Azizah Othman

Universiti Sains Malaysia | USM · School of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Learning disability (LD) in children is very common, yet it is often missed by many educators. Aim: We developed a brief education program on learning disability (LD) in children and validated its corresponding assessment tool (Knowledge and Attitude on Learning Disability Questionnaire (KALDQ) for pre-school teachers in Malaysia. Met...

Introduction: Thalassemia is a chronic childhood disease that could result in psychological distress not only to the patients but also to their caretakers. Caretakers utilize different coping strategies to reduce stress and maintain a good quality of life. Objective: The study aims to measure the level of psychological distress among caretakers of...

Purpose: The study aims to determine the prevalence of mental health problems among early adolescents and their associations with parental relationships. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 535 adolescents aged 13 to 14 on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia using online surveys from February 2021 to April 202. Mental health status...

Psychological distress (including depression and anxiety) is common in the first years of cancer diagnosis but can differ by country and region. The aim of the present paper was to review the prevalence of psychological distress among cancer patients in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. A systematic literature search was carried out using several da...

This study investigated differences related to fear of COVID-19, fear to leave home and ten aspects of working adults’ life between genders and working places. 455 working adults in Malaysia participated in the online survey through convenience sampling technique. The results showed that the main effect for gender was significant (Wilks’ Λ = 0.88,...

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention (b-MBI) on the levels of mindfulness, perceived stress and emotional intelligence (EI). Fifty-nine undergraduate students in medicine course were randomly allocated to either 4 weekly b-MBI sessions (n = 30) or waitlist control (n = 29). All participants completed Mi...

Lockdown implementation during COVID-19 pandemic has caused many negative impacts in various aspect of life, including in the academic world. Routine disruption to teaching and learning environment has raised concerns to the wellbeing of university staff and students. This study aimed to examine the subjective wellbeing of the university community...

Background: Medical Professionals Resilience Scale (MeRS) is a four-point Likert scale for measuring resilience in the domains of control, resourcefulness, involvement, and growth. This 37-item inventory was previously validated among Malaysian health professionals. To increase the evidence of validity of MeRS, this study attempted to cross validat...

Introduction: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of burnout and correlation between burnout score and stressor domain score and to determine the association between sociodemographic and occupational related factors with overall burnout among nurses caring for children in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (Hospital USM). Methods: T...

Behavioural and emotional problem is commonly reported in childhood, some cases require psychological management. Non-directive therapeutic play or child-led play that always involve spontaneous drawing, is one of the most natural and potential means to work with children, yet it is not being fully utilised and explored. This is a single case study...

The effect of cyberbullying among adolescents in Malaysia is not much studied. The Cyberbullying Scale (CBS) has been validated to be used among English speaking adolescents to measure cyberbullying but not in Malay language. Therefore, its validity should be established before use in the Malaysian context. Thus, the study aimed to evaluate the val...

Introduction: The study was performed to measure psychological problems in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) while on steroid therapy as compared to healthy children. Methods: It was a prospective cohort study conducted in a paediatric clinic of a tertiary hospital. Parents of participants, both in the INS group and the control g...

Online learning is now becoming a teaching norm across disciplines and educational contexts. There is a need to measure the satisfaction level objectively and comprehensively to allow refinement of teaching and learning delivery methods. To date, there is no English validated scale to measure learners' satisfaction when learning is conducted online...

Sexual abuse of children is increasing at an alarming rate. This study aims to describe the risk factors and the effects of sexual abuse on children. This unobtrusive qualitative study was conducted on children aged 10 to 18 years old who experienced sexual abuse and followed-up at a psychiatric clinic between the years 2019 and 2021. The informati...

Objective: Caring for children with neurological conditions is challenging. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout and its associated factors among caretakers of children with chronic neurological illness. Method: This cross-sectional study involved 18 years or older caretakers of children with neurological illness for more than 3...

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a psycho-education intervention programme in improving the coping strategies of Jordanian breast cancer patients. Methods: A double-blinded randomised control trial involving 200 participants between the ages of 20 to 65 years old breast cancer patients was performed. Apart from those wh...

