Nurses’ preparedness has been very important for them to treat patients effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic and serve the community. Nurses provide a vital role in mitigating the effects of health crises. In order to help nurses better understand their skills, abilities, and knowledge, as well as the actions that they should take to manage care, the research aims of this study are to (1) investigate the level of preparedness, readiness, and anxiety among nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak in Sabah, Malaysia; (2) examine the effects of various differences in preparedness and readiness among nurses; and (3) examine the effect of COVID-19 preparedness on anxiety among nurses. The results revealed that the nurses were moderately competent in managing the COVID-19 care situation. Each of the 3 differentiating characteristics (age, work experience, and previous disaster experience) did not predict how nurses would manage COVID-19 preparedness significantly. Besides, we also found only 2 dimensions of preparedness (familiarity with epidemiology and surveillance and familiarity with psychological issues) significantly predicted nurses’ anxiety levels. Familiarity with epidemiology and surveillance predicted nurses’ anxiety positively; in contrast, familiarity with psychological issues negatively influenced nurses’ anxiety.

Health Ministry statistics showed mental health problems among Malaysian students increased from one in ten individuals in year 2011 to one in five in 2016. Anxiety and depression were cited as the main causes of mental health problems among students in Malaysia. However, an anxiety measure that has been validated for use with Malaysian students is still lacking. Thus, the main objective of the current study is to examine the psychometric proprieties of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y) (STAI), and to assess the suitability of the factorial model in the context of Malaysia. The STAI contains separate scales for measuring state and trait anxiety. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to test and to compare the two-factor model (State Anxiety and Trait Anxiety) and the four-factor model (State Anxiety Present, State Anxiety Absent, Trait Anxiety Present, and Trait Anxiety Absent) of STAI. In addition, the reliability and validity of the model were also tested. The sample consisted of 341 university students from one of the universities in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The results supported a better fit to the data for the four-factor model of STAI. To improve composite reliability and the average variance extracted (AVE) of the constructs, one item was removed from each of the State Anxiety Present factor, Trait Anxiety present factor, and Trait Anxiety Absent factor. Convergent validity for the four-factor model was also improved by the removal of the three items. The findings also suggested that the STAI may have some discriminant validity issues. In the framework of psychology of sustainability and sustainable development, research and intervention regarding this topic should also be enhanced from a primary prevention perspective to improve the quality of life of every human being, fostering wellbeing at all different levels, from individuals to organizations.

The Intrapreneurial Self-Capital Scale (ISCS) is a 28-item measure intended to measure individual resources used to manage career and life challenges. The Intrapreneurial Self-Capital (ISC) is a higher order construct composed of seven specific constructs: core self-evaluation, hardiness, resilience, creative self-efficacy, decisiveness, goal mastery, and vigilance. In the new research area of the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development, ISC constitutes a promising core of resources to face the challenges of the 21st century. The aim of the current study was to determine the factor structure and psychometric properties (i.e., reliability and concurrent validity) of a Malaysian version of ISCS among university students. The self-report questionnaire was administered to 1491 university students in Sabah, Malaysia. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to assess the latent structure of the Malaysian ISCS. The final indices of Goodness of Fit showed satisfactory fit to the data. The Cronbach's alpha of the Malaysian ISCS is 0.81. The Malaysian ISCS correlates with Career Adaptability r = 0.31 (p < 0.01) and with Life Project Reflexivity r = 0.44 (p < 0.01), thus showing an adequate concurrent validity evidence. The Malaysian ISCS provides a promising research area in psychology (both positive and sustainability). Malaysian parents, teachers and counselors can also use this tool for their development and intervention efforts.

With the imposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO) or lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there are drastic changes in the movement and activity among Malaysians: increased psychological distress due to perception of COVID-19 as a health threat, increased time spent with families, and decreased time away from home could either intensify relationship problems or draw families closer to each other. This study aimed to examine the perceived psychological distress and relationship quality among couples before and during MCO in Malaysia and factors predictive of participants’ well-being. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, Perceived Relationship Quality Component Inventory, and the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale were disseminated through the snowball sampling technique. The study found that the participants (N = 124) perceived significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress during MCO compared with before MCO. However, no significant differences between the couples were found before and during MCO in relationship quality, except in the trust subscale. Trust on the couple was higher during MCO. Multiple regression results showed that depression and stress predicted participants’ well-being negatively during MCO. In contrast, total relationship quality, sexual relationship quality, satisfaction, and trust predicted participants’ well-being positively.

AimsThis study aims to investigate 5 types of work environment influencing nurses' caring behavior, namely (i) participation in hospital affairs, (ii) foundations for quality of care, (iii) manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses, (iv) staffing and resource adequacy, and (v) nurse-physician relations.DesignThis research is a cross-sectional study using the survey method.MethodsData were collected from 3,532 nurses working in public hospitals and health clinics within Sabah, Malaysia in 2015. The hypothesized model was evaluated using partial least squares method.ResultsThe findings reveal that all forms of work environment have a positive effect on nurses' caring behavior except for staffing and resource adequacy which shows a negative effect on caring behavior.ConclusionOverall, this study has added to theoretical contributions in the academic and research fields as well as in practical implications in the field of nursing practice by addressing the influence of work environments on caring behavior.Implications for Nursing ManagementThe present research has provided convergent evidence on the role of the working environment in influencing the behavior of nurses working in hospitals and health clinics in Sabah, Malaysia.