The number of foreign students enrolling institutions of higher learning in Malaysia is increasing in trend. Despite of that, studies related to the problems faced by them during the learning period in Malaysia are still lacking and limited. Thus, this paper was conducted to explore the contributing stressor towards self-adjustment among foreign students who pursuing their higher education in Malaysia. It is a qualitative study where semi-structured interviews were conducted in depth among 5 foreign postgraduates’ students in Malaysia. The data was then analyzed using thematic analysis. Five themes and ten sub-themes emerged from the interviews, including academic stressor (teaching and learning approaches with English language, and experiences with student support services), financial stressor (scholarship endorsement/ fellowship and financial management), psychological stressor (loneliness and homesickness), language stressor (language and communication barrier and lack of confidence in verbal skills) and sociocultural stressor (cross-cultural friendships, food incompatibilities). These stressors will further determine the capability of foreign students in their self-adjustment which leads to the student’s well-being. This study can be a new platform and source of reference, especially for higher educational institutions to ensure that the welfare of each foreign student is maintained and making Malaysian higher education institutions as one of the foremost institutions in the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic affecting Malaysia and the world presents various challenges, pressures and negative impacts on various groups, including among fathers. Some fathers have lost their source of income, face pressures of working from home, managing their children and losing loved ones. This has affected their mental health and led to the erosion of the family institution in Malaysia. In addition, issues such as divorce, domestic violence and child abuse are at worrying levels. Therefore, this study sought to identify the level of stress among fathers during the COVID-19 pandemic, their main coping strategies, and the relationship between stress and coping strategies. This quantitative study employs a survey design involving 120 fathers in a district in Negeri Sembilan. Descriptive and inferential data analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. This study found that the stress level among the participant was at a moderate level. Meanwhile, the emotional coping strategy (mean 29.3) represents an option used by them in adapting to problems faced during the pandemic. A significant negative relationship was found between stress coping strategies in the father group [(p=0.001 <0.05).]. It is hoped that this study will aid fathers in choosing a coping strategy to face the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as provide guidance for relevant authorities in formulating plans aimed at promoting the wellbeing of families in Malaysia.

Academic stress can have a negative effect on a student's cognitive, emotional and behavioural well-being. Furthermore, academic stress could also cause a decline in student’s academic performance. Therefore, it is necessary for the student to be able to cope and relieve stress. Religious coping strategies are one of the effective ways in overcoming academic stress. This study was aimed to explore and understand students' experiences of religious coping methods when facing academic stress. A qualitative method by using interview was used. A total of five respondents from public university were involved. The data from interview were analysed by using thematic analysis from five respondents. This study discovered three specific religious coping behaviour that were employed to cope with academic stress; 1) worship in the heart, 2) worship verbally and, 3) worship by action. It has also identified three themes on the impact of religious coping on 1) cognitive, 2) emotional and 3) behaviour. From this study, it can be concluded that specific religious coping behavior which had been used by the students is helpful for them in coping with academic stress. The knowledge and awareness of the internal and external stressors also can help the students to identify the best solution and coping mechanism to manage the stress. These coping behaviors also help the students to have a better understanding on how religious coping can affect students in term of cognitive, emotion and behavior.

The increased number of criminal offenses statistics among adolescents in Malaysia is alarming. This is believed to be rooted from the reduce of moral emotions such as shame and guilt in themselves. Therefore, this study presents the results of an exploratory factor analysis of the Muslim Moral Emotions Inventory (MMEI), a self-report measure of moral emotions of shame and guilt to overcome this issue. This instrument was administered to a sample of Malaysian-Muslims youth (n = 640) to determine the factor structure and internal reliability of these scales. The analysis showed that 18 items factored around four factors of perceived Guilt subscales includes God consciousness, Care for Others, Fear of Punishment and Forgiveness. Another 18 items factored around five factors of perceived Shame subscales include Positive Speech, Sensitive Towards Others Judgment, Safeguarding Chastity, Guarding One’s View and Modest Self-presentation. The Shame scale accounted for 54.48% of\the variance, while the Guilt scale accounted for 56.10% of the variance. The results of showed that the factor structure of the two moral emotions scales of the MMEI was significantly measured with the current sample of Muslims youth. Cronbach alpha, split-half coefficients and item analysis verified the reliability of instrument. The significance of adaptive shame and guilt as a unique contributor to psychological well-being and applications for the MMEI in assessment and outcome research among youth are discussed.

