IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i18p9656-d634821.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Relationships between Psychopathology, Psychological Process Variables, and Sociodemographic Variables and Comparison of Quarantined and Non-Quarantined Groups of Malaysian University Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Nicholas Tze Ping Pang

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia)

  • Sandi James

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia
    Department of Social Work and Social Policy, School of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia)

  • Nelbon Giloi

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia)

  • Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia)

  • Azizan Omar

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia)

  • Mohammad Saffree Jeffree

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia)

  • Firdaus Hayati

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia)

  • Mei Ching Lim

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia)

  • Mohd Amiruddin Mohd Kassim

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia)

  • Jun Rong Ng

    (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had considerable psychological health impacts across the globe. This study aimed to establish the psychological process variables underlying psychopathology in Malaysian public university students during the national Movement Control Order (MCO). The aim was to craft structured and sustainable psychological support programs with these students. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving Malaysian university students subjected to the Malaysian MCO. Structured questionnaires measuring sociodemographic factors, measures of depression, anxiety, stress, psychological mindedness, psychological flexibility and state mindfulness were employed. A total of 515 students participated in this study with 12 students (2.3%) being quarantined at the time. Many of them scored ‘moderate’ or above on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) with 20.2%, 25.0% and 14.2%, respectively. Quarantined students had higher depressive symptoms, with female students scoring significantly higher for depression, anxiety, and stress. Multiple regressions suggested gender and quarantine status predicted depression scores. However, only gender significantly predicted anxiety and stress. Psychological flexibility and psychological mindedness (Insight subscale) are significantly correlated with depression, anxiety, and stress, with psychological mindedness predicting all three psychopathologies. This study demonstrates that gender, psychological flexibility, and psychological mindedness are key demographic and psychological factors impacting students. Targeting psychological flexibility and psychological mindedness may enable timely prevention and intervention programs for our students to support their mental and physical health as we move through, and out of, the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas Tze Ping Pang & Sandi James & Nelbon Giloi & Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim & Azizan Omar & Mohammad Saffree Jeffree & Firdaus Hayati & Mei Ching Lim & Mohd Amiruddin Mohd Kassim & Jun Rong , 2021. "Relationships between Psychopathology, Psychological Process Variables, and Sociodemographic Variables and Comparison of Quarantined and Non-Quarantined Groups of Malaysian University Students in the ," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-18, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9656-:d:634821
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9656/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9656/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cuiyan Wang & Riyu Pan & Xiaoyang Wan & Yilin Tan & Linkang Xu & Cyrus S. Ho & Roger C. Ho, 2020. "Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-25, March.
    2. Md Akhtarul Islam & Sutapa Dey Barna & Hasin Raihan & Md Nafiul Alam Khan & Md Tanvir Hossain, 2020. "Depression and anxiety among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: A web-based cross-sectional survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-12, August.
    3. Nicholas Tze Ping Pang & Gracyvinea Nold Imon & Elisa Johoniki & Mohd Amiruddin Mohd Kassim & Azizan Omar & Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim & Firdaus Hayati & Mohammad Saffree Jeffree & Jun Rong Ng, 2021. "Fear of COVID-19 and COVID-19 Stress and Association with Sociodemographic and Psychological Process Factors in Cases under Surveillance in a Frontline Worker Population in Borneo," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-18, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mohd Hanafiah Ahmad Hijazi & Mohammad Saffree Jeffree & Nicholas Tze Ping Pang & Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim & Azizan Omar & Fatimah Ahmedy & Mohd Hanafi Ahmad Hijazi & Mohd Rohaizat Hassan & Rozi, 2022. "Seroprevalence of COVID-19 and Psychological Distress among Front Liners at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah Campus during the Third Wave of COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-13, June.
