Correlates of stress among female adolescents

Excessive stress during adolescence might contribute to various problems. Given that female adolescents tend to perceive more stress than male adolescents, the present study aimed to determine the relationships between parent-adolescent relationship, prosocial behaviour, academic self-efficacy, and stress among female adolescents in Malacca, Malaysia. Participants of the present study are 235 female school-going adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years old. Results of Pearson correlation analysis revealed that parent-adolescent relationship, prosocial behaviour, and academic self-efficacy were negatively correlated with stress. Additionally, all the three independent variables significantly predicted stress among female adolescents, where parent-adolescent relationship was the strongest predictor of stress. In essence, female adolescents who reported more positive relationship with parent, higher prosocial behaviour, and higher academic self-efficacy tend to have lower stress. The current findings highlight the significant role of parents and individual factors in combating stress among female adolescents. Parents should maintain affectionate relationship with their female adolescent-aged children. Related authorities as well as parents can help promote prosocial behaviour and academic selfefficacy among adolescent

Prevalence and determinants of perceived stress among undergraduate students in a Malaysian University

Introduction: Studying in a university can be stressful for any undergraduate student, and the excessive stress is associated with physical and mental health problems. The purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence and determinants of perceived stress among undergraduate students in a Malaysian university. Methods: 456 undergraduate students participated in this study. The Perceived Stress Scale and the Student Stress Survey ( SSS) were implemented as indicators; PSS as a global measure of perceived stress, and the SSS for the identification of the sources of stress. Results: The prevalence rate of perceived stress among the undergraduate students was 37.7%. The overall PSS mean score was 27.5 ( SD 4.763), with a cut-off value of perceived stress at 28. Multivariate logistic regression model identified that the female student (OR 1.995, 95% CI 1.313-3.031) and the first year student (OR = 2.383, 95% CI 1.047-5.422) perceived more stress than the others. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated a high prevalence rate of perceived stress among undergraduate students in general, and the female and the first year undergraduate students in particular. There is a need for further studies on the borderline stress of the undergraduate students and the sources of stress

Correlates of stress among female adolescents

Excessive stress during adolescence might contribute to various problems. Given that female adolescents tend to perceive more stress than male adolescents, the present study aimed to determine the relationships between parent-adolescent relationship, prosocial behaviour, academic self-efficacy, and stress among female adolescents in Malacca, Malaysia. Participants of the present study are 235 female school-going adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years old. Results of Pearson correlation analysis revealed that parent-adolescent relationship, prosocial behaviour, and academic self-efficacy were negatively correlated with stress. Additionally, all the three independent variables significantly predicted stress among female adolescents, where parent-adolescent relationship was the strongest predictor of stress. In essence, female adolescents who reported more positive relationship with parent, higher prosocial behaviour, and higher academic self-efficacy tend to have lower stress. The current findings highlight the significant role of parents and individual factors in combating stress among female adolescents. Parents should maintain affectionate relationship with their female adolescent-aged children. Related authorities as well as parents can help promote prosocial behaviour and academic self-efficacy among adolescents

Being caught in the middle of inter-parental conflict: relationship between inter-parental conflict and attitudes towards marriage among male and female adolescents from divorced families

Children of divorced family are at greater risk to divorce themselves in later years. In an attempt to understand the process of “transmission of divorce” across generations, the current study examined the potential moderation role of gender in the relationship between inter-parental conflict and attitudes towards marriage among adolescents from divorced Muslim family. A total of 341 secondary school students across three states in Malaysia were recruited to participate in the current study. Results of multivariate analysis revealed that being male and exposure to high inter-parental conflict predicted less positive attitudes towards marriage. Gender has no moderating effects in the relationship between inter-parental conflict and attitudes towards marriage. These findings underscore the deleterious effects of inter-parental conflict on adolescents

Negative life events and mental health problem: The importance of coping strategy

Exposure to negative life events can be extremely stressful for adolescents from divorced families and effective coping strategy can help to alleviate their stress. The current study examined the relationship between negative life events, coping strategy, and mental health problem among adolescents from divorced families. This study also explored the moderating role of coping strategy in the relationship. The sample of this study was 480 adolescents from divorced families, which were identified through multistage cluster sampling. The Malay Version of 12-Items General Health Questionnaire was implemented to measure mental health problem among the adolescents. The Brief Adolescent Life Event Scale was implemented to measure negative life events among adolescents. Brief Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (COPE) was implemented to measure coping strategy. The current study revealed that mental health problem was significantly correlated with negative life events (r = 0.498, p < 0.001), maladaptive coping (r = 0.537, p < 0.001), and adaptive coping (r = -0.417, p < 0.001). The results found that both maladaptive (interaction effect = 0.158, p < 0.01) and adaptive coping (interaction effect = -0.150, p < 0.001) as significant moderators in the relationship between negative life events and mental health problem among adolescents. Specifically, the impact of negative life events is less severe when adolescents reported frequent application of adaptive coping. In contrast, negative life events are most detrimental when adolescents reported high reliance on maladaptive coping. The current study demonstrated that the magnitude of the relationship between negative life events and mental health problem is highly depending on the choice of coping strategy. The present study concluded that adaptive coping can effectively mitigate while maladaptive coping exacerbates the adverse impact of negative life events. The findings of this study have practical implications in helping adolescents to bounce back from the negative consequences of parental divorce

