Impact of CELIK CPR training on knowledge, attitude and self-confidence among pre-service teachers

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training among school teachers are well known and teachers should be trained well. Meanwhile, Malaysia has yet to galvanise our educators to move towards CPR training. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of implementing the CELIK CPR handbook of CPR training to enhance the knowledge, attitude and self-confidence in performing CPR among pre-service teachers in Malaysia. A quasi-experimental study was implemented involving 20 pre-service teachers from the Department of Physical & Health, Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi MARA. Multiple-choice questions and questionnaires to assess the knowledge, attitude and self-confidence of the respondents were used before (week-2) and after (week-14) CPR training. A total of 5 (25%) pre-service teachers successfully achieved the passing scores of χ2(1, N = 20) = 5.71; p<0.05 with post-knowledge scores, 5.40, 95% CI (-7.16, -3.64), which was significantly higher compared to the pre-scores, t(19) = -6.421; p<0.001, with large effect size, d = 1.76. However, there were non-statistically significant differences for attitude, t(19) = -0.765; p>0.05 and self-confidence, t(19) = 0.00; p>0.05. Pre-service teachers had limited knowledge, low self-confidence and attitude about CPR. Early training is crucial as pre-service teachers constitute an important potential for CPR training dissemination among school children and the public

Coping among married and cohabiting individuals in Malaysia during the Covid-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study on associated factors

After the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak at the end of 2019, families are forced to adapt to various “new norms”. Coping strategy play important role in mediating the relationship between stressors and psychological morbidity. This study aims to examine the predictors of coping among married individuals factoring in the influences of age, gender, educational attainment, socioeconomic status, health and lifestyles. A sample of 221 participants who had a married or cohabiting Malaysian couples involved in this study. The findings indicated that factors such as being older, and male was protecting of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. A positive appraisal of change after COVID-19 was also protective of better coping, as was better sleep. The results of this study should be used to target interventions on individuals who are in a relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The finding enable future studies to perform more rigorous investigations using validated and comprehensive questionnaires to further deepen their understanding on the results of this study

Psychometric Properties of the Malay Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQoL) Scale in Malaysia

Malaysia aims to be one of the developed nations by year 2020; therefore, it is crucial to gauge the quality of working life in a parallel manner using a well-established Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQoL) Scale. The goal of this study is to describe the validity and psychometric properties of the Malay WRQoL Scale in Malaysian population.A total of 572 respondents took part in this cross-sectional study giving a 97% response rate. The reliability of the Malay WRQoL Scale was assessed using the test retest reliability analysis after a 2-week period. Both the interclass correlation (ICC) and Cronbach’s alpha were within acceptable levels. However in the validity analysis, the exploratory factor analysis only revealed 5 factors instead of 6 in the original scale.The Malay WRQoL scale has demonstrated to have the appropriate psychometric properties and can therefore be used in Malaysia to assess the quality of working life

Translation, Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malay Version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in Malaysia

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) has been widely used in research for more than 2 decades and is recognized as the leading measure of burnout. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country and English is regarded as the second language. Therefore, it is essential to have a culturally acceptable translated Malay version of MBI, which can easily be understood by Malaysians, in order to study the burnout level in our population. Hence, the objectives of this study are to translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate specifically the Malay versions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Health Services Survey (MBI-HSS), Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey (MBI-ES) and Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey (MBI-GS) in Malaysia. Intraclass correlation was used to examine the test-retest reliability of the Malay versions of the MBI-HSS, MBI-ES and MBI-GS, while Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the internal consistency of the subscales and the instruments as a whole. Exploratory factor analysis involving the principle component analysis extraction and varimax rotation were used to investigate the construct validity of the instruments. Overall, high intraclass correlation and Cronbach‘s alpha values were achieved in the Malay versions of the MBI-HSS, MBI-ES and MBI-GS. The eigenvalue in factor analysis revealed all items in the Malay versions of the MBI-HSS, MBI-ES and MBI-GS can be grouped into 3 components, which were very similar to the original English versions. In conclusion, the findings from this study had demonstrated the Malay versions of the MBI-HSS, MBI-ES and MBI-GS were valid and appropriate to be used in Malaysia

Stressors, psychological states, and relationship quality among East Malaysian adults with partners amid the COVID-19 lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact not only on healthcare systems and economic threats but also on relationships. Due to the massive measures of the Movement Control Order, such as social distancing, strictly limited physical activities, and making adjustments to working from home—merged with the pandemic’s fear—romantic partners may face challenges that affect the quality of their relationships. The purpose of this study was to (i) identify stressors experienced by participants during the COVID-19 lockdown, (ii) evaluate participants’ psychological well-being before and during the lockdown, and (iii) see if participants’ perceived relationship quality differed before and during the lockdown. An online self-report questionnaire was used to recruit 334 adults (58.1 percent female, 41.9 percent male) with partners (married = 304, engaged = 12, and in committed relationships = 17). Participants were asked about stressors they encountered as a result of COVID-19 using an open-ended question. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) were used to assess mental health, and the Perceived Relationship Quality Component (PRQC) Inventory was used to assess relationship quality. According to the findings, the top three common stressors reported by participants were financial problems, restricted movement, and fear of COVID-19 infection. Participants reported significantly higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression during the lockdown than before. The findings also revealed that participants’ relationship quality improved during the lockdown compared to before the lockdown. The current study contributes by providing information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and the quality of couples’ relationships during the pandemic

Knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) predicts motivation to volunteer : a cross-sectional survey among psychology students