Students today have to deal with various academic pressures stemming from the learning system itself or surrounding factors. Academic stress can erode students’ motivation for achievement which in turn affects academic well-being. However, the counseling approach is considered an effective means to address this issue. This study examines the effectiveness of reality therapy in group counseling as a means to improve the motivation for achievement among students. This quasi-experimental study employed pre- and post-test designs for two groups involving 40 Form Four students in a secondary school in Malaysia. The students were selected through the purposive sampling method and the research instrument used was the Achievement Motivation Test (AMT) introduced by Abu Bakar Nordin (1995). Data were analyzed using the SPSS Version 26 software through a paired t-test for the pre- and post - treatment groups as well as an independent sample t-test between treatment group and control group who’s given motivational reading materials. The study found significant differences between the pre- and post -test achievement motivation scores for the treatment group (p <.05). There were also significant differences between the level of achievement motivation for the treatment and control groups (p <.05). In conclusion, the application of counseling skills during counseling sessions and the use of reality therapy is seen to help enhance students’ motivation for achievement as well as contribute to academic well-being. This study will aid teachers and school counselors facing low-motivated students and in turn be a catalyst for the development of guidelines or policies in the national education system for producing better quality human capital.

The study explores on the compliance behaviour of Malaysians during the pandemic of COVID-19 from the social psychology perspectives. Most of the research materials referred in this study are from secondary resources which are from research articles, newspaper articles, materials from magazines and bulletin. Then, content analysis was employed to obtain relevant themes for the study. Five themes are identified namely, (i) social norms during the COVID-19 outbreak, (ii) compliance with new norms through social restrictions, (iii) social conformity to adhere to new norms, (iv) optimistic bias during new norms and (v) diffusion of responsibilities during new norms. The implication of the study showed that there are varies compliance and non-compliance behaviours that are demonstrated by fellow Malaysians as the pandemic shows no signs of slowing down. It is therefore vital for Malaysians to follow the appropriate Standard Operation Procedures and be vigilant and resilient in facing this pandemic.

Purpose: The study aims to analyze the role of coronavirus testing capacity to possibly reduce the case fatality ratio (CFR) in a large cross-section of countries. The study controlled health-care expenditures, logistics performance index (LPI), carbon damages, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to understand the nature of causation between the CFR and stated factors. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a cross-sectional regression apparatus for coefficient estimates and variance decomposition analysis (VDA) for forecasting relationships between the variables over time. Findings: The results confirmed the W-shaped relationship between CFR and case-to-test ratio (CTR) in the presence of a LPI that exacerbates the CFR cases across countries. The VDA estimates suggest that carbon damages, logistics activities, and CSR are likely to influence CFR over time.

Wabak Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) yang telah diisytiharkan sebagai pandemik oleh Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia atau World Health Organization (WHO) telah mengubah cara hidup kebanyakan individu. Situasi terkini juga menunjukkan peningkatan trend masalah kesihatan mental yang membawa kepada tindakan bunuh diri. Rentetan dari pelaksanaan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) akibat pandemik COVID-19 juga, jumlah pelayar media sosial melalui rangkaian internet dilihat semakin meningkat dan majoriti daripada mereka adalah dalam kalangan remaja. Justeru, objektif kajian ini adalah untuk melihat implikasi media sosial terhadap aspek kesihatan mental remaja semasa pandemik COVID-19. Kajian ini merupakan kajian kualitatif dengan menggunakan rekabentuk tinjauan literatur sistematik. Sebanyak 62 artikel daripada 170 artikel dalam pengkalan data Scopus, Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) dan Science Direct dari tempoh 2015-2021 telah terpilih. Artikel pilihan kemudian dianalisis dan dikategorikan mengikut skop kajian bagi mendapatkan pemahaman yang lebih, mengenai isu ketagihan media sosial dan kesihatan mental dalam kalangan remaja. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa terdapat pelbagai implikasi dari penggunaan media sosial terhadap remaja. Antaranya adalah tingkah laku langsang, buli siber, pornografi, berita palsu dan hasutan serta penipuan dalam talian. Selain itu juga, penggunaan media sosial turut menyumbang kepada masalah kesihatan mental seperti kemurungan, panik, takut, stress dan kebimbangan. Oleh itu, kajian ini dilihat amatlah signifikan terutamanya kepada ibu bapa dan juga badan-badan terlibat serta masyarakat dalam mengatur strategi-strategi terpilih bagi berhadapan dengan implikasi negatif ketagihan media. Justeru, ibu bapa perlu mengamalkan gaya keibubapaan yang sesuai, manakala badan-badan terbabit seperti para pendidik, kaunselor dan masyarakat perlu memperkembangan pengetahuan moral remaja secara berterusan selain daripada memperkasakan peranan masing-masing.

