Mimi Fitriana | UCSI University Malaysia (original) (raw)

Papers by Mimi Fitriana

Psychology, Health & Medicine

Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their parents require support from the community... more Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their parents require support from the community, and could profit from volunteer work involving the family. At the same time, university students demonstrate a high willingness to volunteer in community initiatives such as work involving children with ASD. This study aims to examine the relationship between ASD knowledge and the motivation to volunteer among university students. Students (N=150) from a private university in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, participated in this study. Instruments utilized in this study were the Stone Autism Survey and Volunteer Functions Inventory. The results indicated that a higher level of ASD knowledge was the strongest predictor of higher motivation to volunteer after adjusting for relevant demographic factors and exposure to ASD children. Meanwhile, female and Hindu participants reported a significantly higher motivation to volunteer. This study emphasizes the need to increase factual knowledge about...

International Journal of Education, Psychology and Counseling, 2021

Parents play an important role in shaping the academic achievement of their children. This study ... more Parents play an important role in shaping the academic achievement of their children. This study aimed to investigate the association between parental factors and university students’ academic self-efficacy and academic achievement, and the correlation between academic self-efficacy and the academic achievement of university students within the context of Malaysia. The cross-sectional study recruited participants using an online questionnaire, which included demographic information such as age, current education status, current working status, Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and parents’ monthly income, the Parental Encouragement Scale (PES), and Academic Self-efficacy (ASE) Scale. A total of 196 participants responded to the survey. The results of the Pearson’s correlation showed that parental encouragement was positively correlated with academic self-efficacy (r (196)=.144, p=.044), whilst academic self-efficacy was positively correlated with CGPA (r (196) = .241, p=.001). T...

Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 2020

Background and aim: Adolescent suicide has become a central issue around the world, including in ... more Background and aim: Adolescent suicide has become a central issue around the world, including in Malaysia, which needs attention. The current study investigated the mediating effect of coping strategy in the association between family functioning and suicidal ideation among adolescents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Method: A total of 852 school-attending adolescents aged 13–17 years were recruited by multistage cluster sampling. The relationships between all the study variables were analysed using Pearson’s correlation. Moreover, the mediation model was tested using SPSS PROCESS macro, while sex differences in suicidal ideation were examined using independent samples t-test. Results: Results showed that family cohesion, family flexibility, and problem-focused coping negatively correlated with adolescents’ suicidal ideation. Problem-focused coping also mediated the association between family flexibility and suicidal ideation. There was a significant difference in suicidal ideation for males and females. Conclusion: Family functioning and coping strategy are related to adolescents’ suicidal ideation, while problem-focused coping plays a crucial role in the relationship between family flexibility and suicidal ideation.

COVID-19 is the newest type of coronavirus, which gained global attention when an outbreak occurr... more COVID-19 is the newest type of coronavirus, which gained global attention when an outbreak occurred in Wuhan, China December 2019. Since December, at least 125 countries have a recorded case of COVID-19. As such, global prevention measures have been taken, including quarantines and travel bans (World Health Organization, 2020). This study aims to understand the effects of a global stressor (COVID-19) on individual and relational well-being for individuals in a romantic relationship.

The Athlete performance management is an integral strategy for high-performing ability. It demons... more The Athlete performance management is an integral strategy for high-performing ability. It demonstrates athletes’ self-integrity approach of performing the highest potential in sport. Numerous studies have shown reasons that might burden and affect the performance of the badminton athlete. The important influence of self-integrity, family and social media on athletes’ performance management from the athletes’ own perspectives has yet to investigate. This research aimed to explore the perception of national badminton players on their increased performance. The purpose of this study was to find out the performance management of badminton players in Malaysia from their self-integrated strategy with the coach, supports from family and influence of the social media. A semi-structured interview was conducted to 3 selected players, age ranging from 17 to 25 years, using a purposive sampling procedure. Thematic Analysis enabled the identification of key components of performance management ...

On March 16, 2020, the Prime Minister of Malaysia announced the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-1... more On March 16, 2020, the Prime Minister of Malaysia announced the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia, necessitating the closure of places of work, worship, and education. Families were encouraged to self-isolate and to “stay at home” to curb the spread of the virus.1 During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher relationship quality has been found to positively predict mental well-being and vice versa.2 This includes aspects of the relationship such as satisfaction, commitment, intimacy, trust, and others. However, it is unclear which aspects of relationship quality have been affected by this pandemic. It is crucial to assess psychological and behavioral responses to the situation of the pandemic and determine how the global stressor affects relationships among couples who are living together. This study aims to examine the relationship between psychological distress, relationship quality, and well-being among couples in Malaysia during the CO...

