Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs related to drugs among Pahang Matriculation students in Malaysia

Introduction Drug abuse has been a global threat not only in Malaysia but worldwide, especially among adolescents. This is alarming issue had been a serious public health problem worldwide. The aim of the study is to access the knowledge and attitude on drug abuse among Pahang Matriculation students in 2016. Methods A cross¬-sectional study was conducted involving 217 matriculation students. A self-determined questionnaire was distributed among the students regarding knowledge and attitude about drugs. Results The prevalence of good knowledge on drug abuse was (82.03%). The prevalence of students’ attitude on drug abuse has higher number of good attitude with the sum of 182 (83.9 %). Only gender showed a significant association with students’ knowledge (P= 0.046). Conclusion The knowledge, attitude, and practice of drug abuse among Pahang Matriculation students are good

t-test using STATA software

Students-t test is the most popular statistical test. The test compares two mean values to judge if they are different or not. For small data it is possible to conduct it using manual calculation – however that is not the case. Researchers would need to use statistical software and packages to conduct their analysis. This guide will help the junior researchers to conduct independent- and paired-t test using STATA software

Effectiveness of a mindfulness program on psychological distress among preclinical medical students in a public university in Malaysia

Background: Psychological distress (PD) is common among medical students. Many studies used mindfulness based interventions (MBI) to reduce psychological distress and enhance coping mechanisms. However, the duration of the commitment required to attend these interventions led to many prospective participants to either withdraw or not participating in the programs. Many studies explored shorter versions of MBI and found it successful in reducing psychological distress. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of PD, depression, anxiety and stress (DAS) among preclinical medical students. Also, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of The Mindfulness Program (TMP) on PD and DAS among preclinical medical students. Methodology: This study had two phases. Phase 1 was a cross sectional study. Phase 2 was an experimental study. A total of 237 preclinical undergraduate medical students were screened in phase 1 of the study. 92 students with high scores of PD were recruited for phase 2 of the study. Subjects were randomly allocated to TMP and wait-listed control groups on a one to one ratio. Only one trainer implemented the intervention. Self-administered validated questionnaires were used to record data for the study. Participants filled the baseline questionnaires two weeks prior to end of semester exam. The post intervention questionnaires were filled 8 weeks after the intervention and two weeks prior to the end of semester exam. Primary and secondary outcomes of the study were PD and DAS. Results: The prevalence of PD was 38.8%. The prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression were 37.1%, 51.9% and 24.1% respectively. Risk factors of PD included academic related stressors (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR)= 1.65, 95% C.I. = 1.01, 2.71, p= 0.047), drive and desire related stressors (DRS) (AOR=1.44, 95% C.I. = 1.02, 2.03, p=0.039) and group-activities related stressors (GARS) (AOR= 1.74, 95% C.I. = 1.12, 2.69, p= 0.014). Risk factors of depression included male preclinical medical students (AOR= 5.71, 95% C.I.=2.64, 12.36, p<0.001), living in rural areas (AOR= 3.38, 95% C.I. =1.48, 7.72, p=0.004), DRS (AOR= 1.51, 95% C.I. = 1.03, 2.20, p=0.035), GARS (AOR= 3.58, 95% C.I.=2.24, 5.72, p<0.001). Risk factors of anxiety included living in rural areas (AOR= 2.40, 95% C.I. =1.26, 4.59, p value = 0.008) and GARS (AOR= 2.56, 95% C.I. =1.80, 3.64, p<0.001). Risk factors of stress included living in rural areas (AOR= 2.41, 95% C.I.=1.07, 4.27, p=0.031), GARS (AOR= 2.60, 95% C.I.=1.72, 3.95, p<0.001) and teaching and learning related stressors (AOR= 1.79, 95% C.I. =1.16, 2.78, p=0.009). Intention to treat analyses using repeated measures analyses of covariance showed significant mean scores reduction of PD (p=0.002), stress (p<0.001), anxiety (p<0.001), and depression (p=0.001) among TMP group. Conclusions: Preclinical medical students had a high prevalence of PD and DAS. Important risk factors were identified. TMP showed a significant reduction in mean scores of PD and DAS in the intervention group compared to the control wait-listed group

Prevalence and risk factors of stress, anxiety and depression among preclinical medical students in Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2014

Aims: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of stress, anxiety, and depression among preclinical medical students of Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2014. Settings and Design: Cross sectional study design was used. Methods and Material: A questionnaire was distributed to the students which included questions about the demographic factors of the students, the DASS-21 questionnaire which is made of three domains namely stress, anxiety and depression and the MSSQ-20 questionnaire which was used to determine the risk factors that affect the students. Statistical Analysis: Data were entered and analyzed using statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS) version 19. Descriptive statistics was used to determine the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression. Logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors. Results: Prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression were 16.9%, 52% and 24.4% respectively. Gender, group activities related stressor, love relationship, and absence of financial support are the main risk factors for stress in preclinical medical students of University Putra Malaysia. Multiple logistic regression shows that there is significant association between living in rural area and anxiety [adjusted OR 2.4, 95% C.I. (1.26, 4.59), p= 0.008]. Also, group activities related stressor is significantly associated with anxiety [adjusted OR 2.56, 95% C.I. (1.8, 3.64), p <0.001]. Risk factors for depression include gender (females are protected against depression compared to males [adjusted OR 0.21, 95% C.I (0.095, 6.03), p <0.001]). As in anxiety and stress, group activities related stressor is associated with depression [adjusted OR 3.76, 95% C.I. (2.35, 6.03), P < 0.001]. Conclusions: Group related activity was found to be the main factor affecting psychological distress in preclinical medical students in Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2014