Journal of Southeast Asia Psychology (SAPJ)

THE EFFECT OF PARENTING STYLES, PERSONALITIES, BULLY BEHAVIORS TOWARDS SUICIDE ATTEMPT

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0800

The aim of this study is to identify the association between parenting styles, personality, bullying behavior, and suicide attempt among adolescents in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. This study is a descriptive-correlation quantitative study that emphasizes the relevance of variable variation and its relationship with other variables. Statistical analysis showed good reliability and validity of the research instruments. The reliability of the Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) is .786; Big Five Inventory (BFI) is .702; the Measure of Bullying Behaviour-Adaptation (MBBS-A) is .824; and The Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) is .924. While the validity of all research instruments is good as the obtained value (p table) is greater than the critical value (r table) of .2542 and significantly high because  < .05. The samples of the study were selected using the cluster sampling method and consisted of secondary school students in Johor. A total of 815 data were used for descriptive analysis while 659 data that had gone through the process of screening and normality analysis were used for inferential analysis. The findings showed that the level of suicide attempts among adolescents is high (45.6%). In addition, this study showed that the authoritative parenting style is the most dominant with a mean of 3.53; verbal bullying is the most dominant bullying behavior with a mean of 1.76; and agreeableness is the most dominant personality domain with a mean of 3.59. The results of the Stepwise-Multiple Regression analysis showed that social manipulation, verbal and, physical bullying behavior, agreeableness and conscientiousness in personality, and authoritative parenting styles are predictors of suicide attempts.

THE EFFECT OF PERCEIVED SUPPORT ON SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING OF ACADEMIC INSTITUTION STAFF

Najah Afina Mohd Harun, Muhammad Idris Bullare @ Bahari — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0800

This study aimed to examine the effects of perceived support on subjective well-being (SWB) among university staff in the context of COVID-19. The research sample comprised of 522 employees from Malaysia public universities, which included both academicians and non-academicians. The respondents completed two online questionnaires. Statistical analyses used were descriptive statistics and regression. The results revealed that perceived support directly affects higher institution employees’ subjective well-being. The study confirmed the importance of perceived support for university employees’ subjective well-being.

THE EFFECTS OF DURATION TO OBTAIN A FIRST JOB ON MATURE AND IMMATURE SELF-DEFENSE MECHANISMS AMONG RECENT GRADUATES

Getrude Cosmas, Patricia Joseph Kimong & Wanda Kiyah George Albert — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0800

Obtaining a job after graduation in today’s job market is quite challenging. Some graduates obtain a job during an internship while others do not secure their first job for a few months or even years. The length of time it takes to obtain a job might affect graduates in coping with job demands. To examine this phenomenon, a study involving 189 graduates was conducted. The study predicted that the duration of a graduate’s job search would affect their mature and immature self-defense mechanisms. The study also examined the difference between graduates with matched and mismatched jobs in using immature and immature self-defense. The study found that taking a longer time to get the first job negatively affects one’s mature self-defense, while there are no significant effects on the immature self-defense mechanism. This study showed that graduates who obtain jobs earlier after graduating tend to apply mature self-defense mechanisms (e.g., sublimation, humor, anticipation, & suppression) compared those who obtain job only after a longer duration. Regarding the differences between the two groups of graduates in using each self-defense mechanisms, the study found no significant difference. The findings showed that the mature psychological self-defense mechanism was more frequently used among graduates who get jobs sooner after graduation than among those who obtain jobs after a longer search. The study findings may help employed graduates to understand their self-defense mechanisms in adapting to their work environment based on the start of their first job.

