Background Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in Malaysia, despite its status as a developing country. The rural population is thought to be at low risk.Objective To investigate the prevalence of risk factors and global risk profile among rural Malays in Malaysia.Methods We studied 609 rural Malay subjects (346 females, 263 males; age range 30-65 years). Blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), smoking habits and family history of premature CHD were documented. Fasting blood samples were analysed for serum lipids, lipoprotein (a), plasma glucose and fibrinogen. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed using 75 g anhydrous glucose.Results The prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia for total cholesterol concentrations of ! 5.2, !6.5 and !7.8 mmol/l were 67.3, 30.5 and 11.8% respectively. There was a high prevalence of low serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (13.1%), hypertension (30.3%), smokers (24.4%), diabetes (6.4%), impaired fasting glucose or glucose tolerance (13.9%), overweight or obesity (44.7%) and increased WHR (48.5%). Global risk assessment showed that 67.3% of the study population were at risk, with 15.9, 18.9 and 32.5% in the mild, moderate and high risk categories respectively.Conclusion Prevalence of risk factors was high in the rural population. Global risk assessment showed a high-risk profile with two-thirds being at risk, and one-third being categorized into the high-risk group. Although rural communities were considered at low risk of developing CHD, this is changing fast, possibly due to the rapid socio-economic development, in addition to underlying genetic predisposition.

BackgroundThere is a growing body of literature showing individuals with depression and other trauma-related disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder) recall more overgeneral and less specific autobiographical memories compared to normal participants. Although the mechanisms underlying overgeneral memory are quite clear, the search strategy operated within the autobiographical knowledge base, at time of recollection, requires further exploration. The current study aimed to examine the hierarchical search sequence used to recall autobiographical memories in depressed and non-depressed participants, with a view to determining whether depressed participants exhibited truncated search strategies.MethodsThirteen depressed and an equal number of non-depressed participants retrieved 15 memories each, in response to 15 commonly used cue words. Participants reported the first memory that entered in their mind. All memory descriptions were recorded and later transcribed verbatim for content analysis.ResultsDepressed participants retrieved autobiographical memories faster, produced shorter memory descriptions and were less likely to recall positive memories than non-depressed participants. Non-depressed participants were more likely to commence retrieval by accessing lifetime period knowledge followed by general event and event specific knowledge, whereas depressed participants showed a tendency to terminate retrieval at the general event level.ConclusionsIt is concluded that depressed participants do adhere to the same hierarchical search strategy as non-depressed participants when retrieving specific autobiographical memories, but that they terminate their search early, resulting in overgeneral memories.

No abstract

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.

Academic stress has become the greatest health obstacle as it adversely impacts students’ physical and psychological health. This study explored the factors of academic stress among students in a primary school in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A Focus group interview was conducted with 20 students to explore the factors of academic stress. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to interpret data from focus group interviews. The result revealed ten superordinate themes; (1) academic overload; (2) difficulty in-class work; (3) examinations anxiety; (4) poor relationship with friends; (5) bullying; (6) high expectations; (7) social comparison; (8) domestic violence; (9) physical and verbal abuse in school and (10) laissez-faire. The findings of this research to make a valuable contribution by gathering deeper understandings and help curb the impact of stress associated with primary school, especially in the Malaysian context.

No abstract

No abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new challenge has developed specifically among students faced with online learning. The challenge that arises from this type of learning is that the students faced some uncertainties and negative emotional states. This study examined the impact of perceived academic stress and depression on self-efficacy beliefs among university students studying online. One hundred twenty-three participants from two public Universities in Peninsula Malaysia participated through an online google form, which consists of three instruments which are Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PASS), General Self-efficacy (GSE), as well as Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). Findings from Pearson correlation revealed a low negative correlation between general self-efficacy and stress (r = -.269, p < 0.01). On the other hand, the result of a simple linear regression between self-efficacy and perceived academic stress was significant with B = -2.30, p < 0.05. Students with higher levels of academic stress tend to experience depressive symptoms, while self-efficacy was a predictor of perceived academic stress. Considering the current unpredictable pandemic situation, with support from school psychologists and counselors, students are expected to heighten their cognitive drives and beliefs, including the motivation to overcome the challenges inherent in online learning.