Introduction: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is linked to a series of serious health problems. Children may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of SHS exposure at home. This study aimed to determine the association between SHS exposure at home and cognitive performance in school children. Methods: A multistage sampling was performed acros...

The escalating trend of murder victim concealment worldwide appears worrying, and literature does not reveal any specific study focusing on victim concealment amongst convicted male Malaysian murderers. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the psychological traits that may underlie the act of murder concealment in Malaysia via mixed met...

The objectives of ATAP-NEPAH are to enhance and nurture healthy habits among adolescents as well as to empower adolescents in inculcating these healthy habits among them. Health education through peer-to-peer approach is used to instill the knowledge on important areas such as sexual and reproductive health, smoking, substance abuse, illegal street...

The COVID-19 is not only affecting physical health, but immensely effecting on psychological health. Movement control order causing uncertain stress and psychological pressure to the population around the world. The study aims to evaluate stress, anxiety and depression, and to examine the coping responses among adult population during COVID-19 move...

Most patients with breast cancer receive psycho-educational procedures. The feasibility of these interventions has not yet been established, however. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the psycho-social (psychoeducational and other) supporting experimental studies with breast cancer patients. Articles have been searched...

Patients with breast cancer often experience an extremely high psychological distress. Psychological distress includes both depression and anxiety as a specific framework. Existing study in these psychological symptoms (either anxiety or depression) were more strongly associated with the level of pain that is unavailable in breast cancer patients....

Objective: To determine the strain of caregivers of patients receiving palliative care by YOKUK@Sayang Home Care in the community of Kelantan state. Design: Cross sectional study using a validated Malay version of Caregiver Strain Index (CSI). Setting: Caregivers of patients who resided and looking after patients at home. The patients were those wh...

Covid-19, pandemic effected the global health, physically, socially and mentally. Currently the pandemic in Malaysia observed to be in control with movement strict precaution and preventions. This study is cross-sectional survey study to evaluate the responses of Malaysian Adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. To evaluate the Malaysian r...

COVID-19 Pandemic unprecedented situation impact significantly on human life globally. The uncertainties, and People's perception around the world is causing psychological impact on the human life. This study was proposed to evaluate the perception and psychological impact of adult's community in Malaysia towards COVID-19 pandemic during movement c...

Unwell medical students and trainees may pose significant medical risks to the patients and ethical challenge for colleagues, clinical supervisors and governing institutions. Medical students who suffer from medical or psychological illnesses, which directly affect their function, may deem hazardous for the safety of the patients. Fitness to practi...

Introduction Xmn1 -Gγ polymorphism has been significantly associated with disease severity in HbE/β-thalassemia patients. The aim of this study is to determine the factors affecting health related quality of life (HRQoL) and its association with Xmn1 -Gγ polymorphism among transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia and HbE/β-thalassemia adolescents. Mate...

Arab countries; Incidence and mortality rates are high due to diagnosed women with breast cancer (B.C) at advanced stages.[1-4]Young age are at higher risk.[5-7]It consider as significant stressful disease women’s lives.[6،8-9-11]Psychological distress can also influence on CS and QOL adversely.[12] Studies showed high prevalence rate of stress amo...

Tinnitus (“ringing noise in the ear”) is a common symptom among patients with ear and hearing problems. Appropriate assessments and management by clinical professionals are vital to minimize the negative consequences of tinnitus. As such, the aim of the present study was to determine the status of tinnitus assessment and management by hearing healt...

Breast cancer (B.C) is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide. It is a distressing diagnosis and, as a result, considerable research has examined the psychological sequel of being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. Breast cancer is associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety and reduced quality of life. As a consequenc...

Breast cancer (B.C) is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide. It is a distressing diagnosis and, as a result, considerable research has examined the psychological sequel of being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. Breast cancer is associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety and reduced quality of life. As a consequenc...

