Background: The transition from high school to a university is a significant milestone in every student’s life. Stress experienced by students can have a detrimental effect on their academic performance. Social support has generally been found to promote psychological well-being, as well as to buffer the effects of stress. Method: The study was conducted in one of the Universities in Malaysia. The study questionnaire was designed to include questions regarding socio-demographic aspects and stress of the students; in addition, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support scale (MSPSS) that was developed by Zimet was administered. The main aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between Perceived Social Support, Stress and Gender differences among University Students. Results: In this study only a small group of the students scored very low on the Perceived social support scale. A low significant inverse correlation was found between MSPSS and stress. Male students’ experienced greater stress than female students’. Female students had a better perception of social support from their families compared to male students. Conclusion: The fact that, as the level of social support increase the level of stress decrease clearly shows that social support acts as a buffer to stress.
Between July 1999 to November 2000, 115 patients undergoing radiotherapy were evaluated for the development of treatment-related fatigue, using a modified Piper's fatigue scale. The above scale determines 4 dimensions of fatigue ie behavioral severity (6 items), affective meaning (5 items), sensory (5 items), and cognitive mood (6 items). Radiotherapy was delivered to the head and neck, breast, pelvis, and miscellaneous sub-sites. The area of the radiation field ranged from 25 to 480 cm2 (median 156 cm2). Forty-three percent of patients experienced significant fatigue, which altered their work environment. The individual components of fatigue were behavioral severity 25%, affective meaning 21%, sensory 18%, and cognitive mood 16%. Significant radiotherapy-related fatigue was higher in patients treated with advanced-stage disease, large radiotherapy field area, and low pre-radiotherapy hemoglobin level.
To use data from a prospective, longitudinal study to determine whether psychomotor functions improve spontaneously during the first year following paediatric traumatic brain injury without modern rehabilitation facilities in a rural area of Malaysia.
Malaysia had the second highest crude accident rate in the world until 1998. Most children who were involved in these road traffic accidents required intensive neurosurgical care management. We report a prospective study on 36 paediatric neurotrauma patients in rural North East West Malaysia who underwent uniform intensive therapy and were subsequently followed up over a period of 2 years. The modified paediatric Glasgow Coma Scale with support of the revised Wechlser Intelligence Scale for children was used to test the outcome of these children over a period of two years. All patients were managed aggressively in our intensive care as well as our high dependency units. Our results indicate that improvement in outcome is seen after a six month period. Midline shift, duration of coma and duration of transport were found to be significant variables associated with bad outcome. Other variables i.e. age, sex, Glasgow Coma Scale on admission and on site, and lesions of the dominant lobe were not found to be associated with good outcome in these patients.
A person with Type A personality is an 'aggressor' compared with the rarely harried Type B. Although debrisoquine hydroxylase (CYP2D6) capacity has been associated with personality, no study has specifically investigated its association with personality Type A and B. Therefore the aim of this research was to study the impact of CYP2D6 on Type A and B personality.