Drug abuse is considered a serious social problem, especially among youth. Those who successfully survive such behaviors, especially in high-risk locations, must have underlying factors worth learning. This research focuses on youth who can avoid using and abusing drugs in high-risk areas. The main objectives are to identify protective factors (PF) that successfully protect youth in high-risk locations and to examine the presence of risk factors (RF) in that particular community. Data were collected through ten focus group discussions (FGD) with youth participants who lived within identified hot spot high-risk areas of drug abuse. Each group contains five participants, which makes up a total of fifty youth participants. The FGDs were audio-recorded, followed by the transcribing process and the thematic data analysis. The finding shows that themes for protective and risk factors are divided into internal and external factors. Internal protective factors are represented mostly by religious knowledge and practice, followed by self-assertiveness. External protective factors are denoted by positive family influences, positive peer influence, and knowledge of drug abuse. On the other hand, internal risk factors epitomize the feeling of curiosity, lack of religious knowledge and practice to release pressure and stress, lack of effective coping skills, and seeking fun. External risk factors embody negative peer influence, lack of parenting skills, negative family influence, and negative neighborhood environment and occupation.

Kajian keberkesanan modul pencegahan penyalahgunaan dadah dan bahan yang berasaskan kerohanian telah dilaksanakan oleh penyelidik kepada belia yang tinggal di sebuah daerah berisiko tinggi di utara semenanjung Malaysia. Objektif utama kajian ini ialah melihat kesan modul kerohanian pencegahan penyalahgunaan dadah terhadap (1) kerohanian, (2) ketegasan kendiri dan (3) pengetahuan mereka terhadap penyalahgunaanbahan dan dadah. Sampel kajian dibahagikan kepada kumpulan eksperimen dan kumpulan kawalan bagi peringkat pra dan pasca. Kajian ini menggunakan rekabentuk Eksperimen Tulen yang melibatkan dua buah kumpulan belia dari Kawasan zon yang berbeza dan setiap kumpulan terdiri daripada 33 orang (kumpulan eksperiman dan kawalan). Intervensi berbentuk psikopendidikan sebanyak 7 sesi pertemuan diberikan kepada kumpulan eksperimen manakala kumpulan kawalan tidak diberi sebarang intervensi. Hasil daripada perbandingan ujian pra dan pasca menunjukkan bahawa terdapat peningkatan nilai min yang signifikan bagi kerohanian (nilai min dari ujian pra = 172.24 dan ujian pasca = 188.12), ketegasan kendiri (nilai min dari ujian pra = 99.48 dan ujian pasca = 106.42) dan pengetahuan tentang penyalahgunaan dadah (nilai min dari ujian pra = 57.59 dan ujian pasca = 65.61) untuk kumpulan eksperimen yang melalui intervensi yang diberikan oleh fasilitator terlatih menggunakan modul kerohanian ini. Hasil keputusan min kumpulan kawalan pulamenunjukkan tiada peningkatan min bagi ketiga-tiga pembolehubah yang dikaji. Daripada hasil keputusan kajian ini boleh dirumuskan bahawa modul MPDKKP dalam pencegahan penyalahgunaan dadah ini dapat membantu para belia dari terjebak dengan penyalahgunaan bahan dan dadah serta menikmati hidup yang lebih positif.

This case report highlights Koro-like symptoms with erectile dysfunction. Methods: We report a case of a Rohingya refugee who presented with Koro-like symptoms associated with erectile dysfunction and severe religious guilt. Results: Sexual dysfunction, i.e. erectile dysfunction may be a predisposing factor for a Koro incidence. Religious issues complicated by superstitious beliefs pose a treatment challenge. Conclusion: Treating patient with sexual dysfunction should involve exploring and addressing patient’s conflicts to avoid worsening of symptoms. As this case illustrates, severe anxiety can present with Koro-like symptoms.

Technology bring possibility to conduct focus groupdiscussion (FGD) virtually, especially during COVID-19. Online FGD conducted to explore needs assessment to design an effective drug prevention program among high-risk youth. 10 Online FGD within 5 participant for each group conducted involving youths from high-risk areas. Sessions recorded with the participants’ consent. Online FGD provides flexibility of time and venue, and widens the opportunity to gather more in-depth data. However, online FGD might cause the interactions less dynamic. Thus, it calls for future studies on the effectiveness of online focus group discussion as compared to the conventional face-to-face method.

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.