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

SEXUAL COMPATIBILITY AND MARITAL SATISFACTION AMONG MARRIED COUPLES IN MALAYSIA: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF SEXUAL SATISFACTION

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.The sample consisted of 255 married couples (Mage=31.17; SDage=11.07; 56.5% females; 87.8% Chinese, 7.5% Indian, 3.5% Malays and 1.2% other ethnicities) recruited online through the convenience sampling method. The married couples completed a self-administered online questionnaire that included the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMS; Fowers & Olson, 1993), the Index of Sexual Satisfaction (ISS; Hudson, 1998), and the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Compatibility (HISC; Hurlbert et al., 1993).Significant positive relationships were found between marital satisfaction, sexual compatibility (r= .686, p< .001) and sexual satisfaction (r= .711, p< .001). Meanwhile, the findings of a mediation analysis showed that sexual satisfaction mediated the direct association between sexual compatibility and marital satisfaction. The results suggested that the married couples who were sexually compatible tended to be more satisfied with their sexual relationships which in turn led to greater marital satisfaction for them.As a conclusion, the findings from this research highlighted the importance of the sexual aspects in determining a satisfactory married life among couples in Malaysia. The results also served as a vital input for designing couple counselling interventions among practitioners in health psychology

Role of gender in perceived stress and adjustment among adolescents in Malaysia

Background: Stress is a highly unpleasant state of emotional arousal that may relates to adjustment problems such as depression, anxiety, aggression and performance in school. This study aimed to determine the role of gender in the relationship between perceived stress and adjustment among adolescents in metropolitan and urbanized cities of Malaysia. Methods: A total of 441 school-going adolescents aged between 13 and 17 years from 15 secondary schools were selected as respondents of the study by using multistage cluster sampling method with Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling technique. Results: Findings of the study indicated that adolescents with low level of stress of home life, low level of stress of peer pressure and school/leisure conflict had significantly better emotional and school functioning. T-test analysis revealed significant difference in emotional functioning between male and female respondents. Multivariate analyses revealed that gender moderated the relationship between stress experiences and adjustment. Conclusion: In conclusion, stress has a negative influence on adolescents’ adjustment. Female adolescents are more affected by stress than males

The usage of sexual internet media and sexual behaviour among sexually experienced adolescents in Malaysia: sexual intention as a mediator

This study examines the relationships between the use of sexually explicit material, sexual intention, and sexual behaviour in a sample of 189 sexually experienced adolescents (aged 16-17) in Malaysia. Additionally, this study investigates the mediating role of sexual intention on the relationship between the use of Sexual Explicit Internet Media (SEIM) and sexual behaviour. A self-administered questionnaire focusing on the use of SEIM scale, Youth Pre-coital and Sexual Intentions Scale, and Sexual Behaviour Assessment measured adolescents' use of SEIM, sexual intention, and sexual behaviour. The results demonstrate that the use of SEIM positively correlates with adolescents' sexual intention and sexual behaviour. Increasing engagements in sexually-related behaviour reveal an increase in sexual intentions. Findings also denote that higher exposure to SEIM promotes sexual intention, which in turn increases engagement in sexually-related behaviour. In the attempt to control sexual arousal among adolescents, prevention and intervention programmes which deal with sexuality should consider the role of Internet media and the development of healthy cognitive processes

Predicting role of mindfulness and procrastination on psychological well-being among university students in Malaysia

This study aimed to investigate the predicting role of mindfulness and procrastination on psychological well-being among university students. A total of 449 university students from both public and private universities were recruited using convenience sampling method. This quantitative correlational research used Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) to measure mindfulness whereas General Procrastination Scalewas used to measure procrastination. Psychological well-being, the dependent variable, was tested using the Ryff’s Scale of Psychological Well-being. The study showed a significant relationship between mindfulness, procrastination and psychological well-being among university students. Besides, the results also revealed that procrastination was the strongest predict or of students’ psychological well-being. The findings of this study may be beneficial to practitioners, universities, parents and individuals in order to further comprehend the current status of psychological well-being among university students. Programs and implementations should endorse the circumstance that certain form of procrastination indeed enhances performance and well-being of students

