Nurizan Yahaya

Loneliness as a Risk Factor for Hypertension in Later Life

Objective: The present study aims to determine the impact of loneliness on hypertension in later life. Method: Data for this study are derived from a sample of 1,880 older Malaysians via a cross-sectional survey entitled “Patterns of Social Relationships and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Persons in Peninsular Malaysia.” Loneliness is assessed by the PGCMS item, “How much do you feel lonely?” Data analysis is carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0. Results: Nearly one third of respondents report high level of loneliness. The overall prevalence of hypertension is 39% (95% CI = 36.9-41.3). Logistic regression, controlling for sociodemographic factors and several chronic medical conditions, shows that loneliness significantly increases likelihood of hypertension in later life (OR = 1.31, p ≤ .05, 95% CI = 1.04-1.66). Discussion: The results show loneliness as a major risk factor for hypertension and call for health care professionals to be aware of the negative physiological effects of loneliness in old age.

Housing provision and satisfaction of low-income households in Kuala Lumpur

Past research has recognised that satisfaction with housing is one of the life domain satisfactions that contribute to the overall satisfaction with quality of life (Campbell, 1971; Campbell et al., 1976; Eastman, 1978; Morris and Winter, 1978; Peck and Stewart, 1986). All these studies reported that a significant relationship exists between satisfaction with housing and the overall satisfaction of quality of life. For example, findings from research done by Morris and Winter (1978) and Peck and Stewart (1985), indicated that the dwelling unit and neighbourhood were found to impinge upon the physical and mental health as well as upon the social and economic well-being of individuals, families and communities. Earlier studies in housing reported factors such as high density neighbourhood, overcrowding within dwelling units, desperately inadequate housing conditions, lack of “interactional” space and a forced change of residence or relocation can lead to social and physical pathologies among the residents (Mitchell, 1971). Unmet needs (or housing deficit) as perceived by the families, can be the root cause of dissatisfaction that may develop into serious maladjustment affecting the well-being of the family. As pointed out by Morris and Winter (1978), such housing behaviour is not necessarily a consequence of the desire for shelter, but the desire for the right kind of shelter.

Environmental comprehension and participation of Malaysian secondary school students

Environmental education was first formally introduced to Malaysian schools in 1986. Its implementation since then has been limited owing to various constraints facing teachers, and its success in achieving stated environmental education objectives remains uncertain. In view of this, an empirical, exploratory, descriptive study was undertaken to gauge levels of environmental understanding, awareness and knowledge, and the involvement of secondary school students in sustainable consumption practices. A survey was conducted using a self‐administered questionnaire with 306 students who were randomly selected from four secondary schools in the state of Johor, Malaysia. The instrument had sections addressing demography, sources of environmental information, concept of environment, environmental knowledge, environmental awareness and concern, sustainable consumption behaviours, and nature‐related activities. The data illustrate that students were aware of, but only moderately concerned with, environmental issues. Only 10% of the students were able to define environment in terms of a relational conception (as opposed to an object). The adoption of Janikowski’s four principles of sustainable consumption (selection, reduction, maximization and segregation) in their daily living was modest. Environmental education ‘in’ and ‘with’ nature experiences was found to be minimal among the respondents. The relationship between variables was also investigated. The findings showed that environmental education had raised the environmental consciousness of students but was rather ineffective in changing action and behaviour patterns. Ways of enhancing understanding and participation of Malaysian school students in environmental education and sustainable development are also proposed.

Sociodemographic predictors of elderly's psychological well-being in Malaysia.

Background and objective: Psychological well-being as one of the most important indicators of successful aging has received substantial attention in the gerontological literature. Prior studies show that sociodemographic factors influencing elderlys psychological well-being are multiple and differ across cultures. The aim of this study was to identify significant sociodemographic predictors of psychological well-being among Malay elders. Methodology: The study included 1415 older Malays (60–100 years, 722 women), randomly selected through a multistage stratified random method from Peninsular Malaysia. WHO-Five well-being index was used to measure psychological well-being. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 13.0. Results: Using multiple regression analysis a significant model emerged (F(7, 1407) = 20.14, p ≤ 0.001), where age, sex, marital status, and household income were significant predictor variables of psychological well-being among Malay elders. However, level of education, employment status, and place of residence failed to predict psychological well-being. Conclusion: This study showed that the oldest old, elderly women, unmarried, and the poor elderly people are at risk for experiencing low psychological well-being. Therefore, they need special attention from family, policy makers, and those who work with elderly people.

Moderating effect of religiosity on the relationship between social isolation and psychological well-being

It is known that social isolation is negatively associated to psychological well-being. Hence, it is imperative to identify factors that may moderate this association. This study aimed to examine the moderating effect of religiosity on the relationship between social isolation and psychological well-being among a sample of 1415 community-dwelling older Malay Muslims age 60 years and over. The data for this study came from a national survey entitled Patterns of Social Relationship and Psychological Well Being among Older Persons in Peninsular Malaysia, which was conducted using a cross-sectional research design. Three scales namely WHO-5 Well being Index, Revised Intrinsic Extrinsic Religiosity Scale, and Lubben Social Network Scale were utilised to measure psychological well-being, religiosity, and social isolation, respectively. A four-step moderated hierarchical regression analysis using SPSS (version-13) was employed to test moderating effect of religiosity. The results of this study demonstrated that religiosity significantly moderates relationship between social isolation and psychological well-being, after controlling for age, sex, marital status, level of education, employment status, household income, and place of residence. Based on the findings from this study, the possible educational and therapeutic implications are discussed.

