1.09-1.87) and psychological distress level (OR = 2.55; 95% CI 1.94-3.34). In the peer domain, the significantly associated factors were the number of peers (OR = 0.69; 95% CI 0.56-0.86) and frequency of quarrels or fights with peers (OR = 2.12; 95% CI 1.24-3.26). Among the items in the school domain, the significantly associated factors were students being mischievous in classrooms (OR = 1.52; 95% CI 1.06-2.06), student's affection towards their teachers (OR = 1.53; 95% CI 1.06-2.20), frequency of appraisal from teachers (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.16-1.94), frequency of friends being helpful in classrooms (OR = 1.92; 95% CI 1.09-3.38) and frequency of deliberately skipping class (OR = 2.91; 95% CI 2.90-1.72). As a conclusion, the study revealed high levels and widespread bullying involvement among students in Malaysia. As such, timely bullying preventions and interventions are essential, especially in terms of enhancing their mental health capacity, which substantially influences the reduction in the prevalence rates of bullying involvement among students in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Fulltext Prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation and its association with family dysfunction, health behaviour and psychological distress among young adults in urban Selangor, Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

Samsudin EZ, Yaacob SS, Xin Wee C, Mat Ruzlin AN, Azzani M, Jamil AT, et al.

BMJ Open, 2023 Nov 15;13(11):e072801.
PMID: 37967999 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072801

BACKGROUND: Cyberbullying is a growing public health concern with clear, negative impacts on the mental, physical and social health of targeted victims. Previous research on cyberbullying has largely focused on examining its occurrence among children and adolescents. The present study aims to examine the prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation and its association with family dysfunction, health behaviour and psychological distress among young adults in Selangor, Malaysia.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a locality within Selangor, sampling a total of 1449 young adults. The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey was used to measure cyberbullying victimisation. The Family APGAR scale, General Health Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and single-item measures were used to assess family dysfunction, psychological distress and health behaviour, respectively.
RESULTS: The 1-month prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation among young adults was 2.4%. The most common cyberbullying act experienced was mean or hurtful comments about participants online (51.7%), whereas the most common online environment for cyberbullying to occur was social media (45.8%). Male participants (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.60, 95% CI=1.58 to 8.23) had at least three times the odds of being cyberbullied compared with female participants. Meanwhile, participants with higher levels of psychological distress had increased probability of being cyberbullied compared with their peers (AOR=1.13, 95% CI=1.05 to 1.21).
CONCLUSIONS: As evident from this study, cyberbullying victimisation prevails among young adults and is significantly related to gender and psychological distress. Given its devastating effects on targeted victims, a multipronged and collaborative approach is warranted to reduce incidences of cyberbullying and safeguard the health and well-being of young adults.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Fulltext Prevalence and risk factors of stress, anxiety and depression among house officers in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Shakir Aizat Shahruddin, Pradheeksha Saseedaran, Aishah Salleh, Che Amira Ahmad Azmi, Nik Harriz Izwan Mohammad Alfaisal, Rusli Abdullah, et al.

Education in Medicine Journal, 2016;8(1):31-40.
MyJurnal

House officers who are suffering from stress, anxiety or depression are at risk of harm to themselves, colleagues and even patients, as well as affecting their livelihood. Objective: This
study is aimed to find the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression among house officers working
in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Method: A cross-sectional study was done using a self-administered
questionnaire containing socio-demographic factors and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)
21. Results: Prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression were 57.1%, 63.7%, and 42.9% respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis found that house officers who thought of quitting Housemanship was associated with stress (adjusted OR = 3.64, 95% CI: (1.44, 9.20), p = 0.006), and depression (adjusted OR = 8.26, 95% CI: (2.96, 23.02), p < 0.001). House officers who perceives that they are bullied is associated with anxiety (adjusted OR = 4.16, 95% CI: (1.33, 13.07), p = 0.015). Work
experience of the house officers in months have a protective effect to stress (adjusted OR = 0.92, 95%
CI: (0.87, 0.97), p = 0.004), anxiety (adjusted OR = 0.93, 95% CI: (0.88, 0.98), p = 0.006) and
depression (adjusted OR = 0.92, 95% CI: (0.87, 0.98), p = 0.006). Conclusion: The prevalence of
stress, anxiety and depression among house officers in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah is high. Management
should look into the findings and understand the importance of addressing this problem as it may
affect patient care and safety, and the livelihood of house officers. Future studies identifying why
house officers are thinking of quitting service and why they do feel that they are being bullied may be
warranted.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying
When Might Heterosexual Men Be Passive or Compassionate Toward Gay Victims of Hate Crime? Integrating the Bystander and Social Loafing Explanations