Background: The Emotion Thermometer is a quick visual analogue scale for assessing emotional distress originally designed for cancer patients. To date, there is no visual analogue scale available for the quick assessment of emotional distress post-disaster. Objectives: This study aimed to validate the Malay version of Emotion Thermometer among floo...

This booklet is a part of my PhD project in helping women to cope in the aftermath of breast cancer and to increase their quality of life, and decrease psychological depression and anxiety. The diagnosis of breast cancer is one of the most distressing and devastating events that may befall women. It is considered a major stressful event that threa...

يعتبىر هذا الكتيب جزء من إستكمال رسالتي في الحصول على شهادة الدكتوراه في مجال الصحة العامة، حيث يتم من خلالة تصليت الضوء على إستراتيجيات وآليات التكيف لدى مريضة سرطان الثدي وكيفية مساعدتها للتأقلم مع المرض بشكل أفضل، حيث يعتبرتشخيص سرطان الثدي واحد من أكثر الأحداث المدمرة والتى تصيب النساء.وحدثاً مرهقاً بشكل كبيرإذ يهدد جميع جوانب حياة المرأة ومعتق...

Tinnitus (“ringing noise in the ear”) is prevalent among adults with ear diseases. Psychological symptoms have been reported in many patients with tinnitus and research in this aspect is much relevant. The aim of the present study was to determine the internal and external reliability of Malay version of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (BM DA...

AIM This study aimed to review the psychometric properties and clinical application of parent-report instruments that assess feeding difficulties in children with neurological impairments. METHOD Papers were identified through five electronic databases based on 15 keywords and were included if they met the following criteria: published in English,...

Background: The Maldives has the highest prevalence of thalassemia in the world. However, there is little research done on the psychosocial aspects of this illness. Objectives: This study aimed to examine health related quality of life (HRQOL) among adolescents with beta-thalassemia major attending the National Thalassemia and Other Hemoglobinopath...

Thalassaemia is a life-long illness that exists globally. The quality of life of adolescents with thalassaemia could differ based on the health policies of a specific region, existing level of socio-economic development and the illness related variables. This study examines the relationship between sociodemographic and disease-related variables wit...

The horrific nature of murder using different types of weapons has been an important focal point of many criminological studies. Weapons that are used in murders seem to play dominant roles in murder investigations as they may provide information leading to arrest. The established factors for weapon usage include environmental context, demography a...

Background and Aim:Self-administered questionnaires are clinically important to document how tinnitus affects the daily life of patients. In this regard, there is a need to have an alternative questionnaire that covers relevant aspects of tinnitus and related symptoms.The present study aimed to develop and validate a new tinnitus questionnaire know...

Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the barriers that deter mothers of children with disabilities from attaining their unmet needs. Methods: In-depth interviews of 12 mothers of children with disabilities were conducted from November 2014 to January 2015 in Kelantan, Malaysia. The mothers were recruited by purposive sampling. Thematic...

This study examines the psychological problems of chronically ill Malaysian children. The sample consisted of 63 parents of children suffering from cancer, epilepsy and asthma. The Child behavior checklist (CBCL; Achenbach, 1991) for ages 4-18 with its subscales of internalizing, externalizing, thought, attention and social problems was used to ass...

Background: Thalassemia is a common monogenic disease in Southeast Asia. Patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia require frequent blood transfusions, which can lead to iron overload and subsequent organ dysfunction and damage. Iron overload is avoided by chelation therapy. There are 3 types of chelators available for iron chelation therapy,...

As social anxiety becomes a threat, drinking becomes a trend in experiencing relaxation, acceptance of peers and decreases performance fear. Individuals with social anxiety disorder are two to three times more likely to establish alcohol use disorder. This paper sought to assist in integrating a detailed analysis of potential unique mediator of alc...

Riang Ria Rabu (RRR) is a unique programme for children in the hospital, pioneered by the Department of Paediatrics, School of Medical Sciences Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). It is a weekly programme designed to provide a platform for and promote voluntarism spirit among the organisational staff, students and general public to contribute back to...