Negative life events and mental health problem: the importance of coping strategy

Exposure to negative life events can be extremely stressful for adolescents from divorced families and effective coping strategy can help to alleviate their stress. The current study examined the relationship between negative life events, coping strategy, and mental health problem among adolescents from divorced families. This study also explored the moderating role of coping strategy in the relationship. The sample of this study was 480 adolescents from divorced families, which were identified through multistage cluster sampling. The Malay Version of 12-Items General Health Questionnaire was implemented to measure mental health problem among the adolescents. The Brief Adolescent Life Event Scale was implemented to measure negative life events among adolescents. Brief Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (COPE) was implemented to measure coping strategy. The current study revealed that mental health problem was significantly correlated with negative life events (r = 0.498, p < 0.001), maladaptive coping (r = 0.537, p < 0.001), and adaptive coping (r = -0.417, p < 0.001). The results found that both maladaptive (interaction effect = 0.158, p < 0.01) and adaptive coping (interaction effect = -0.150, p < 0.001) as significant moderators in the relationship between negative life events and mental health problem among adolescents. Specifically, the impact of negative life events is less severe when adolescents reported frequent application of adaptive coping. In contrast, negative life events are most detrimental when adolescents reported high reliance on maladaptive coping. The current study demonstrated that the magnitude of the relationship between negative life events and mental health problem is highly depending on the choice of coping strategy. The present study concluded that adaptive coping can effectively mitigate while maladaptive coping exacerbates the adverse impact of negative life events. The findings of this study have practical implications in helping adolescents to bounce back from the negative consequences of parental divorce

General attitudes towards marriage scale: psychometric properties in Malaysian adolescents of divorced families

Attitudes towards marriage in adolescence may influence the relationship quality in later years. There exist many measures of attitudes towards marriage which were validated among adolescents from two-parent family in the Western context. There is a need to validate measure of attitudes towards marriage in different countries. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Malay version of general attitudes towards marriage scale in a sample of 480 adolescents from divorced families in Malaysia. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a two-factor structure of general attitudes towards marriage scale, which explained for 60% of the variance. Additionally, the two-factor structure of general attitudes towards marriage scale demonstrated good fit to data in the confirmatory factor analysis (non-normed fit index = .941, comparative fit index = .958, root mean square error of estimation = .087, and χ 2/df = 4.615). Overall, the general attitudes towards marriage scale exhibited good internal consistency (α = .901), which supports the reliability of the instrument. The significant relationships between general attitudes towards marriage scale and other constructs also provided evidences to the convergent validity (r = .761, p < .001 with intent to marry, r = −.170, p < .001 with overt inter-parental conflict, and r = .523, p < .001 with mother–adolescent relationship). Significant gender difference was found in the report of general attitudes towards marriage scale (t = −2.265, p < .05). Thus, the translated general attitudes towards marriage scale is a reliable, valid, and practical instrument to measure attitudes towards marriage among Malaysian adolescents in divorced family setting

Interrelationships of contextual factors, personal factors and gaming behaviour among adolescents in Malaysia

The inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder as a potential psychiatric condition in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders had invited much research on problematic gaming behaviour. Past studies had consistently highlighted the significant role of parent-adolescent relationship in predicting problematic gaming behaviour among adolescents. However, other contextual factors and personal factors were not taken into account. Hence, it is the aim of this study to (i) describe contextual factors (mother-adolescent relationship, father-adolescent relationship, school engagement, and peer relationship), personal factors (gaming self-esteem beliefs, time spent gaming, and gaming motives), and problematic gaming behaviour among adolescents, (ii) determine the relationships between contextual factors, personal factors, and problematic gaming behaviour of the respondents, (iii) determine the factors that uniquely predict problematic gaming behaviour among the respondents, and (iv) examine whether the relationships between contextual, personal factors, and problematic gaming behaviour are mediated by gaming motives. A total of 710 adolescents were invited to participate in the current study. The final sample consists of 595 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years old (mean = 15.36, SD = 1.27). They were located in four districts in Selangor, namely Gombak, Hulu Langat, Klang, and Petaling Perdana. The respondents were requested to complete a set of self-report questionnaire, which include respondents’ background, Problem Videogame Playing Scale (Tejeiro & Bersabé, 2002), the revisited version of Inventory for Parent and Peer (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987), School Engagement Scale (Fredricks et al., 2005), Index of Peer Relation Scale (Hudson et al., 1990), Gaming Self-Esteem Beliefs Subscale from the Internet Gaming Cognition Scale (King & Delfabbro, 2016), and Online Gaming Motivation Scale (Yee et al., 2012). Following the recommendation by Jackson et al. (2009), all hypothesized models were tested using chi-square (χ2), non-normed fit index (TLI), comparative fit index (CFI), root mean square error of estimation (RMSEA), and relative chisquare (χ2/df). Descriptive analysis revealed that more than half of the adolescents reported moderate level of mother-adolescent relationship, moderate level of fatheradolescent relationship, moderate level of peer relationship, moderate level of school engagement, moderate level of gaming self-esteem beliefs, moderate level of gaming motives, and low level of problematic gaming behaviour. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that mother-adolescent relationship, father-adolescent relationship, peer relationship, gaming self-esteem beliefs, time spent gaming, and gaming motives significantly correlate with problematic gaming behaviour, but no significant relationship was found between school engagement and problematic gaming behaviour. However, mother-adolescent relationship, father-adolescent relationship, school engagement, and peer relationship did not significantly predict problematic gaming behaviour when all variables were simultaneously accounted for.\ud Structural equation modelling revealed gaming motives fully mediates the relationship between school engagement and problematic gaming behaviour. Additionally, gaming motives also partially mediate the relationship between gaming self-esteem beliefs, time spent gaming, and problematic gaming behaviour. The current finding highlights the significant role of gaming motives in predicting problematic gaming behaviour among adolescents. Contrary to the traditional compulsive view of problematic gaming behaviour, the current study suggests that adolescents play games for a reason. More precisely, adolescents who engage in school, reported high gaming self-esteem beliefs, and spent longer time playing games are motivated to play games. Practically, parents, educators, and social workers should be aware that adolescents are being motivated to play games

