The association between self-regulation and procrastination among private university students in Malaysia

Academic procrastination is prevalent among university undergraduates and it affects students’ well-being and academic performance. Procrastination has become a concerning phenomenon in recent years and is not taken seriously. As self- regulation is one of the predictors of academic achievement among undergraduates it is often linked to procrastination. Thus, this study aimed to investigate if there are gender differences in self- regulation and procrastination and whether there is a relationship between self- regulation and procrastination among 287 undergraduates from four different private universities in Malaysia. Data were collected using self-report survey with convenience sampling method. The Short Self- Regulation Questionnaire (Carey, Neal, & Collins, 2004) was used to measure self-regulation while procrastination was measured using Tuckman Procrastination Scale (Yockey, 2016). Results of t-test analyses showed that there is no significant gender difference in both self-regulation and procras-tination. Moderate significant negative relationship was found between self-regulation and procrastina-tion. Hence the findings reflect that self-regulation could predict procrastination where students with high self-regulation will tend to procrastinate less. Therefore, self-regulation strategies and interven-tions should be taught to undergraduates in order to further enhance their self-efficacy as well as to have intrinsic motivation to be more goal-directed which could be aimed to reduce academic procrastination

The Impact of Self-Efficacy and Social Support Towards Resilience Among Malaysian Working Adults During COVID-19 Pandemic: -

The drastic economic work stoppage during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has totally impacted many especially the working population. Resilience acts as a protective factor that emphasizes the potential to manage stress and promote wellbeing. In the working environment, resilience is an important asset to be possessed by every individual. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between self-efficacy, perceived social support, and resiliency among working adults in Malaysia. A total of 184 respondents were recruited using convenience and purposive sampling methods to answer online surveys anonymously. Findings revealed that self-efficacy, support from friends and family showed a positive significant relationship towards resilience while on the contrary, significant others showed a weak relationship. To sum up, results illustrated that self-efficacy was the strongest predictor for resilience among working adults in Malaysia. This research was intended to fill the main gaps in finding the avenues that uphold the resilience attitude among working adults. This study hopes to shed light and serves as a guideline for the policymakers and human resource firms in generating useful schemes to develop the self-efficacy and social support to thrive towards the difficult circumstances successfully among employees in Malaysia

THE MENTAL HEALTH OF ADOLESCENT REFUGEES IN MALAYSIA

As of June 2017, 24.8 % of the 149, 200 reported refugees in Malaysia aged 18 years and below and of that figure, 33% were females. There has been little research into the mental well-being of the refugee adolescents. This cross-sectional survey study examined the differences in stress, anxiety, and depression faced according to gender and whether there is any association between them. 104 refugee adolescents from four non-governmental organization educational centers participated in the study. The Depression, Anxiety, Stress scale 21 was used to measure the severity of the core symptoms of depression. The results showed that females have significantly higher stress, anxiety and depression compared to that of males at p<.001. Generally,the refugee has mild to normal stress as compared with anxiety and depression where a significant majority of those aged  14-27 years experienced severe to extreme severe anxiety with a moderate level of  depression.  A further analysis found that severe stress positively associated with anxiety and depression. Insights into the stress, anxiety and depression experienced by refugee adolescents are crucial towards understanding the mental health of young refugees. The current study may benefit mental health workers and humanitarian agencies to address and improve the mental health of refugees, regardless of any labels attached to them.&nbsp

A preliminary study: Does relationship closeness with grandchildren correlate with the quality of life and physical health of Malaysian Chinese elderly?

The 13th Next-Generation Global Workshop第13回次世代グローバルワークショップテーマ: New Risks and Resilience in Asian Societies and the World 日程: 21-23 November, 2020 開催場所: ベトナム社会科学院(ハノイ)/Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences(No. 1 Lieu Giai street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam) ※Due to the COVID-19, the workshop will be held at ONLINE for overseas participants(not from Vietnam)/ONSITE for Vietnamese participants.This preliminary mixed-method study aimed to investigate whether grandparental childcare can contribute to elderly' quality of life and physical health. In the quantitative study, a total of 97 Chinese grandparents who are primary caregivers were recruited to examine the relations of relationship closeness, quality of life and physical health. Correlational analysis revealed that grandparent-grandchildren relationship closeness positively correlated with self-rated quality of life and physical health of the grandparents. In the qualitative interview, grandmothers (n = four Chinese grandmothers) who are primary caregivers were recruited to share their experience in taking care of grandchildren. Findings from the thematic analysis revealed that all grandmothers have a close relationship with their grandchildren. In specific, they are happy with the companionship of grandchildren even though they may feel physically tired in taking care of grandchildren. This preliminary study on skipped generation family provides insights into understanding the contribution of relationship closeness with grandchildren on the perceived quality of life and physical health of Malaysian grandparents who are the primary caregiver to their grandchildren