Drinking alcohol becomes a trend when social fear becomes a threat. The relaxing effect of alcohol on the central nervous system, its unconstrained and empowering effects of social impulses, and its perceived beneficial or recovery action on physical and emotional pain are often suggested as reasons why people begin and maintain their drinking beha...

The aim of this article was to review the types of psychological interventions for patients with tinnitus, professionals involved in giving the intervention, the effectiveness of each method of interventions and comparisons with non-psychological approaches in treating tinnitus. PubMed database searched. Twenty one articles that employed randomized...

Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of a one and a half year educational intervention on the job dissatisfaction of teachers in 30 Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) centres in Kelantan, Malaysia, and to identify the factors influencing changes in job dissatisfaction following the intervention. Method: Ten educati...

Introduction: There is limited data regarding the use of relaxation technique in managing knee osteoarthritis in Asian population.

Background: Psychologically-directed therapies have been shown to be effective in reducing stress and enhance well-being. The objective of this study was to develop an imagery-induced relaxation (IIR) audio in Bahasa Malaysia as an interventional psychological tool and pilot test it to a group of paediatric oncology patients in the hope to improve...

Even though in the corporate world psychological science has been widely used, the formal use of evidence-based psychology in important areas of clinical medicine has been scanty at best. It was the aim of this study to determine the efficacy of a psychologist-led 2-week nurse educator training on the infection rate in the neonatal intensive care u...

The aim of this study was to adapt MARMS with some modifications to detect beta mutation in our cohort of thalassemia patients. We focused only on transfusion-dependent thalassemia Malay patients, the predominant ethnic group (95%) in the Kelantanese population. Eight mutations were identified in 46 out of 48 (95.83%) beta thalassemia alleles. Most...

Literacy is a crucial aspect of a children's life in order to face the challenges in the information age. A literate person is who can read and has formal or informal education. Reading habits among 2 children is hard to cultivate especially when it’s related to healthcare condition. One of the solutions to culture reading habits among paediatric p...

Objective: A sizable body of criminology literature has suggested that personality factors are critical to the development of aggressive behaviour. While research on personality focusing on aggression often revolves on "Eynseck Three Factor Model" and "Big Five Model", research on "Alternative Five Factor Model" (AFFM) is rather inadequate. Objecti...

Diagnosis of childhood cancer is a great challenge to the parents. The condition imposes them to look for all possible ways to help and protect the children. Whilst the conventional medical treatment for childhood cancer is promising, a majority of parents would seek for non-conventional treatment, in preference to or complimenting medical interven...

Murder is the most notorious crime that violates religious, social and cultural norms. Examining the types and number of different killing methods that used are pivotal in a murder case. However, the psychological traits underlying specific and multiple killing methods are still understudied. The present study attempts to fill this gap in knowledge...

Objectives: The present study aimed to reveal the socio-demographic and mechanical profiles of Malaysian male murderers. Methodology: An observational cross-sectional methodology was applied using guided self-administered survey among Malaysian male murderers. The present study significantly differs from other studies as the information on murder w...

Introduction: A review of the criminological literature indicates that some personality traits appear to develop and shape violent criminal behaviour. With this in mind, the present study was aimed to examine the personality profiles of Malaysian male murderers utilising the Alternative Five Factor Model (AFFM) constituting five personality traits:...

Seeking help from traditional healer is often reported as a treatment option especially in rural population. This study examines the use of Malay traditional healers or 'bomoh' for childhood cancer, in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, we interviewed parents whose children receiving cancer treatment, at p...

This study examined disease-related variables that are thought to play some role in exacerbating psychological problems among chronically ill children. The participants included 63 parents of children suffering from cancer, epilepsy, and asthma. The parents rated their children’s behavioral and emotional problems and provided information on the fre...

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the association of neurotic personality traits and coping styles with depression amongst first year medical and dental students. Methods: A total of 167 students consisting of 133 medical and 34 dental students in their first year were recruited. All the subjects were assessed using BDI, NEO PI-R (N) and Brief...

Objectives: Caring for children with disabilities brings about a significant impact on the parents and families. The purposes of this study were to determine the impact of having children with disabilities on parents' healt