Psychological Applications and Trends 2021

With the imposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO) or lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic,... more With the imposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO) or lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are drastic changes in the movement and activity among Malaysians: increased psychological distress due to perception of the COVID-19 as a health threat, increased time spent with families, and decreased time away from home could either intensity 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 to before MCO. However, no significant differences between the couples were found before and during MCO in relationship quality, except in the trust sub-scale. Trust in 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 couple's trust predicted participants' well-being positively.

Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma

Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health

With the imposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO) or lockdown due to the coronavirus diseas... more 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.

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Following the global outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, individuals report psychological distres... more Following the global outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, individuals report psychological distress associated with the “new normal”—social distancing, financial hardships, and increased responsibilities while working from home. Given the interpersonal nature of stress and coping responses between romantic partners, based on the systemic transactional model this study posits that perceived partner dyadic coping may be an important moderator between experiences of COVID-19 psychological distress and relationship quality. To examine these associations, self-report data from 14,020 people across 27 countries were collected during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic (March–July, 2020). It was hypothesized that higher symptoms of psychological distress would be reported post-COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 restrictions (Hypothesis 1), reports of post-COVID-19 psychological distress would be negatively associated with relationship quality (Hypothesis 2), and perceived partner DC wo...

Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Intervention and Applied Psychology (ICIAP 2018), 2019

The current research focuses on the antisocial behaviors which lead to juvenile delinquency. The ... more The current research focuses on the antisocial behaviors which lead to juvenile delinquency. The current study looks at young adults in Kuala Lumpur and their perceptions of the typical characteristics of conduct disorders, substance abuse, and thought and attention problems commonly found among juvenile delinquents. This qualitative research study is aimed at investigating the psychosocial determinants of antisocial behaviors. After a purposive sampling procedure, a semi-structured interview was conducted with two young adult females. In-depth analysis was used to explore their narratives of lived experience. Themes were generated and analyzed through the procedure of thematic analysis. The findings revealed that major psychosocial factors that lead to young people's antisocial behaviors include 1) aggressive behavior, 2) poor psychosocial growth, 3) societal negligence, 4) grandiose thinking, 5) dysfunctional thoughts, 6) compromised intrafamilial relationships, 7) encouragement of violence by peers, and 8) repression of individuals' inner emotional expressions antisocial. Implications of the current research are discussed in terms of producing early identification of antisocial behaviors for the purpose of developing appropriate interventions.

Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun

The purpose of this study was to highlight the experiences of dance as an approach to give optimi... more The purpose of this study was to highlight the experiences of dance as an approach to give optimism in reducing the difficulties of narcoleptic patients that stem close to normal social functioning, and to explore the consequences of dance on narcoleptic patients in physiological, environmental and interpersonal aspects. A semi-structured interview was conducted to 3 selected narcoleptics, age ranging from 30 to 45 years, with at least 6 months of dance experience, using a purposive sampling procedure. Thematic analysis enabled the identification of key components of the impacts of dance and its coping mechanisms as the generated themes from the two research questions to include; 1) Dance as a form of Expression, Being Mindful, Decreased Symptoms, Self-achievement, Self-Enjoyment, Satisfaction level, Self-contentment, Stress-release and Balance of health, 2) Flexibility in Dance Style, Wider perspective in Dance Style, Social Functioning, Attention Skills, Emotion Management, Positi...

Iium Journal of Educational Studies, Jun 30, 2014

The present study focused on the paramount importance of early identification and intervention of... more The present study focused on the paramount importance of early identification and intervention of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among young children. The focus of the study is on children with autism and their typical characters which are identified by adults. The study investigates the occurrence of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among young children from the parents' perspective. This descriptive and analytical study aimed at finding 1) parents' perception of the need of early identification and intervention of children with autism, 2) parents' own perception of the challenges and strategies to help students with autism increase their school performance and 3) parents' view on strategies to help change the societal perception on ASD. There were three research questions to investigate the parents' perception in the current study; 1) the issue pertaining to the need of early identification of children with autism, 2) the questions related to useful of identification to parents, school teachers and society, 3) the questions on the challenges and strategies parents had to help ASD children receive optimal care by adults. It was found that parents identified their children behavior as ASD, regardless its degree of severity. The behaviors such as 1) emotionally unstable with bad tempered, 2) easy to be frustrated, 3) having ritual behavior, 4) quick walking habit, 5) problem with understanding, 6) reserved personality and lonely were identified with the help of the teachers in school. Strategies to help children with autism are also discussed in this paper.

