METHODS: In this study, 52 healthy young adults were enrolled (mean age = 23.2 ± 0.8 years, 61.8% were males). They underwent the standard AR testing and ARL values were computed. Both ipsilateral and contralateral recordings were made at 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz frequencies.
RESULTS: The ARL values obtained are consistent with the findings from the previous studies. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the ARL values were not statistically influenced by either stimulation mode (p = 0.061) or stimulus frequency (p = 0.598).
CONCLUSION: Among young adults, ARL does not appear to be influenced by stimulation mode and stimulus frequency. Further large scale research is warranted to support the present study's findings. The preliminary normative data for ARL obtained in this study can serve as the reference for future research involving this particular population.
METHODS: A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted to recruit participants across four selected states of Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka and Selangor in Peninsular Malaysia. This study involved a total of 1,032 adolescents from 25 government secondary schools, identified using probability proportional to size cluster sampling technique. Data were collected through a self-report questionnaire.
RESULTS: Using structural equation modelling analyses, findings revealed a full mediation effect of maladaptive cognitive schema between negative life events and depressive symptoms, and a partial mediation effect between daily hassles and depressive symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provided valuable insights about the significance of maladaptive cognitive schema as a mediator in the stress-depression association and advanced the understanding of mechanism underlying development of depressive symptoms among adolescents in Malaysia. Findings also benefit the clinical practice in the development of targeted depression prevention and intervention programs.
METHODS: A total of 261 university students were recruited. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data were collected. Dietary intake was assessed using PLifeCOVID-19 questionnaire, sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire (PSQI) while physical activity level was assessed using International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Forms (IPAQ-SF). SPSS was used to perform statistical analysis.
RESULTS: 30.7% of the participants adhered to the unhealthy dietary pattern, 48.7% had poor quality of sleep and 59.4% engaged in low physical activity levels during the pandemic. Unhealthy dietary pattern was significantly associated with a lower IPAQ category (p=0.013), and increased time spent sitting (p=0.027) during the pandemic. Participants being underweight before the pandemic (aOR=2.472, 95% CI=1.358-4.499), increased takeaway meal consumption (aOR=1.899, 95% CI=1.042-3.461), increased snacking between meals consumption (aOR=2.989, 95% CI=1.653-5.404) and engaged in a low level of physical activity during pandemic (aOR=1.935, 95% CI=1.028-3.643) were the predictors of unhealthy dietary pattern.
CONCLUSIONS: The university students' dietary intake, sleeping patterns, and physical activity levels were impacted in different ways during the pandemic. Strategies and interventions should be developed and implemented to improve the dietary intake and lifestyle of the students.
METHODS: 398 participants completed self-reports assessing BE symptoms, LOC eating, state anxiety, trait anxiety, EDs psychopathology, and BD. They also reported heights and weights. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi-square tests, and Z-test for independent proportions were conducted.
RESULTS: There was no significant difference in either the prevalence of BE or EDs psychopathology between participants from the two types of schools. 71 (17.8 %) participants reported moderate-to-severe symptoms of BE, and 46 (11.6 %) reported moderate-to-severe levels of LOC eating. Those who reported moderate-to-severe symptoms of BE reported significantly higher levels of LOC eating, BD, drive to be thinner, BMI, state anxiety, and EDs psychopathology, compared to those who reported none-to-minimal BE.
CONCLUSIONS: BE and LOC eating appeared to be relatively common among secondary school girls in Malaysia. The relatively high prevalence of BE amongst adolescents in our sample highlighted the importance of early identification of signs for BE as preventive measures from developing EDs psychopathology among children and adolescents. We propose that attitudes towards eating and body image-related concerns should be included in school screenings aimed at preventing psychological problems in minors.
METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted on a sample of 527 children from four schools located in Lahore, Pakistan. A 14-point questionnaire was developed, using existing measures of peer pressure, and popularity. The selected questions were modified to investigate the issues of dental aesthetics and integrated into the WHO oral health questionnaire for children.