Tahap kesihatan mental rakyat Malaysia kini dilihat berada dalam keadaan yang membimbangkan apabila statistik menunjukkan peratus individu yang mengalami penyakit mental dan kes bunuh diri kian meningkat saban tahun. Tahap kesihatan mental pula berkait rapat dengan tahap kebahagiaan individu dalam kehidupan yang dipengaruhi oleh pelbagai faktor termasuk faktor pekerjaan. Justeru, kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengenal pasti tahap semasa kebahagiaan bagi komponen afektif dan kognitif dalam kalangan pensyarah. Kajian ini merupakan kajian deskriptif melibatkan 645 orang pensyarah dari universiti penyelidikan di Malaysia yang dipilih melalui kaedah persampelan rawak. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa tahap keseluruhan bagi kebahagiaan pensyarah berada pada aras tinggi iaitu sebanyak 95.5 peratus (n=616). Seterusnya, hasil dapatan turut menunjukkan tahap emosi (afektif) bahagia yang dialami oleh pensyarah adalah tinggi iaitu sebanyak 95.2 peratus (n=614) dan bagi komponen pemikiran (kognitif) bahagia adalah juga pada aras tinggi iaitu sebanyak 94.1 peratus (n=607). Walau bagaimanapun, masih terdapat sejumlah kecil dalam kalangan pensyarah yang masih mempunyai tahap kebahagiaan yang rendah dari aspek emosi, kognitif dan keseluruhan. Kajian ini dapat menjadi panduan kepada pihak universiti dan Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi dalam menjalankan apa jua polisi agar ia dapat melahirkan pensyarah yang bahagia dan berkualiti yang seterusnya menjamin kualiti para graduan yang dilahirkan oleh setiap universiti.

Drug cases among teenagers are on the rise from year to year. Their involvement is said to be due to many risk factors, and one of them is the risk factor of peer influences. Many efforts were implemented by the government and authorities to treat the issues of drug abusers, including providing treatment and rehabilitation services. However, the tendency to remain abstinent may be different based on the risk factors, types of clients, and conditions of the clients. Therefore, this paper is undertaken to identify the comparison in peer influence risk factors between four groups which are voluntary clients, non-voluntary clients, clients who underwent the treatment at the center, and clients after undergoing the treatment at the center in the tendency to remain abstinence. Besides, this paper is undertaken to explore the risk factor of peer influences to relapse in drug problems. A comparison study with a mixed-method design involving qualitative and quantitative methods has been adopted in this study. The study participants were recruited based on purposive sampling technique and 24 private treatment centers were involved in this study. A mixed triangulation method was implemented for data collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires and the Stage of Change Scale (SoCS) while qualitative data were collected through interviews and using semi-structured questionnaires. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to summarize and describe the study’s findings. T-test was conducted to identify the differences of viewpoints between voluntary and non-voluntary clients and meanwhile, the qualitative data were analyzed by theme. Four hypotheses were tested and hypothesis 1 was accepted. The finding from the hypothesis 1 revealed that there are significant differences for peer influences risk factors based on non-voluntary and voluntary clients who are still undergoing treatment at the center. Non-voluntary clients, who are still undergoing treatment are reported more affected by the risk of peer influences to remain abstinent than voluntary clients. Meanwhile, the findings from the interview revealed that peer influence factors became a motivator for relapse in drug issues among voluntary clients, non-voluntary clients, clients who are still undergoing treatment at the center, and clients after undergoing the treatment at the center. Hence, it showed that peer influence was a significant risk factor for voluntary and non-voluntary clients to remain abstinent and relapse in drug issues. The further researchers proposed the study on the develops support module for parents in managing children who are involved in drug abuse so that they can remain abstinent.