Visual Privacy and Family Intimacy: A Case Study of Malay Inhabitants Living in Two-Storey Low-Cost Terrace Housing

The authors report on a study of visual privacy, family intimacy, and building elements of two-storey low-cost terrace housing in an urban area in Malaysia. They examine behavioural and physical regulating mechanisms used to achieve privacy among Malay Muslim inhabitants of the housing units studied. They also look at the consequences of the lack of privacy on the inhabitants over a period of time. Their findings support the premise that cultural values influence housing and that religious understanding influences mechanisms used to regulate visual privacy and intimacy.

Assessment of factors influencing morale in the elderly.

Background We examined the relationship between morale measured by the Philadelphia Geriatric Morale Scale (PGC) and disability, social support, religiosity, and personality traits. Instruments predicting morale were then tested against PGC domains. Methods The study utilized a cross-sectional survey with a multistage cluster sampling design. Instruments used were disability (disease burden; WHO Disability Score-II, WHODAS-II), social support (Duke Social Support Scale, DUSOCS; Lubben Social Network Scale, LSNS-6; Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, MOS-SSS), religiosity (Revised Intrinsic-Extrinsic Religious Orientation Scale, I/E-R), and personality (Ten-Item Personality Inventory, TIPI). These were plotted as bar charts against PGC, resolved with one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests, then corrected for multiple comparisons. This process was repeated with PGC domains. Contribution of factors was modeled using population attributable risk (PAR) and odds ratios. Effect of confounders such as gender, age, and ethnicity were checked using binary logistic regression. Results All instruments showed clear relationships with PGC, with WHODAS-II and DUSOCS performing well (ANOVA p<0.001). For PGC domains, attitude toward aging and lonely dissatisfaction trended together, while agitation did not. PAR, odds ratios, and Exp(β) were disability (WHODAS-II: 28.5%, 3.8, 2.8), social support (DUSOCS: 28.0%, 3.4, 2.2), religiosity (I/E-R: 21.6%, 3.2, 2.1), and personality (TIPI: 27.9%, 3.6, 2.4). Combined PAR was 70.9%. Conclusions Disability, social support, religiosity, and personality strongly influence morale in the elderly. WHODAS-II and DUSOCS perform best in measuring disability and social support respectively.

Moderating effect of Islamic religiosity on the relationship between chronic medical conditions and psychological well-being among elderly Malays.

Background:  Research has found that physical health decline in later life is associated with poor psychological well‐being. This study aimed to examine the possible moderating effect of Islamic religiosity on the relationship between chronic medical conditions and psychological well‐being.

Living Arrangement and Life Satisfaction in Older Malaysians: The Mediating Role of Social Support Function

Background This cross-sectional and correlational survey examines the association between different types of living arrangements and life satisfaction in older Malaysians, while taking into account the mediating effects of social support function. Methodology and Findings A total of 1880 of older adults were selected by multistage stratified sampling. Life satisfaction and social support were measured with the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale and Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. The result shows living with children as the commonest type of living arrangement for older adults in peninsular Malaysia. Compared to living alone, living only with a spouse especially and then co-residency with children were both associated with better life satisfaction (p<.01) and social support function (p<.01). The mediating effect of social support function enhanced the relation between living arrangements and life satisfaction. Conclusion This study revealed that types of living arrangement directly, and indirectly through social support function, play an important role in predicting life satisfaction for older adults in Malaysia. This study makes remarkable contributions to the Convoy model in older Malaysians.

Mediating Effects of Social and Personal Religiosity on the Psychological Well Being of Widowed Elderly People

Spousal death is one the most stressful life events that seriously affects the psychological well being of widowed. This study examined the mediating effects of social and personal religiosity on the psychological well being of widowed elderly people. The sample for this study was comprised of 1367 widowed and married elderly Muslims from Malaysia. Psychological well being, religiosity, and physical health were measured using WHO-5 Well being Index, Intrinsic Extrinsic religiosity scale, and a checklist of 16 physical health problems, respectively. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version-13). As expected, bivariate correlation analysis revealed that widowhood is statistically and negatively associated with psychological well being. Results of multiple hierarchical regression analyses and Sobel test showed that only the indirect effect of widowhood through personal religiosity was statistically significant (Sobel = −2.79, p < .01). Sobel test for social religiosity was not significant (Sobel = −1.54, p > .05). The results of this study confirmed earlier studies, which found that widowhood negatively affects psychological well being of elderly people. Overall, the findings show that the potential solace provided by religiosity can decrease the negative effects of widowhood on the psychological well being of widowed elderly people.