RESULTS: More than 50 % of the participants indicated popularity issues regarding dental aesthetics. 63.5 % of the responses indicated an influence of relatives and friends, whereas 38 % responses reported of harassment and bullying at schools. Regression analysis shows that the females were 1.99 times more likely to get comments from relative or friends about their teeth and 2.17 times more likely to be bullied or harassed at school due to their teeth when compared to the males. Fathers with a higher education brought about higher popularity and peer pressure issues. Mothers with a higher education were less likely to cause popularity and peer pressure issues than mothers with a lower education. Popularity and peer pressure were both significantly related to higher dental visitation.
CONCLUSIONS: Popularity and peer pressure have a direct link to dental aesthetics in an individual and are impacted by gender, family relatives and parental influences. The area of popularity and peer pressure related to dental aesthetics can be targeted in health education programs to empower children to adopt better oral health behaviours.
METHODS: Data were obtained from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey Timor-Leste. Ordered logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between knowledge of smoking and sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors. Structural equation modelling was utilized to explore the mediating effects.
RESULTS: Adolescents were less likely to have high knowledge of smoking if they were lower-secondary students, were males, had unemployed parents and had no closest friends who smoked. The relationship between grade levels and smoking knowledge was partly mediated by awareness of anti-tobacco messages on mass media, school education about the dangers of smoking and family discussion about smoking.
CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors play an important role in determining knowledge of smoking among adolescents. To some extent, awareness-, education- and family-related variables explain how grade levels affect smoking knowledge.
METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,344 adolescents in Sarawak using face-to-face interviews. Hierarchical binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors that determine the risk of suicide among adolescents.
RESULTS: Two predictive models were constructed. Both models revealed that being female (OR=1.578, 95 % CI: 1.191, 2.092, p=0.001), having Malay ethnicity (OR=1.733, 95 % CI: 1.236, 2.429, p=0.001) and having a disease significantly increased the risk of suicide (OR=1.895, 95 % CI: 1.221, 2.942, p=0.004). In particular, Model 2, which showed a better fit, found that occasional religious practice (OR=1.610, 95 % CI: 1.126, 2.303, p=0.009), poor parental relationships (OR=1.739, 95 % CI: 1.035, 2.922, p=0.037) and higher addiction (OR=1.015, 95 % CI: 1.008, 1.022, p=0.001), depression (OR=1.919, 95 % CI: 1.241, 2.968, p=0.003), and stress (OR=2.707, 95 % CI: 1.689, 4.340, p=0.001) scores were significantly associated with an increased risk of suicide.
CONCLUSIONS: This study sheds light on multiple factors that contribute to the risk of suicide among adolescents in Sarawak. These findings underscore the importance of holistic prevention strategies, including psychological and social dimensions, to mitigate the risk of suicide in this population. Further research is warranted to understand the complex interplay of these factors and guide the development of targeted interventions.
RECENT FINDINGS: Evidence from previous studies highlights the association between digital addiction and loneliness among adolescents. Overusing digital devices among adolescents is also associated with various physical and psychological side effects.
SUMMARY: Recent findings support the rapid rise of digital device usage among adolescents and its contributions to digital use. More research is needed to support existing interventions, provide early screening, and combat digital addiction to protect adolescents from the risks of loneliness due to the overuse of digital devices.
METHODS: The study was conducted in two phases (reliability assessment for phase 1 and validity assessment for phase 2). The Malay version of the Game Addiction Scale was created using a forward-translation procedure with the help of panelists consisting of researchers and educators from the fields of Psychology, Medicine, and Education to translate from English to Malay. The participants of the study were presented with both versions (Malay and English) during the data collection process. The study checked content validity with the help of 33 panelists and reliability based on the scores of 116 participants who spent at least 1 h and up to 6 h per week playing games.
RESULTS: The reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha and provided high reliability ranging from 0.671 to 0.903 for all criteria. All criteria scored higher than 0.8 except for relapse (α=0.788) and problems (α=0.671) criteria, indicating that the instrument provides high reliability. The findings from the study show acceptable content validity with high I-CVI values ranging from 0.73 to 0.94 and an S-CVI/Ave value of 0.80. Internal consistency was excellent (α=0.949) and the Content Validity Index (I-CVI) was high for most items.
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that GASA is suitable for application among adolescents in Malaysia.