Kaunseling kelompok merupakan proses penting dalam program bimbingan perubahan tingkah laku. Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk membangunkan Modul Kaunseling Kelompok Berdasarkan Teknik Surah Lukman (ayat 12 hingga 19) Terhadap Murid Sekolah Menengah. Modul ini mengandungi 8 komponen utama iaitu konsep bersyukur, kemantapan akidah, nasihat secara berhikmah, penjelasan tentang ganjaran pahala dan dosa, bimbingan menunaikan solat, larangan bertingkah laku sombong dan membangga diri, cara berjalan, dan sentiasa mengingati tentang pengakhiran hidup. Melalui lapan aspek hikmah ini dibangunkan lapan aktiviti utama yang merangkumi elemen ibadah, akidah dan akhlak untuk membantu murid membuat perubahan tingkah laku positif. Pembangunan modul ini yang menggabungkan pelbagai bidang teras utama ilmu psikologi, kaunseling, dan agama dapat meningkatkan profesional perkhidmatan kaunseling di Malaysia bagi membantu murid sekolah membuat perubahan tingkah laku positif. Kesahan modul ini dijalankan oleh 10 orang pakar dalam pelbagai bidang kaunseling dan psikologi pendidikan. Modul ini telah diuji terhadap 30 orang murid sekolah menengah dalam tempoh dua bulan secara berturut-turut. Hasil maklum balas daripada pakar penilai, modul ini sesuai digunakan terhadap sampel murid. Keberkesanan modul ini terhadap murid telah dinilai melalui data koheran biomaklumbalas untuk melihat kesan perubahan hati yang dilakukan oleh murid setelah melalui aktiviti dalam modul ini.

In general, every marriage has the potential to face conflictsand challenges. Family crises such as divorce cases, domestic violence and child abuse are seen to record an extraordinary increase in 2020. Family well-being is the most important element in life. Indeed, Islam itself pays serious attention to the aspect of family happiness. Therefore, this article aims to explore challenges of the family crises which focuses on the spiritual aspect based on the concept of Maqasid Syariah in achieving family happiness. This is a qualitative study using a scoping review design. A total of 40 articles have been found and selected from university databases such as Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), Proquest Central and EBSCO-Host, not limited by start date till December 2022. The discussion of the maqasid perspective specific to sharia in preserving family institutions focuses on five core principles which are taking care of religion, life, intellectual, descendants and wealth. The study found that the practice of religious values based on Maqasid Syariah leads to an increase in family happiness. In conclusion, this study is very important as a guide and a tool for counsellors, as well as bodies that constantly deal with family crises such as the State Department of Islamic Religion in helping to provide a solution to every individual in need.

