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Research paper thumbnail of Parental attachment, self-esteem and school adolescents in Malaysia

Admin Login. Parental attachment,self-esteem and school adolescents in Malaysia. Baharudin, Rozum... more Admin Login. Parental attachment,self-esteem and school adolescents in Malaysia. Baharudin, Rozumah and Zulkefly, Sheereen N. (2011) Parental attachment,self-esteem and school adolescents in Malaysia. In: The 12th European ...

Research paper thumbnail of Educational Goals, Parenting Practices and Adolescents' Academic Achievement

Asian Social Science, Jan 1, 2010

The present study examined linkages between educational goals, parenting practices (school involv... more The present study examined linkages between educational goals, parenting practices (school involvement and monitoring) of single-mothers and single-fathers, and the academic achievement of their school-going adolescents. Additionally, it sought to examine the differences in educational goals and parenting practices between the single fathers and mothers, as well the parents' differential treatments toward their male and female adolescents. Through Single Mother Associations, we recruited 60 single mothers and snowball 30 single fathers for the study. We found that the parents differ only in terms of educational goals where single fathers had significantly lower goals compared to single mothers. In zero order correlational analyses, we discovered positive relationships between (1) parenting practices and academic achievement of adolescents from both families; (2) fathers' educational goals and their monitoring behaviors; and (3) mothers' educational goals and their school involvement, and monitoring behaviors. Findings from this study accentuate the importance of an active educational socialization process in diverse family settings to promote adolescents' educational success.

Research paper thumbnail of Mobile Phone Use Amongst Students in a University in Malaysia: Its Correlates and Relationship to Psychological Health

European Journal of Scientific …, Jan 1, 2009

The study explored the extent of mobile phone use amongst students of Universiti Putra Malaysia. ... more The study explored the extent of mobile phone use amongst students of Universiti Putra Malaysia. Additionally, the study determined personal and family factors related to the mobile phone use and, the relationship between problem mobile phone use and psychological health of the students. The multi-stage cluster sampling was employed to identify the students (N=386) who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The students were found to spend on average 6 hours daily and USD18.70 monthly on their mobiles. Text message was the most used feature and peers were the most frequently contacted person. Older students used more voice calls while females text message more frequently. Male and younger students were more interested with other features (MMS and GPRS) of the mobiles. Students from higher income families spent more time and money on their mobile phone. Additional analyses showed that students with lower self-esteem and spent more time on the phone were more likely to be problem phone users. Adolescents who spend more time on their mobile phone were also more vulnerable to psychological disturbances. There is a need to further uncover underlying factors that influence students' mobile phone behavior, and the consequences of intense mobile phone use on their psychological well-being.

Research paper thumbnail of Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to Assess the Psychological Health of Malaysian College Students

Global Journal of Health Science, Jan 1, 2010

The primary objective of this study was to assess the psychological health of students at a local... more The primary objective of this study was to assess the psychological health of students at a local university in Malaysia using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Additionally, the study was carried out to determine the reliability and factor structure of the GHQ-12. Sample comprised 386 students (female=177, male=209) who were selected using multistage cluster sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data required. Results showed that slightly more than half (52.9%) of the respondents scored low on the GHQ-12, and a substantial proportion (47.1%) of them scored high, indicating an unhealthy psychological state. Nevertheless, no differences were observed between the genders. Reliability analysis showed satisfactory results, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.70. Meanwhile, factor analysis revealed that GHQ-12 was a measure of psychological distress, with a three-factor structure (Psychological Distress, Social and Emotional Dysfunction and Cognitive Disorder), which jointly accounted for 51.9% of the variance. The findings of the study therefore affirm that the GHQ-12 is a good measure for assessing the overall psychological well-being of students in Malaysia.

Research paper thumbnail of Parental attachment, self-esteem and school adolescents in Malaysia

Admin Login. Parental attachment,self-esteem and school adolescents in Malaysia. Baharudin, Rozum... more Admin Login. Parental attachment,self-esteem and school adolescents in Malaysia. Baharudin, Rozumah and Zulkefly, Sheereen N. (2011) Parental attachment,self-esteem and school adolescents in Malaysia. In: The 12th European ...

Research paper thumbnail of Educational Goals, Parenting Practices and Adolescents' Academic Achievement

Asian Social Science, Jan 1, 2010

The present study examined linkages between educational goals, parenting practices (school involv... more The present study examined linkages between educational goals, parenting practices (school involvement and monitoring) of single-mothers and single-fathers, and the academic achievement of their school-going adolescents. Additionally, it sought to examine the differences in educational goals and parenting practices between the single fathers and mothers, as well the parents' differential treatments toward their male and female adolescents. Through Single Mother Associations, we recruited 60 single mothers and snowball 30 single fathers for the study. We found that the parents differ only in terms of educational goals where single fathers had significantly lower goals compared to single mothers. In zero order correlational analyses, we discovered positive relationships between (1) parenting practices and academic achievement of adolescents from both families; (2) fathers' educational goals and their monitoring behaviors; and (3) mothers' educational goals and their school involvement, and monitoring behaviors. Findings from this study accentuate the importance of an active educational socialization process in diverse family settings to promote adolescents' educational success.

Research paper thumbnail of Mobile Phone Use Amongst Students in a University in Malaysia: Its Correlates and Relationship to Psychological Health

European Journal of Scientific …, Jan 1, 2009

The study explored the extent of mobile phone use amongst students of Universiti Putra Malaysia. ... more The study explored the extent of mobile phone use amongst students of Universiti Putra Malaysia. Additionally, the study determined personal and family factors related to the mobile phone use and, the relationship between problem mobile phone use and psychological health of the students. The multi-stage cluster sampling was employed to identify the students (N=386) who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The students were found to spend on average 6 hours daily and USD18.70 monthly on their mobiles. Text message was the most used feature and peers were the most frequently contacted person. Older students used more voice calls while females text message more frequently. Male and younger students were more interested with other features (MMS and GPRS) of the mobiles. Students from higher income families spent more time and money on their mobile phone. Additional analyses showed that students with lower self-esteem and spent more time on the phone were more likely to be problem phone users. Adolescents who spend more time on their mobile phone were also more vulnerable to psychological disturbances. There is a need to further uncover underlying factors that influence students' mobile phone behavior, and the consequences of intense mobile phone use on their psychological well-being.

Research paper thumbnail of Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to Assess the Psychological Health of Malaysian College Students

Global Journal of Health Science, Jan 1, 2010

The primary objective of this study was to assess the psychological health of students at a local... more The primary objective of this study was to assess the psychological health of students at a local university in Malaysia using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Additionally, the study was carried out to determine the reliability and factor structure of the GHQ-12. Sample comprised 386 students (female=177, male=209) who were selected using multistage cluster sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data required. Results showed that slightly more than half (52.9%) of the respondents scored low on the GHQ-12, and a substantial proportion (47.1%) of them scored high, indicating an unhealthy psychological state. Nevertheless, no differences were observed between the genders. Reliability analysis showed satisfactory results, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.70. Meanwhile, factor analysis revealed that GHQ-12 was a measure of psychological distress, with a three-factor structure (Psychological Distress, Social and Emotional Dysfunction and Cognitive Disorder), which jointly accounted for 51.9% of the variance. The findings of the study therefore affirm that the GHQ-12 is a good measure for assessing the overall psychological well-being of students in Malaysia.