Effects of parents-adolescent relationship, school engagement, and maladaptive coping on depression among adolescents from divorced families in Malaysia

It is evidenced that adolescents from divorced families are at greater risk of developing in depression. However, the mechanisms between parental divorce and depression remain unclear. Hence, the present study aimed to determine the relationships between parent-adolescent relationship (mother-adolescent relationship and father-adolescent relationship), school engagement, maladaptive coping, and depression among adolescents from divorced families in Malaysia.The respondents of the present study consisted of 480 secondary school students aged from 13 to 18 years old. They were located from Selangor, Kedah, Johor, and Pahang through multistage sampling technique. The revisited version of Inventory for Parent and Peer Attachment (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987) was used to measure parent-adolescent relationship. School Engagement Scale (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004) was used to measure school engagement. Brief COPE (Yusoff, Low, & Yip, 2010) was used to measure maladaptive coping. The Beck Youth Inventories – Depression Inventory (Beck, Beck, & Jolly, 2001) was used to measure depression. All instruments were tested for reliability and validity. Data were analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Science version 20.0 (SPSS) and Amos 18. All models were evaluated based on chi-square (χ2), non-normed fit index (TLI), comparative fit index (CFI), root mean square error of estimation (RMSEA), and relative chi-square (χ2/df).The results of Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between mother-adolescent relationship, father-adolescent relationship, school engagement, maladaptive coping, and depression among adolescents. The measurement model was tested and displayed well fit to the data. Given the validated measurement model, structural model was developed and tested with the same sets of fit indices. The model was modified by reviewing the parameter estimates. Consequently, the final model revealed that maladaptive coping partially mediates the relationship between mother-adolescent relationship and depression. The result also revealed that father-adolescent relationship indirectly influence depression through maladaptive coping. Maladaptive coping fully mediates the relationship between father-adolescent relationship and depression. The current result also revealed that maladaptive coping partially mediates the relationship between school engagement and depression.The current findings highlight the significant role of family and school contexts in the development of depression among adolescents. Adolescents who failed to maintain close relationship with parents are more likely to employ maladaptive coping in handling stress, which will in turn increase the risk for them to develop in depression. Practically, divorced parents should maintain affectionate relationship with their adolescent-aged children, while educating them for better choice of coping strategy. On the other hand, adolescents who disengage from school are at greater risk to develop depression. Therefore, related authorities and schools should give more attention to students from divorced families; and closely monitor their commitment in school

Prevalence of internet gaming disorder in adolescents: A meta-analysis across three decades

Aims: The inclusion of “Internet gaming disorder (IGD)” in the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) creates a possible line of research. Despite the fact that adolescents are vulnerable to IGD, studies had reported wide array of prevalence estimates in this population. The aim of this paper is to review the published studies on prevalence of IGD among adolescents. Methods: Relevant studies prior to March 2017 were identified through databases. A total of 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: The pooled prevalence of IGD among adolescents was 4.6% (95% CI = 3.4%-6.0%). Male adolescents generally reported higher prevalence rate (6.8%, 95% CI= 4.3%-9.7%) than female adolescents (1.3%, 95% CI = 0.6%-2.2%). Subgroup analyses revealed that prevalence estimates were highest when studies were conducted in: (i) 1990s, (ii) use DSM criteria for pathological gambling, (iii) examine gaming disorder, (iv) Asia, and (v) small samples (<1000). Conclusion: This study confirms the alarming prevalence of IGD among adolescents, especially among males. Given the methodological deficits in past decades (such as reliance on DSM criteria for “pathological gambling”, inclusion of the word “Internet”, and small sample sizes), it is critical for researchers to apply a common methodology for assess this disorder