Owuamalam CK, Matos AS

Arch Sex Behav, 2020 07;49(5):1693-1709.
PMID: 31863317 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-019-01592-y

Compassionate feelings for people who are victimized because of their perceived sexual deviance (e.g., gay men) may be incompatible with support for heterosexual norms among heterosexual men. But, indifference (or passivity) toward such victims could raise concern over heterosexual men's gay-tolerance attitude. Two classic social psychological theories offer competing explanations on when heterosexual men might be passive or compassionate toward gay victims of hate crime. The bystander model proposes passivity toward victims in an emergency situation if other bystanders are similarly passive, but compassionate reactions if bystanders are responsive to the victims. Conversely, the social loafing model proposes compassionate reactions toward victims when bystanders are passive, but passivity when other bystanders are already responsive toward the victims' predicament. We tested and found supportive evidence for both models across two experiments (Ntotal = 501) in which passivity and compassionate reactions to gay victims of a purported hate crime were recorded after heterosexual men's concern for social evaluation was either accentuated or relaxed. We found that the bystander explanation was visible only when the potential for social evaluation was strong, while the social loafing account occurred only when the potential for social evaluation was relaxed. Hence, we unite both models by showing that the bystander explanation prevails in situations where cues to social evaluation are strong, whereas the social loafing effect operates when concern over social judgement is somewhat muted.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying
Psychological and work-related factors predicting work engagement in Malaysian employees

Chan CMH, Wong JE, Wee LH, Jamil NA, Yeap LLL, Swarna Nantha Y, et al.

Occup Med (Lond), 2020 Sep 09;70(6):400-406.
PMID: 32537649 DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqaa107

BACKGROUND: Past research on work engagement has focused almost exclusively on either psychological or work-related factors in almost wholly separate literature. There is therefore a need to examine how these factors collectively influence work engagement.
AIMS: To determine levels of work engagement and to identify psychological and work-related characteristics predicting work engagement in employees in Malaysia.
METHODS: We recruited 5235 employees from 47 public and private organizations in Malaysia who responded to an online health survey. We assessed work engagement with the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) and psychological distress using the 6-item Kessler scale. We performed multiple linear regression to determine predictors of work engagement.
RESULTS: Employee mean age was 33.8 years (standard deviation [SD] ± 8.8). The mean work engagement score on the UWES-9 was 3.53 (SD ± 0.94). Eleven of 18 variables on multiple regression predicted work engagement, F(18, 4925) = 69.02, P < 0.001, R2 = 0.201. Factors that predicted higher work engagement were age, marital status, education level, job type, job permanency, longer sleep duration, lower psychological distress and no history of workplace bullying.
CONCLUSIONS: Key factors associated with poorer work engagement in Malaysian employees include inadequate sleep, psychological distress and a history of workplace bullying. These are modifiable factors that individuals and employers can target to improve work engagement, ideally tailored according to occupational type.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Risk Factors for Social Networking Site Scam Victimization Among Malaysian Students

Kirwan GH, Fullwood C, Rooney B

Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw, 2018 Feb;21(2):123-128.
PMID: 29048944 DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2016.0714

Social networking sites (SNSs) can provide cybercriminals with various opportunities, including gathering of user data and login credentials to enable fraud, and directing of users toward online locations that may install malware onto their devices. The techniques employed by such cybercriminals can include clickbait (text or video), advertisement of nonexistent but potentially desirable products, and hoax competitions/giveaways. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with falling victim to these malicious techniques. An online survey was completed by 295 Malaysian undergraduate students, finding that more than one-third had fallen victim to SNS scams. Logistic regression analysis identified several victimization risk factors including having higher scores in impulsivity (specifically cognitive complexity), using fewer devices for SNSs, and having been on an SNS for a longer duration. No reliable model was found for vulnerability to hoax valuable gift giveaways and "friend view application" advertising specifically, but vulnerability to video clickbait was predicted by lower extraversion scores, higher levels of openness to experience, using fewer devices, and being on an SNS for a longer duration. Other personality traits were not associated with either overall victimization susceptibility or increased risk of falling victim to the specific techniques. However, age approached significance within both the video clickbait and overall victimization models. These findings suggest that routine activity theory may be particularly beneficial in understanding and preventing SNSs scam victimization.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Bullying and truancy: Predictors to sexual practices among school-going adolescents in Malaysia - a cross-sectional study