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&lt;.001. Generally,the refugee has mild to normal stress as compared with anxiety and depression where a significant majority of those aged&nbsp; 14-27 years experienced severe to extreme severe anxiety with a moderate level of &nbsp;depression. &nbsp;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

The impact of emotional intelligence on problem behaviour among adolescents in Malaysia

Juvenile offences are on the rise over the recent years and have led to serious societal concern in Malaysia. Thus, this study was designed to investigate the relationship of both interpersonal and intrapersonal emotional intelligence relating to problem behaviours among adolescents in Malaysia. A quantitative research design method and cross-sectional research design was selected as our main data collection method to obtain data from different age groups and demography status of populations at same period. By using multistage cluster sampling method, 600 school-going adolescents from Penang, Perak and Johor were recruited and 496 sets of questionnaires were completed. The age of the participants ranged from 13 to 17 (m = 15.07, SD = 1.08). Profile of Emotional (PEC) scale and Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used as the instruments to assess the variables understudy. The results showed that both intrapersonal and interpersonal emotional intelligence were negatively correlated with problem behaviours. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis revealed that intrapersonal emotional intelligence is the only significant predictor in explaining adolescents’ problem behaviours. This research provides empirical support to the importance of intrapersonal emotional intelligence in discouraging adolescents from developing problem behaviours

Religiosity and internal developmental assets amongst Malay adolescents in Malaysia

This study aimed to examine the relationship between religiosity and internal developmental assets amongst Malay adolescents in Malaysia. A total of 737 school-going Malay adolescents were recruited by using multistage cluster sampling method from four states (Selangor, Kedah, Kelantan and Johor) of Peninsular Malaysia. The results of the study indicated that Malay adolescents have good Islamic knowledge and practices, and in general they have good internal developmental assets. Both Islamic worldview (knowledge) and personality (practices) were found to have positive significant relationships with overall internal develop mental assets and its specific domains. Precisely, Islamic personality denoted to be the strongest predictor in determining Malay adolescents’ internal developmental assets. Religious-based intervention should be emphasized to enhance adolescents’ internal developmental assets

Relationships between sexual socialization influences and sexual behavior among adolescent in Malaysia

In Malaysia, adolescents' sexual behaviors have contributed to several social problems such as teenage pregnancy, abandoned babies, risky sexual behavior and HIV/AIDS infection cases. This study aimed to determine the relationships between sexual socialization influences (parental, peer and media factors) and sexual behavior among adolescents in Malaysia. This study employed a quantitative research approach and correlational research design. The respondents of the study consisted of 442 school-going adolescents aged 16 to 17 years old, recruited by using convenience sampling technique. Instruments used in this study included Sexual Communication with Parents and Peers (Longmore, Eng, Giordano & Manning, 2009), Parental and Peer Approval of Sexual Behavior (Treboux & Busch-Rossnagel, 1990), Peer Norm Scale (Ball, Pelton,Forehand, Long & Wallace, 2008), Use of SEIM, Perceived Social Realism and Utility of SEIM (Peter & Valkenburg, 2006), and Sexual Behavior Inventory (Treboux & Busch-Rossnagel, 1990). All the instruments used in this study were translated to Malay language by using back to back translation and obtained high reliability. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to present the data of the study. Bivariate analysis revealed that parental factors (sexual communication with parents and parental approval of sexual behavior), peers factors (perceived peers‟ behavior, sexual communication with peers and peers‟ approval of sexual behavior) and media factors (use of SEIM, perceived social realism and utility of SEIM) were significantly related to adolescents‟ sexual behavior. The results of regression analysis denoted that sexual communication with parents,perceived peers‟ sexual behavior and use of SEIM were significant contributors of adolescents‟ sexual behavior. Perceived peers‟ behavior appeared to be the strongest predictor of adolescents‟ sexual behavior. The findings of the study emphasized the importance of sexual socialization influences (parents, peer and media factors) on sexual behavior among Malaysian adolescents. Intervention and prevention programs to promote healthy sexuality among adolescents should emphasize on adolescents‟ socialization factors (parents, peers and media)