INTERAKSI ANTARA KEPUASAN KERJA, KUALITI HIDUP DAN KESIHATAN MENTAL SEBAGAI PERAMAL KEPADA PRESTASI AKADEMIK DALAM KALANGAN PELAJAR SEKOLAH MENENGAH KEBANGSAAN MEMBAKUT II SEMASA PANDEMIK COVID-19

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0800

The spread of the COVID-19 epidemic has caused a number of negative impacts such as in terms of mental and physical health issues, performance instability especially among school and university students, job dissatisfaction in doing tasks and completing tasks according to the requirements and time set as well as a decrease in quality live as long as this pandemic happens continuously. Among the objectives of this study is to identify gender and area of residence as not a factor in the interaction of job satisfaction, quality of life, mental health, and academic performance. Second, the study identified the factors of job satisfaction, quality of life, and mental health as predictors of academic performance at the Membakut II National School during the covid-19 pandemic. The selection of the sample for this study uses a random sampling method involving 225 respondents among students from grades one to six at Membakut II Secondary School. The research design is using quantitative methods. The instrument of this study is to use a questionnaire distributed through the Whatsapp application in the form of a Google Form Survey. Data were collected and analyzed using Statistical Package for The Social Science software version 26 (SPSS 26.0) using 2-way manova and multiple regression. This study found that Gender and place of residence are not factors in job satisfaction, quality of life, mental health, and academic performance among Membakut II Middle School students during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the regression analysis found that the factors of job satisfaction, quality of life, and mental health are not predictors of academic performance at Sekolah Kebangsaan Membakut II during the covid-19 pandemic recorded as much as 0.17 = p<0.00 and F (3.221) = 9.137. The results of this study need to be emphasized as a guide to ensure that students get satisfaction in terms of work, especially in order to improve academic performance with better quality and maintain physical and mental health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

TEKANAN AKADEMIK DAN KAWALAN DIRI TERHADAP TAHAP KESEJAHTERAAN PSIKOLOGI DALAM KALANGAN PELAJAR UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH SEMASA PANDEMIK COVID-19

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0800

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that struck countries around the world including Malaysia had adversely impacted various sectors. The education sector was one of the sectors that was severely affected as a result of the closure of schools and universities that had to be enacted. The closure had put interruptions on the routines of students as they were required to adapt to online learning sessions. This circumstance caused students to face several challenges such as increased academic stress, which consequently resulted in decreased levels of self-control and psychological well-being. Thus, this research was conducted to identify the influence of academic stress and self-control on the psychological well-being of University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students in Kota Kinabalu campus. This research had been carried out to 320 UMS students using a set of questionnaires. The data collected was analyzed by Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. The study found no significant differences between academic stress levels, self-control and psychological well-being of UMS students by gender. In addition, regression (stepwise) statistics show academic stress is a direct predictor of the psychological well-being of UMS students during COVID-19, with a value of F (1,118) = 7.052, Sig = 0.009 <0.05. Based on Beta values, the findings showed (beta = -0.18, t = -2.65, Sig = 0.001 and R² = 0.056). Results showed academic stress contributed 5.6 percent to the psychological well-being of UMS students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be concluded that COVID-19 pandemic had pernicious influences on psychological well-being of UMS students. Therefore, future researchers are encouraged to conduct studies related to the factors influencing psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) PATIENT IN MALAYSIA

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0800

This research aims to look at the social support available for Systemic
Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients and its relationship with sociodemographic
and psychological factors at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 150 patients with SLE who
are seeking treatment have filled the questionnaires distributed and consisted of
26 male patients and 126 female patients with a ratio (cross-sectional sectional
study using convenience sampling was conducted where the MSPSS
questionnaires (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) was used
to measure the social support scores while Hospital Anxiety and Depression
(HADS) was used to measure the psychological aspect obtained by the patient.
The social support overall showed a significant relationship only with the
monthly income. Family social support were significantly related to ethnicity
and income, friends' social support was seen to have a significant relationship
with education and income, whereas else there is no significant relationship
between significant other social support with demographic characteristics of
patient with SLE. Their result showed that there was a negative strong
significant relationship between social support overall, social support from
family, social support from friends and social support from a significant other
with a score of anxiety and depression. All the test results showed p<0.000 and
r>-0.6. This means that there is a significant relationship between social
support, family social support, friend social support and social support of special
friends with the occurrence of anxiety and depression experienced by patients
with SLE.

PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE PERSONAL ASSESSMENT OF INTIMACY IN RELATIONSHIPS (PAIR) INVENTORY AMONG NORTH-BORNEO MALAYSIAN COUPLES

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0800

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR) Inventory among Malaysian couples. The research specifically focused on evaluating the inventory's reliability, validity, and conducting an item analysis. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 549 respondents. These respondents were either married, engaged, or in committed relationships, living together. The duration of most relationships ranged from one to ten years, and participants were located across Malaysia. The survey was administered through Google Forms and disseminated via WhatsApp using the snowballing method. The study utilized the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR) Inventory, which comprises 36 items divided into six subscales. These subscales measure emotional, social, sexual, intellectual, recreational intimacy, and conventionality. Item analysis revealed issues with some items, especially within the Social Intimacy scale. As for reliability, the entire PAIR instrument displayed good consistency with a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.77. Nevertheless, there were variations in the reliability of subscales. Emotional Intimacy achieved an alpha value of 0.74, and Intellectual Intimacy reached 0.71, meeting the reliability criterion. However, some other subscales did not meet the threshold. Furthermore, problematic items were identified through item analysis. In terms of validity, both convergent and concurrent validity were assessed. All PAIR subscales demonstrated positive and significant intercorrelations, with the exception of the Social Intimacy scale. Concurrent validity was evident through positive associations between PAIR subscales and well-being measures. Once again, the only exception was the Social Intimacy scale. In conclusion, this study offers valuable insights into the psychometric properties of the PAIR Inventory among Malaysian couples. It highlights the need for improvements, especially within the Social Intimacy scale.

THE DIFFERENCES IN GENDER AND EDUCATION LEVEL ON MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY AMONG YOUTHS IN MALAYSIA

Sat, 18 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0800

This quantitative study investigated mental health literacy (MHL) among Malaysian youth, considering gender and education level. A sample of 134 youths aged 15-30 from different regions in Malaysia participated, with 43 males and 91 females. Data were collected using a Google Form, assessing demographic background and MHL components. This study utilises random sampling as its sampling method. The assessment of mental health literacy was conducted using a formal standardised questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 27, utilising descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA. Results indicated no significant gender difference in MHL, but a significant relationship between education level and MHL. The study comprehensively examines how gender and education level influence mental health literacy among Malaysian youth, identifying challenges and disparities. Future research should explore socio-cultural influences and develop targeted interventions to improve mental health knowledge among youth with lower education levels. Policymakers and educators can use these findings to support the mental health needs of Malaysian youth, enhancing overall well-being.

PERBEZAAN GENDER DAN STATUS SOSIOEKONOMI TERHADAP KEBIMBANGAN BAHASA ASING DALAM KALANGAN PELAJAR UNIVERSITI AWAM DI SABAH

Noor Aimuni Haron & Mazni Mustapha — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0800

This study was conducted to identify the level of foreign language anxiety (FLA), gender differences,
and socioeconomic status influence on FLA among public university students in Sabah. The research was
carried out at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) branch in Kota
Kinabalu, Sabah. A total of 358 respondents, consisting of 104 males and 254 females, participated in this
study. The research adapted the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) questionnaire developed
by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986). Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social
Science (SPSS) version 28.0. The study results indicated that the level of FLA among public university students
in Sabah is at a moderate level. The study also showed gender differences in FLA among male and female
students (p < .05), where female students (M = 97.97, SD = 20.88) exhibited higher levels of FLA compared to
male students (M = 91.22, SD = 20.09). Furthermore, the study revealed socioeconomic status differences in
FLA among public university students in Sabah (p < .05). The findings showed that students from low
socioeconomic status were reported to have high levels of FLA (M = 97.72, SD = 21.02). On the other hand,
students from high socioeconomic status had lower levels of FLA (M = 83.63, SD = 16.79). The findings of this
study can provide a deeper understanding and clarity for students, parents, and educators regarding the issue of
FLA that often occurs among students. Suggestions for future research include expanding the scope of locations
and study samples, diversifying data collection methods, and conducting longitudinal studies.