Due to the increasing importance of caregivers in the treatment outcomes of patients with mental illness, this study aimed to systematically review studies investigating the former’s caregiver burden and determine its prevalence. An open search, without filters, was conducted. Articles were selected from Medline, Scopus, and PubMed from inception to 30 April 2022 using the PRISMA protocol. Subgroup analyses examined the between-group differences by study setting, measurements used, and disorder type. A total of 5034 caregivers from 23 countries were included in this review. Thirty-nine studies were included in the systematic review, and, among them, twenty-six were deemed eligible for meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of caregiver burden among caregivers of individuals with mental illness was 31.67% (95% CI = 26.22–37.12). Pooled prevalence was the highest among care recipients receiving treatment in a hospital setting (36.06%; 95%CI = 22.50–49.63), followed by the community and clinic settings. Caregiver prevalence values were higher for burden measured using the Zarit Burden Interview (38.05%; 95%CI = 27.68–48.43). compared with other instruments, and for carers of care recipients with psychosis (35.88%; 95%CI = 27.03–44.72) compared with those without. Thus, targeted interventions should focus on caregivers of patients in hospital settings and with psychotic symptoms.

Understanding sex differences in depressive symptomatology among Malaysian adolescents ABSTRCT Depressive symptomatology is among the primary psychological problems experienced by adolescents. Extant literature has also extensively reported sex diferences in the occurrence of depressive symptoms. However, a majority of related research has primarily been carried out in the Western context. Hence, we conducted a study to identify the prevalence of depressive symptoms among Malaysian adolescents, and to determine its relationship with certain risk factors as well as the potential moderating role of sex. The sample comprised of 964 adolescents from 20 secondary schools across Malaysia. Logistic regression results demonstrated that stressful life events and maternal verbal aggression signifcantly predicted symptoms of depression. In moderation tests, sex signifcantly interacted with stressful life events and parental verbal aggression in predicting depressive symptoms. Hence, there is evidence to suggest that the depressogenic impact of stressful life events and parental verbal aggression on depressive symptomatology difers between male and female adolescents.

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We conducted a study with the aims of examining adolescents’ perceptions of their mother’s and father’s parenting behavior and developing a new Malaysian Parenting Behavior Inventory (MPBI). In Phase One, we recruited 903 adolescents using the proportionate to size sampling technique. The results of the exploratory factor analyses of the MPBI Mother and Father scales revealed four underlying factor structures: Warmth, Monitoring, and Harsh Discipline were somewhat similar to those in past findings and theory, and Indigenous centered on religious and cultural values in parenting. In Phase Two, using an independent sample of adolescents, we replicated the factor structure of Study One with confirmatory factor analysis, resulting in strong model fit estimates. We conclude that the MPBI has good initial psychometric properties and is culturally influenced. The MPBI may be useful for prevention and intervention programs in clinical and non-clinical settings, including providing valuable information on factors pertinent to parent-adolescent interactions.

Due to the challenges of globalization, more and more married couples in Malaysia are involved in long-distance relationships. Despite this trend, few studies have documented the experience and impact of long-distance marital relationships on husband or the role of religion in helping Muslim husbands cope with the stresses of separation. Therefore, this study explores the religious beliefs and practices of five Muslim husbands in long-distance marriages. The three main themes that emerged from qualitative analysis are (a) religious belief and commitment to marriage, (b) religious belief as a coping strategy, and (c) religious practices as a coping strategy. This study's findings indicate that specific beliefs and practices are related to how husbands approach their marriages. Findings clearly show that religion continues to be significant in many Muslim marriages, especially in this era of employment mobility. This study also supports previous studies that show positive correlations between salient aspects of faith and family life. This finding highlights the importance of Islamic-based counseling interventions incorporating scientific and revealed knowledge that could support Muslim clients.