ROLE OF RECIPROCAL FILIAL PIETY IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND FILIAL BEHAVIOR AMONG MALAYSIAN ADOLESCENTS

Filial piety is a central quality of cultural practices in a family which includes obedience and honoring of one’s parents and it is considered as the fundamental element to practice in the Malaysian family system. Of late, the young generation perceives caring for the elderly as a burdensome task, which can be observed by the rising number of old folks centers. Parenting styles strongly predict the obligation of filial piety among young adolescents. Generally, adolescents who are more filial may be more attached to their parents. Filial piety formed among this group of people can be traced to how they were brought up in their family which affects the individual’s self-obligation towards their parents. Recognizing the influence of parenting on the filial behavior of adolescents, the present study addressed the importance of parents’ involvement in influencing filial behavior among Malaysian adolescents. This study involved a total of 405 school students aged between 14 to 17 years old, selected from two urbanized and metropolitan cities of Peninsular Malaysia using a cluster sampling method. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect the data of the study. The findings of the study indicate that parental involvement (father and mother) significantly correlates with reciprocal filial piety and filial behavior. Moreover, reciprocal filial piety correlated significantly with filial behavior. The present study denotes that reciprocal filial piety plays a mediating role in the relationship between parents’ involvement (father and mother) and filial behavior. Therefore, parental warmth and support are important to promote and enhance filial practices at home among adolescents

Mothering as a predictor on filial piety among Malaysian adolescents

Filial piety is an important value based on Confucian philosophy that emphasizes the virtue of respect towards parents and elderlies. As a priceless virtue, the tradition of filial piety has been adopted by many people regardless of the beliefs and ethnicity. Parents particularly mothers’ play an important role in sowing filial piety to their offspring. Mothers’ involvement in the upbringing of their children influences the degree of filial piety the children have towards elderlies. In line with that, this study explored the influence of mothering dimensions (involvement, rejection, structure, chaos, autonomy support, and coercion) on reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety among Malaysian adolescents. This study involved 594 secondary school students aged between 13 to 17 years old, selected by using cluster sampling method from three states of Peninsular Malaysia. A quantitative method with a self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect the data of the study. Pearson correlation analysis was performed and the findings of the study specified that all mothering dimensions significantly correlated with reciprocal filial piety. Conversely, only three mothering dimensions were associated with authoritarian filial piety. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the influence of mothering on reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety. Findings indicated that involvement and autonomy support predicted reciprocal filial piety. Moreover, involvement was found to have a significant impact on authoritarian filial piety. This study suggests that mothers’ care and involvement are vital in enhancing filial piety among youngsters

Comparing the role of parents in forming male and female adolescents' sexual attitude in Malaysia

Optimistic sexual attitude is an important protective indicator serving as a guidance to prevent adolescents from early sexual debut. Parents play an essential role in delivering and transmitting such attitude to their adolescents. Thus far, studies have found the link between parent-adolescent communication in sexual topics and adolescents’ sexual attitude (Turnbull et al., 2008; Diiorio et al., 1999). However, the amount and topics covered in sexual communication may differ between males and females as well as in emphasis from both fathers and mothers (Lou & Chen, 2009; Turnbull et al., 2008). Therefore, this study was intended to identify the unique relationship between parent-adolescent sexual communication and sexual attitude by considering the effect of sex. A total of 241 school-going adolescents from three secondary schools (Mage= 15.07; 52.1% females; 48.4% Malays, 27.1% Chinese, 24.5% Indian) were recruited from Penang, Malaysia through convenience sampling method. Respondents completed a self-administered questionnaire containing Parent-teen Sexual Risk Communication Scale (Hutchinson, 2007) and Sexual Attitude Scale (Yaacob et al., 2009). Results revealed that sexual attitude was found significant with mother-adolescent communication but not with father-adolescent communication. In addition, a significant interaction effect of sex in both father- and mother-adolescent communication and sexual attitude was discovered with its effect significant only for females but not for males. Moreover, communication on sexual related topic practised between parents and daughters made it relevant in forming daughters’ optimistic sexual attitude. Overall, this study provides a foundation for understanding the formation of adolescents’ sexual attitude from the interaction effect of sex and its relation to parent-adolescent sexual communication. Findings of the study support the importance of sex in sexual value transformation between parents and adolescents in order to allow adolescents acquire appropriate sexual attitude towards their sexual well-being advancement