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their parents require support from the community, and could profit from volunteer work involving the family. At the same time, university students demonstrate a high willingness to volunteer in community initiatives such as work involving children with ASD. This study aims to examine the relationship between ASD knowledge and the motivation to volunteer among university students. Students (N=150) from a private university in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, participated in this study. Instruments utilized in this study were the Stone Autism Survey and Volunteer Functions Inventory. The results indicated that a higher level of ASD knowledge was the strongest predictor of higher motivation to volunteer after adjusting for relevant demographic factors and exposure to ASD children. Meanwhile, female and Hindu participants reported a significantly higher motivation to volunteer. This study emphasizes the need to increase factual knowledge about ASD among university students, and any effort to encourage students to volunteer in helping individuals with ASD should include knowledge sharing about this population

Influence of mental health on the well-being status among Malaysian adults before and during COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the well-being of individuals worldwide. Due to the scarcity of information in the Malaysian context, this study aimed at investigating the changes in well-being before and during the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia and its association with mental health status. This cross-sectional study was part of a Malaysian non-probabilistic online survey on psychosocial well-being in Malaysia, under the Personal and Family Coping with COVID-19 Global South Research Consortium. A total of 543 respondents (≥18 years old) were recruited using snowball sampling. A validated self-administered questionnaire for assessing sociodemographic characteristics, well-being, anxiety, boredom, and loneliness was circulated on social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp) and emails. Paired samples t-test, chi-square test, and multinomial logistic regression analyses were applied during data analysis. Results revealed significant changes in the mean scores of well-being, anxiety, boredom, and loneliness before and during MCO (p < 0.05). When comparing with no change in the well-being group, changes in boredom were less likely to be observed in the decreased well-being group (Adj OR = 0.874; p = 0.003) but were more likely to be observed in the group with increased well-being (Adj OR = 1.110; p = 0.002). The findings indicated that the pandemic did not necessarily create adverse effects. Instead, a different perspective is offered, which can be used as a public health strategy to help individuals cope with their mental health needs more positively

Demographic and work-related factors associated with burnout, resilience, and quality of life among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross sectional study from Malaysia

IntroductionThe healthcare setting is a stressful and demanding work environment, and healthcare workers face a continuous expansion of their job roles and responsibilities. Past studies have shown that factors affecting burnout, resilience, and quality of life among healthcare workers merit further research, as there were inconsistent findings, especially with regards to the influence of demographic and work-related factors. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether demographic and work-related factors are associated with burnout, resilience, and quality of life among healthcare workers.MethodThis cross-sectional study was conducted between February 15, 2022 and March 15, 2022, among 394 healthcare workers from Putrajaya and Selangor hospitals, Malaysia. Maslach Burnout Inventory, World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF 26 inventory, and Brief Resilience Scale were utilized to capture information on burnout, quality of life, and resilience, respectively.ResultsThe mean score of physical health of participants who work more than 10 h (11.38) is lower than participants who work from 8 to 10 h (13.00) and participants who work 7 h daily (13.03), p-value &lt; 0.001. Similarly, the mean score of psychological health of participants who work more than 10 h (12.35) is lower than participants who work from 8 to 10 h (13.72) and participants who work 7 h daily (13.68), p-value = 0.001. Higher income levels were associated with high resilience and quality of life.ConclusionIt is imperative that healthcare practitioners and policy makers adopt and implement interventions to promote a healthy workplace environment, address ethical concerns, and prevent burnout among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Managing the issue of long working hours could possibly result in improved resilience, burnout, and quality of life among healthcare workers. Despite this study able to tickle out some policy specific areas where interventions are needed, identifying effective solutions and evaluating their efficiency will require larger and interventional studies

Characterizing employees with primary and secondary caregiving responsibilities: informal care provision in Malaysia

There is a need to determine the extent to which Malaysian employees reconcile both paid employment and informal care provision. We examined data from the Malaysia’s Healthiest Workplace via AIA Vitality Online Survey 2019 (N = 17,286). A multivariate multinomial regression was conducted to examine characteristics for the following groups: primary caregiver of a child or disabled child, primary caregiver of a disabled adult or elderly individual, primary caregiver for both children and elderly, as well as secondary caregivers. Respondent mean age ± SD was 34.76 ± 9.31, with 49.6% (n = 8573), identifying as either a primary or secondary caregiver to at least one child under 18 years, an elderly individual, or both. Males (n = 6957; 40.2%) had higher odds of being primary caregivers to children (OR 2.06; 95% CI 1.85–2.30), elderly (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.09–1.41) and both children and elderly (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.57–2.22). However, males were less likely to be secondary caregivers than females (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.53–0.71). Our results highlight the differences in characteristics of employees engaged in informal care provision, and to a lesser degree, the extent to which mid-life individual employees are sandwiched into caring for children and/or the elderly

Relationship between social media usage, self-efficacy, gender, and perceived social support among university students

Loneliness is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon globally. Psychological research has begun to focus on perceived social support as a solution to prevent or reverse the negative impacts of loneliness. Perceived social support, which is the feeling of being cared for by one’s social networks, could possibly be increased through usage of social media, especially in the IR 4.0 era. In addition to that, self-efficacy could contribute to one’s belief in the ability to form and maintain close relationships, and hence, it affects how much one feels supported by his/her social networks. The present study aims to determine the relationship between social media usage, self-efficacy, and perceived social support. The study also aims to identify any gender differences in terms of perceived social support. Data from 211 university students in Kuala Lumpur was analysed using Pearson’s correlation analysis and independent samples t-test. The findings show that there is a significant positive relationship between social media usage, self-efficacy, and perceived social support. Therefore, future interventions on social media usage and perceived social support should take into account the factors of self-efficacy, and social media could be utilised as an intervention to increase perceived social support