The current study investigates the need of intra-familial intervention on children abuse from the... more The current study investigates the need of intra-familial intervention on children abuse from the parents’ perspective.The current study exposes some scientific evidences while presenting some observable facts of abusive characters among parents towards their children.The fact that family plays big roles in forming children’s characters is also discussed here.The current research particularly presents the phenomenon of child abuse within family setting as the results of lacking intra-familial relations.This technical and qualitative research paper emphasizes on the paramount importance of the need of early intervention of abuse from the family intervention.The consequences of familial abusive can be early identified and intervened with three ways; 1) intra-familial communication, 2) intra-familial interaction,3) intra-familial attachment. The facts of behavioral consequences of abuse towards children are also included to present the detrimental impacts of lacking intra-familial interventions.The current study also highlights the previous research findings on various issues pertaining to children abuse as reference.A sample of two parents was selected randomly for the purpose of the study.A semi-structured interview was conducted to the parents to gain their insight perception on the importance of intra-familial intervention on children abuse.It was found that; 1) parents perceive intra-familial intervention as crucially important, 2)parents perceive of intra-familial communication and interaction as significant to prevent misunderstanding among family members especially to create a sense of belongingness in each other, 3) parents also perceive intra-familial relation is essentially important to develop children’s attitude and to shape their behavior, 4) parents perceive intra-familial intervention is an important early intervention creating attachment in the family to prevent abusive patterns of behavior from parents as well as among siblings towards young children at home.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2014

Abstract The present study focuses on the paramount importance of teachers’ and students’ motivat... more Abstract The present study focuses on the paramount importance of teachers’ and students’ motivation in secondary school level. This is a descriptive and analytical study on issues in motivation from teachers’ perspectives, based on a qualitative study. The study investigates the relationship between teachers’ stress free and high self-esteem as approaches to motivate themselves and their students. Stress and low self-esteem are assumed to have a significant link to maximize teachers’ difficulties in dealing with students in school. Therefore, to have stress free and high self-esteem is important for teachers to motivate themselves to optimize their teaching performance. The current study also investigates the effects of these approaches on students ‘motivation to increase their school's achievement. A semi-structured interview method was conducted to two teachers in one International School in Malaysia. The study found that stress free teachers are able (1) to understand and to deal with their own problems, (2) to involve in school's activities with students, (3) to perceive their tasks as important and to handle tasks easily, (4) to perceive their job as significant for themselves and others, (5) to understand and deal with students’ problems, (6) to perceive students as capable in resolving their study problems, and to (7) control their emotion. The study also found that high self-esteem teachers are able (1) to manage their classes, (2) to deliver their lessons, (3) to organize their work, (4) to evaluate students’ performance, (5) to perceive students’ differences and to work with their differences. The study also revealed that teachers perceived difficult students as challenges to produce strategies to cope with their problems. The study indicated motivation among teachers whose stress is perceived as a challenge in teaching and learning process. The study also indicated motivation among teachers with high self-esteem to perform their duty and responsibility at their optimal level in school for the purpose of students’ motivation.

SHS Web of Conferences

Cognitive acquisition is the ability to improve cognition, brain health, and neural communication... more Cognitive acquisition is the ability to improve cognition, brain health, and neural communication supporting the development of cognitive skills among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This concept paper is to establish the Framework to assist in the understanding of how the Model can be used to improve the cognitive development of ASD children. Such a Model will proliferate sustainable methods of learning and teaching to assist parents, guardians, and instructors of ASD children implementing the intervention activities. The Smart Linguistic-based Cognitive Acquisition Model, in this paper, is proposed to be developed in four phases. Phase 1 seeks to identify the components and features of cognitive skills acquisition, leading to a conceptual model supporting the language and communication development of ASD children. Phase 2 involves interviews with 20 professionals for verifying the selected components. Phase 3 involves incorporating components and features identified ...