Azmawati MN, Dalila R, Idris IB, Hod R

Med J Malaysia, 2017 10;72(5):298-305.
PMID: 29197886

INTRODUCTION: Adolescents' involvement in sexual practices are becoming a major public health concern in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the prevalence of sexual practices among Malaysian school-going adolescents and its predictive factors.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out from April 2012 till September 2012 among 16-year-old school adolescents from two different schools. They were selected through simple random sampling and these adolescents answered a self-administered questionnaire consisting of three sections i.e. socio-demography, risk-taking behaviours and family-adolescents relationship. Data were analysed using Pearson Chi-Square test while Simple Logistic Regression and Multiple Logistic Regression were applied to determine the predictive factors.
RESULTS: The prevalence of sexual practices among the adolescents was 30.1% in which they were either involved in pornography (26.8%), pre-sexual activities (8.5%) or premarital sex (2.9%). Six predictive factors associated with sexual practices among this age group were identified which were male (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 2.7, 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI) 1.4 to 2.5), truancy (aOR 2.3, 95%CI 1.3 to 4.2), bully (aOR 3.5, 95%CI 1.7 to 7.3), hanging out (aOR 2.8, 95% 1.4 to 5.6), staying out late (aOR 3.2, 95%CI 1.5 to 6.8) and conflict with family (aOR 4.1, 95%CI 1.9 to 8.9).
DISCUSSION: Asian background differs from the western countries and findings of this study may suggest suitable intervention programmes that can prevent high-risk sexual practices among Asian school-going adolescents.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying*
Fulltext Prevalence, distribution, and associated factors of suicide attempts in young adolescents: School-based data from 40 low-income and middle-income countries

Liu X, Huang Y, Liu Y

PLoS One, 2018;13(12):e0207823.
PMID: 30566431 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207823

Suicide attempts are the most important known predictor of death by suicide. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence, distribution, and associated factors of suicide attempts among young adolescents in 40 low-income and middle-income countries. We used data from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (2009-2013) and a nationally representative study in China (2010), which are school-based surveys of students primarily aged 12-18 years that assess health behaviors using an anonymous, standardized, self-reported questionnaire. We calculated the prevalence of suicide attempts in young adolescents from 40 low-income and middle-income countries using the surveys. Multilevel logistic models were used to estimate the associations between suicide attempts and potential risk factors, adjusting for gender, age, school and survey year. Results show that the mean 12-month prevalence of suicide attempts was 17.2%, ranging from 6.7% in Malaysia to 61.2% in Samoa. The overall prevalence of suicide attempts was higher for girls than for boys (18.2% vs 16.2%, P<0.05). Among the suicide attempts, the proportion of suicide attempts with a plan was higher for girls than for boys (62.7% vs 53.2%, P<0.05). Both the prevalence of suicide attempts and the proportion of suicide attempts with a plan increased with age. Factors associated with suicide attempts included poor socioeconomic status, history of bullying, loneliness and anxiety, tobacco and alcohol use, and weak family and social relationships. In conclusion, suicide attempts are frequent among young adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries. Girls and older adolescents tend to make suicide attempts with a plan. The data demonstrate the need to strengthen suicide intervention and prevention programs for young adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries.
Study name: Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS)

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying
Prevalence of Workplace Bullying and Its Associated Factors among Workers in a Malaysian Public University Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Awai NS, Ganasegeran K, Abdul Manaf MR

Risk Manag Healthc Policy, 2021;14:75-85.
PMID: 33447111 DOI: 10.2147/RMHP.S280954