Generativity and Subjective Wellbeing of Malaysian Old Adults: The Role of Gender and Living Arrangement

This study examined the moderating role of gender and living arrangements in the relationship between generativity and subjective well-being among Malaysian old adults. The descriptive survey research design was utilized for this study. The target population was healthy old adults aged 60 and above in Ipoh, Malaysia with healthy cognitive ability. Using a purposive sampling technique, 441 old adults were recruited from public places to participate in the study. They responded to a validated questionnaire administered via structured interviews. Instruments include measure of generativity and subjective well-being. The study employed an independent sample t -test and Pearson correlation to find the differences and associations between understudied variables. Hayes Process was used to test the moderation effect of gender and living arrangement. The main results of the analysis show significant correlation between all variables. Specifically, the study suggests that gender and living arrangement moderate the association of generativity and old adults’ SWB. However, gender as a single variable does not moderate the association. Hence, this paper concludes that by contributing to others, the subjective well-being of older adults could be improved. The findings are useful for all relevant parties to develop necessary actions for promoting successful aging among senior citizens

The mediating effect of psychological capital on the relationship between perceived social support and life satisfaction among Malaysian undergraduates

Life satisfaction is a subjective assessment of the quality of one's life and it is vital to keep one’s life satisfaction in an optimum range. The hassles of life among young adults particularly undergraduates in this competitive era are overwhelming and may affect their satisfaction with life. Receiving care or assistance from his or her social network is one of the ways for an individual to cope with the challenges in life. Social support constitutes from different sources, including family, friends, and significant others (Mahanta & Aggarwal, 2013). Similar to receiving actual supports, perceived social support, one’s perception of the availability of supports, is also helpful to individuals. For instance, literatures indicate that perceived social support positively affects one’s adaptation and satisfaction towards life (Khan, 2015; Yeung & Fung, 2007). Although there has been growing literatures examining the influence of perceived social support towards life satisfaction, the mechanism on how social support influences one’s life satisfaction is still vague and received limited attention. To address the gap, the present study explored the role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in the relationship between perceived social support and life satisfaction. PsyCap reflects a person's positive state indexed by positive hope, sense of optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy. Empirical evidence shows that social support brings a positive impact on PsyCap (Li et al., 2014; Luthan, Avey, Avolio, & Peterson, 2010). On the other hand, components of PsyCap (e.g., hope) have also been found to have a positive relationship with life satisfaction (Caprara & Steca, 2005). As a result, we hypothesized that PsyCap mediates the linkage between perceived social support and life satisfaction. In this study, the samples were 285 undergraduates from both public and private universities in Malaysia. Participants responded to a set of questionnaire comprising Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Compound Psychological Capital questionnaire (CPC) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results indicated that the total effect of perceived social support on life satisfaction was statistically significant among undergraduates. The direct effect, upon controlling the effect of the mediator, was statistically significant. Furthermore, as assumed, the indirect effect of perceived social support on life satisfaction via PsyCap was found significant. This study implies that perceived social support is beneficial to elevate young adults’ PsyCap or internal assets which subsequently promote their life satisfaction. Our findings help expand the mushrooming body of research on the predictors of life satisfaction among undergraduates

The pornography use and its addiction among emerging adults in Malaysia: Perceived realism as a mediator.

Past studies have demonstrated a link between pornography use and addiction to pornography, the underlying mechanism of the association is still unclear. This study intended to examine the mediating role of perceived realism of pornography in the association between pornography use and addiction among emerging adults in Malaysia. This study recruited 222 self-identified pornography users (M age = 21.05; SD Age = 1.68; 75.1% male respondents) via the purposive sampling method. The correlation results indicated positive associations among pornography use, addiction to pornography, and perceived realism of pornography. Further, the perceived realism of pornography significantly mediated the association between pornography use and addiction to pornography after controlling for gender. Thus, this study has provided a fundamental understanding on the perceived realism role of pornography in explaining the association between its use and addiction. Although it is unlikely to stop illegal pornography use, the results pointed out a need to guide emerging adults in pornography use via media literacy programmes