Alat emWave biofeedback merupakan instrumen untuk mengukur perubahan diri individu. Perubahan menggunakan alat emWave biofeedback diukur melalui perubahan komponen psikologi yang terhasil daripada rangsangan fisiologi yang berlaku dalam diri setiap individu. Pendekatan menggunakan Modul Kaunseling Kelompok Menggunakan Pendekatan al Quran (Surah Lukman, ayat 12 - 19) mengandungi 8 komponen utama. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk melihat dan mengukur kesan aktiviti modul yang digunakan untuk membantu murid bagi meningkatkan prestasi skor koheran dan kesedaran motivasi dalam diri untuk berusaha mengubah tingkah laku positif. Sampel kajian ini terdiri daripada 20 orang murid SMK Perwira Jaya. Mereka dipilih secara rawak dan dibahagikan sebagai Kumpulan Latihan (n = 10 dan Kumpulan Kawalan (n = 10). Data kajian dikumpul secara kuantitatif melalui bacaan Heart Rate Variability (HRV) yang di rekod menggunakan alat emWave biofeedback. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan penggunaan modul ini dapat membantu murid untuk mencapai skor koheran dan meningkatkan motivasi diri untuk melakukan perubahan positif.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that strike Malaysia and the rest of the world has given a huge variety of implications especially in the aspect of mental health. Students are no exception in dealing with it. It requires every student to adapt to the new norms that exist in teaching and learning (T&L) system. Thus, this study aims to examine the coping strategies and stress management that can be applied by students in dealing with stress during the pandemic. To achieve this goal a systematic search was conducted, and a simple thematic analysis approach was used to identify the coping strategies among students at higher learning institutions as discussed by previous researchers on similar topics from three search engines on (1) Scopus, (2) Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), and (3) Science Direct from 2015 to 2021 to determine the latest evidence and observations. A literature review of 10 relevant studies was rigorously analysed to get understanding of coping strategies and stress management amongst students at higher learning institutions. The findings show that there are four critical factors in stress management including (1) time management, (2) internet access issues, (2) academic workload and (4) adaptation to new norms. In addition, there are three types of coping strategies that students can do in coping with stress. Research pertaining to these issues are still lacking. This study is seen to be a new platform and guidelines especially for educational institutions to ensure that every student is equipped with stress management skills that can lead to personal well -being.

A study on the effectiveness of a spirituality-based drug and substance abuse prevention module was carried out by researchers on youth living in a high-risk area in the north of Peninsular Malaysia. The study was done to investigate the effectiveness of the spiritual drug abuse prevention module based on (1) self-assertiveness, (2) spirituality, and (3) their belief concerning substance and drug abuse. The study sample was divided into an experimental and control group for the pre and post stages. This study used a quasi-experimental design involving two youth groups from different zones, each consisting of 33 people (experimental and control groups). A psychoeducational intervention of seven meeting sessions was carried out on the experimental group, while the control group was not given any intervention. The results of the pre-and post-test comparison showed that there was a significant increase in the mean value of self-assertiveness (mean value from pre-test 99.45 to 106.42 post-test), spirituality (mean value from pre-test 172.24 to 188.12 post-test) and beliefs about drug abuse (mean value from pre-test 28.91 to 41.48 post-test) for the experimental group that went through the intervention given by the trained facilitator using this spirituality module. The mean results of the control group showed no mean increase for the three variables studied. In conclusion, the spiritual module for preventing drug abuse can help the youth from being involved in substance and drug abuse and enjoy a more positive life.

Pandemik Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) yang melanda Malaysia dan seluruh dunia telah memberikan pelbagai implikasi yang sangat besar terutamanya dalam aspek kesihatan mental. Golongan pelajar merupakan golongan yang berisiko mengalami tekanan akibat norma baharu yang wujud susulan pandemik ini. Justeru, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti tahap tekanan pelajar dan mengenal pasti pengaruh jantina dalam menentukan tahap tekanan pelajar. Kajian ini adalah kajian kuantitatif yang menggunakan reka bentuk tinjauan. Seramai 400 orang pelajar dari sebuah institusi pengajian tinggi di Malaysia dipilih melalui kaedah persampelan rawak mudah. Soal selidik Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) yang dialih bahasa telah digunakan. Analisis statistik deskriptif dalam bentuk peratus kekerapan dan ujian t-test dijalankan melalui perisian Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Versi 26. Kajian mendapati bahawa seramai 340 pelajar (85%) mengalami tekanan pada tahap sederhana. Selain itu, tidak terdapat perbezaan antara jantina lelaki dan perempuan dalam menentukan tahap tekanan pelajar. Konklusinya, kajian ini amatlah signifikan dalam mengetahui tahap tekanan pelajar semasa pandemik ini. Ia boleh dijadikan sebagai garis panduan terutamanya kepada institusi pendidikan dalam mengatur strategi bagi membantu dalam meningkatkan dan mengekalkan kegembiraan pelajar.