Malaysian Child & Adolescent Wellbeing (MCAW) Study

US & Malaysian Research Assistants to 
Dr Brendan & Dr Patricia

Multicultural sample of 1818 Malaysian adolescents

Background

For more info on MCAW, click on the image below or go to:http://mcawstudy.wordpress.com/about/

Malaysian Adolescent Prevention Program (MAPP)

Preliminary proposal to further the work of MCAW

Research Papers

Measuring psychosocial well-being in Malaysian adolescents.

Given the lack of simple and valid instrumentation to measure adolescent psychosocial well-being (PWB) that corresponds to a framework of positive youth development (PYD), a conceptual framework of PWB is proposed, and a measurement model comprising three indicators tested in adolescents in Southeast Asia. One wave of self-report data was collected from 1818 Malaysian school-going adolescents from 3 public schools, ranging from 13 to 16-years of age. Analyses involved split-half cross-validation, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. A 3-factor structure of psychosocial well-being was determined, i.e. positive sense of self, pro-social orientation, and personal control. This measurement model was found invariant across gender. In general, adolescents reported above average levels for all three indicators, with girls having significantly higher levels of personal control than boys. Findings confirm that positive functioning is measurable in Southeast Asian youth and that these measures support the proposed theoretical framework of PWB as it relates to PYD. This paves the way for a more holistic gauge of adolescent psychosocial health, and methods to promote their well-being in their social environment while taking into account gender differences. 

Promoting adolescent psychosocial wellbeing in Southeast Asia: The potential of school supportiveness 

Results in this paper indicate that supportive school environment, social-competency building support in the classroom, school teacher support and school peer support are all significantly associated with PWB. An important implication here is that each of the three key indicators of PWB can be targeted for purposes of promoting positive youth development by building upon existing supports in schools without requiring extensive additional resources.

The dual-dimension of psychosocial wellbeing in Malaysian school-going adolescents 

This paper argues that psychosocial well-being (PWB) and psychosocial distress are associated but distinct constructs. Psychosocial functioning of 1818 Malaysian school-going adolescents was measured using self-reports. PWB used three scales, i.e. positive sense of self, pro-social orientation and personal control. Psychosocial distress used scales of depression and delinquency. Four groups of low and high categories of well-being and distress were created. Almost 20% of adolescents reported low well-being and low depression, and high well-being and high depression. And almost 13% of adolescents reported low well-being and low delinquency, and high well-being and high delinquency. They differed from more “common” psychosocial functioning groups on school support variables, educational outcomes, and economic sufficiency. Schools need to include a dual-dimension of psychosocial functioning to obtain a broader picture of adolescent health, to better identify those in need, to map the association of gender, and to determine directionality for interventions. 

Schools can save lives: School social supports with the potential to address depression and delinquency in Southeast Asia

Findings indicates that school teacher support and school peer support have significant negative associations with depression, and significant positive associations with commitment to learning and school. At the same time, supportive school environment (i.e., healthy boundaries and a safe environment) has a significant negative association with delinquency. Overall, results suggest that cultivating supportive teachers, peers and school environment may be especially influential in lowering depression and delinquency while promoting educational outcomes, which culminates in keeping Malaysian adolescents safe and engaged in school. 

Society for Prevention Research Conference