Background and Purpose: Workplace bullying has been regarded as a serious phenomenon, particularly in health-care settings, due to its tendency to predispose health workers to serious psychological repercussions, job dissatisfaction, and turnover. Such consequences are costly to health systems and disruptive to the continuity of patient care. While global bullying literature in health settings grows, evidence on the magnitude of the problem from a Malaysian perspective is scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying and its associated factors among health workers in a Malaysian public university hospital.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2019 among 178 hospital workers at the Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The study utilized a self-administered questionnaire that consisted of items on sociodemographics, work characteristics, sources of bullying, and the validated Malay version of the 23-item Negative Acts Questionnaire - revised to determine the prevalence of bullying. Descriptive and inferential statistics were analyzed using SPSS 22.0. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05.
Results: The prevalence of workplace bullying in this sample was 11.2%. Superiors or supervisors from other departments and colleagues were the main perpetrators. In the multivariate model, working for 10 years or less (aOR 4, 95% CI 1.3-12.3; P=0.014) and not being involved in patient care (aOR 5, 95% CI 2.5-10; P<0.001) were statistically significant attributes associated with workplace bullying.
Conclusion: Workplace bullying in the current study was strongly associated with occupational characteristics, particularly length of service and service orientation of the workers. Hospital directors and managers could undertake preventive measures to identify groups vulnerable to bullying and subsequently craft appropriate coping strategies and mentoring programs to curb bullying.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying
Fulltext Polysubstance use among adolescents in Malaysia: Findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2017

Rodzlan Hasani WS, Saminathan TA, Ab Majid NL, Miaw Yn JL, Mat Rifin H, Abd Hamid HA, et al.

PLoS One, 2021;16(1):e0245593.
PMID: 33476329 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245593

BACKGROUND: Polysubstance use is defined as the use of more than one non-prescribed licit or illicit substance either concurrently or simultaneously. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of single substance users and polysubstance users and 'their associated factors among adolescents in Malaysia.
METHODS: This study was a secondary data analysis from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2017, a cross-sectional survey conducted among Malaysian school-going adolescents aged 13 to 17. The NHMS utilised a two-stage stratified cluster sampling. Multivariate Multinomial Logistic Regression analysis was applied.
RESULTS: The overall prevalence of single substance use and polysubstance use among adolescents were 17.2% and 5.1% respectively. The multinomial model showed a higher likelihood of being single or polysubstance user among male (single user OR = 3.0, poly user OR = 4.6), others Bumiputeras vs Malay (single user OR = 1.7, poly user OR = 5.3), those who live with a single parent (single user OR = 1.2, poly user OR = 1.4), involved in truancy (single user OR = 1.7, poly user OR = 3.6) and being bullied (single user OR = 1.3, poly user OR = 3.4), those who had lack of peer support (single user OR = 1.3, poly user OR = 1.4), poor parental bonding (single user OR = 1.4, poly user OR = 1.8), depression (single user OR = 1.4, poly user OR = 3.2) and those who had no close friend (single user OR = 1.3, poly user OR = 2.7).
CONCLUSION: Our study highlighted multiple significant associated factors of single and polysubstance use among adolescents in Malaysia. This result can assist in the development of specific intervention and prevention programs targeting high-risk groups.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying
Fulltext The association between the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) symptoms and bully/victim problem among malaysian sixth-graders

Wan Ismail WS, Nik Jaafar NR, Mohd Daud TI, Shah SA, Ismail A, Shafiee Z

ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, 2010;11(1):79-86.
MyJurnal

Objective: School bullying in Malaysia is on the rise. While efforts are put together to combat the problem, the psychiatric aspect has been neglected. This is a cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association between the symptoms of ADHD and bully/victim problems among Malaysian sixthgraders attending primary schools in Kuala Lumpur.
Methods: A total of 410 sixth-graders from seven randomly selected schools were assessed with regards to bully/victim problems and ADHD symptoms using self-reported questionnaires. Malaysian Bullying Questionnaire was used to rate bully/victim problems while ADHD symptoms were assessed using ConnersWells’ Adolescent Self-report Scale (CASS). Teachers and parents also assessed students’ ADHD symptoms using Conner’s Teachers Rating Scale (CTRS) and Conner’s Parents Rating Scale (CPRS), respectively.
Results: Self-reported questionnaires showed that 61.2% of the children were involved in bully/victim problems. The ADHD symptoms were found significant in relation to bully/victim problems as tested by multiple logistic regression. Only students and parents reported significant ADHD symptoms among the bully/victim groups. The ADHD symptoms reported by students were significant among bullies(OR=0.59,CI=0.42-0.83, p

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying
Fulltext Protective factors related to violence among adolescents: a cross sectional study in Terengganu

Nordiyanah, H., Khatijah, A.R., Mohd Aris, K., Mohd Jusoh, Anwa, S.

