The Role of Social Support in Dealing With the Different Types of Stressors: Social Support in the Workplace

Social support plays an integral role in every person’s mental health and well-being. This is especially apparent in the work environment, where stress levels can range from moderate to severe depending on how each individual manages and cope with his or her own circumstances. The goal in this chapter is to outline current research on the role of social support in dealing with different types of stressors in the workplace. Further, this chapter will summarize key findings and concepts, particularly focusing on the following areas: 1) definition of social support, 2) social support theories, 3) social support on mental health and well-being, and 4) social support as a form of intervention in the workplace

Job satisfaction and mental wellbeing among high school teachers in Malaysia

Job satisfaction plays an important role in regard to teachers’ continuation in the teaching profession. School-based factors such as relations with colleagues, parents, and student behavior are important factors that contribute to teachers’ fulfillment in their workplace. This study examined the relationship between job satisfaction and wellbeing among high school teachers in Malaysia. A total of 111 full-time high school teachers (99 females, 12 males) from two schools located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, completed measures of the Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale and Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Data were analyzed using correlation coefficient and regression analysis. The results indicated significant positive correlation between teachers’ job satisfaction and wellbeing. More specifically, teachers’ satisfaction with students’ behavior and students’ parents were significant predictors of mental wellbeing. This study highlighted job satisfaction that teachers themselves may have for positive personal relationship with co-workers, students, and student’s parents, providing further understanding of the contribution of job satisfaction to teachers’ mental wellbeing. This study helps complement previous studies by providing a further understanding on the contribution of job satisfaction to teachers’ wellbeing in the Malaysian context

Collectivistic coping styles and mental well-being of college students in Malaysia

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between depressive symptoms and collectivistic coping styles (CCS) among Malaysian college students. A total of 176 (130 females, 46 males) students from a university in Selangor, Malaysia, completed measures of CCS and mental well-being. Data were analyzed using correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Results revealed a significant positive relationship between mental well-being and CCS. Specifically, regression analysis showed that acceptance, reframing, and striving (ARS), family support (FS), and private emotional outlet (PEO) were significant predictors of mental well-being among college students in Malaysia. These dimensions of collectivistic coping strategies were particularly useful to mitigate stressors among college students in Malaysia

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Help STPM, SPM students choose right career path

Letters: We must support and encourage Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia students to pursue higher education. Counsellors and teachers should help students understand the potential outcomes of their choices and guide them. Therefore, we should promote awareness about the long-term benefits of a university degree through educational campaigns, workshops and information sessions