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2002;2(1):36-41.
MyJurnal

A cross-sectional study was done to determine the prevalence of violence among 15-year-old adolescents and to identify associated protective or risk factors. The study involved 758 adolescents, 384 males and 3 74 females in the District of Kuala Terengganu and Besut, Terengganu. About 39.0% of adolescents under study were ever involved in violence. Percentage of girls were slightly higher 19.8% as compared to boys 19.2%. About 30% of the violent adolescents were from Kuala Terengganu and 9.1% from Besut. There was no significant relationship between violence and ethnic groups. Family total income above poverty line was significant protective towards violent behaviour < 0.01, OR 0.61, CI 0.45 - 0.82). Using univariate analysis, selected parental factors were protective against violence, such as good parental connection (p < 0.01), presence of parental regulation (p < 0.001), religious parents (p < 0.05) and parents who had dinner everyday with adolescents (p < 0.01, OR 0.59, CI 0.43 - 0.80). Adolescent who perceived to have interest in learning (p < 0.001, OR 0.32, CI 0.17 - 0.59) were less likely to involve in violence. Adolescent who felt well connected to their school (p < 0.01), and perceived themselves religious (P < 0.001) were more likely to be non-violent. Those who felt satisfied with day to day life were less likely to be involved in violence (p < 0.001, OR 0.52, CI 0.37 - 0.71). On the contrary, adolescents who ever had the feeling to run away from home (p < 0.001), had 3 times risk of violence, ever smoked cigarette had 2.4 times risk (p < 0.001, CI 1.55 - 3.69) ever been bullied by peers were 2.3 times risk (p < 0.001, CI 1.46 - 3.60) to violence. Same factors remained significant in multivariate analysis. Such factors were total family income below poverty line (p < 0.001, OR 1.82,CI 1.28 - 2.59), parental regulation (p < 0.05, OR 0.34, CI 0.13 - 0.89), had dinner every night and frequently (p < 0.01, OR 0. 62, CI 0.43 - 0.89), and adolescents' religiosity (p < 0.05, OR 0.81, CI 0.66 - 0.98) were protective, whereas ever· smoke cigarettes (12 < 0.01, OR 2.24,Cl 1.38 - 3.62), being bullied by peers (o < 0.01, OR 2. 09, C1 1.26 - 3.45), and frequently felt depressed previous one year (p < 0.001, OR 3.01,CI 1.79 - 5.07) were risk factors. The findings of the study will serve as baseline in planning adolescent health programme specifically to prevent violence behaviour from developing right from young, in the home and in the school environment.

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying
Conduct disorders seen in child psychiatric outpatient clinic, Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Loh, C.C., Mohd Amin, S., Kasmini, K.

Malaysian Journal of Child Health, 1994;6(1):12-17.
MyJurnal

This is a retrospective and descriptive study of 30 children and adolescents with conduct disorders diagnosed for the first time this year (1993) at the Child and Family Consultation Unit, UKM. Eleven of them were diagnosed to have a Socialized Conduct Disorder, 8 had symptoms of Unsocialized Conduct Disorder, whilst 4 had Conduct Disorder confined to the family context. Another 5 had Depressive Conduct Disorders while 2 had features of other mixed disorders of conduct and emotions. Most them were boys and were ten years old and above. The majority presented with at least one year history of illness and school authorities played an important role in being the main referral agency. Prominent abnormal psychosocial situations were inadequate or inconsistent parental control and discordant intro familial relationships. Socio-economic status and geographical differences were associated with the prevalence of the disorder. The main symptomatology found were disobedience and frequent lying, stealing, truancy and fighting or bullying.

Study site: outpatient clinic, Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Matched MeSH terms: Bullying

Filters

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

External Links