    2. Gaia Sampogna & Maurizio Pompili & Andrea Fiorillo, 2021. "Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Worldwide Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-5, December.
    3. Bentham Liang Sen Teh & Jin Kiat Ang & Eugene Boon Yau Koh & Nicholas Tze Ping Pang, 2023. "Psychological Resilience and Coping Strategies with Anxiety among Malaysian Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-16, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gülsen Erden & Asil Ali Özdoğru & Sami Çoksan & Hale Ögel-Balaban & Yakup Azak & İlkiz Altınoğlu-Dikmeer & Aysun Ergül-Topçu & Yeşim Yasak & Gözde Kıral-Uçar & Seda Oktay & Pelin Karaca-Dinç & Ezgi Di, 2022. "Social Contact, Academic Satisfaction, COVID-19 Knowledge, and Subjective Well-being Among Students at Turkish Universities: a Nine-University Sample," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(4), pages 2017-2039, August.
    2. Muhammad Mainuddin Patwary & Mondira Bardhan & Asma Safia Disha & Md Pervez Kabir & Md. Riad Hossain & Md Ashraful Alam & Md. Zahidul Haque & Sharif Mutasim Billah & Matthew H. E. M. Browning & Russel, 2022. "Mental Health Status of University Students and Working Professionals during the Early Stage of COVID-19 in Bangladesh," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-14, June.
    3. Ebru Caglayan Akay & Devrim Dumludag & Hoseng Bulbul & Ozkan Zulfuoglu, 2023. "Students in Turkey During the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 249-277, February.
    4. J. Pierre Zila-Velasque & Pamela Grados-Espinoza & Naomi Coba-Villan & Jocelyn Quispe-Chamorro & Yesenia F. Taipe-Guillén & Estefany Pacheco & Laura Ccasa-Valero & Virgilio E. Failoc-Rojas & Cristian , 2022. "Mental Disorders and Level of Resilience in Eight High-Altitude Cities of Peru during the Second Pandemic Wave: A Multicenter Population-Based Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, December.
    5. Hee-Kyung Kim, 2022. "In the COVID-19 Era, Effects of Job Stress, Coping Strategies, Meaning in Life and Resilience on Psychological Well-Being of Women Workers in the Service Sector," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-15, August.
    6. Isabel Mercader Rubio & Pilar Sánchez-López & Nieves Gutiérrez Ángel & Nieves Fátima Oropesa Ruiz, 2022. "Psychological Consequences of Fear of COVID-19: Symptom Analysis of Triggered Anxiety and Depression Disorders in Adolescents and Young Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-8, October.
    7. Nurfarahin Musa & Nicholas Tze Ping Pang & Assis Kamu & Chong Mun Ho & Cerith Waters & Jennifer Berrett & Nima Moghaddam & Walton Wider, 2022. "The Development and Validation of the Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Processes (CompACT)—Malay Version," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-10, August.
    8. S. Brent Jackson & Kathryn T. Stevenson & Lincoln R. Larson & M. Nils Peterson & Erin Seekamp, 2021. "Outdoor Activity Participation Improves Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-18, March.
    9. Piotr Długosz & Damian Liszka & Anastasiia Bastrakova & Luydmila Yuzva, 2022. "Health Problems of Students during Distance Learning in Central and Eastern Europe: A Cross-Sectional Study of Poland and Ukraine," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-16, August.
    10. Artem Kashtanov & Ekaterina Molotok & Andrey Yavorovskiy & Alexander Boyarkov & Yuriy Vasil’ev & Ali Alsaegh & Sergey Dydykin & Olesya Kytko & Renata Meylanova & Yulianna Enina & Vasiliy Troitskiy & M, 2022. "A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study Assessing the Psycho-Emotional State of Intensive Care Units’ Physicians and Nurses of COVID-19 Hospitals of a Russian Metropolis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-22, February.
    11. Federica Bianco & Annalisa Levante & Serena Petrocchi & Flavia Lecciso & Ilaria Castelli, 2021. "Maternal Psychological Distress and Children’s Internalizing/Externalizing Problems during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Role Played by Hypermentalization," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-15, October.
    12. Inessa Love & Boris Nikolaev & Chandra Dhakal, 2024. "The well-being of women entrepreneurs: the role of gender inequality and gender roles," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 325-352, January.
    13. Jing Guo & Xing Lin Feng & Xiao Hua Wang & Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, 2020. "Coping with COVID-19: Exposure to COVID-19 and Negative Impact on Livelihood Predict Elevated Mental Health Problems in Chinese Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-18, May.
    14. Rocío Lavigne-Cervan & Borja Costa-López & Rocío Juárez-Ruiz de Mier & Marta Sánchez-Muñoz de León & Marta Real-Fernández & Ignasi Navarro-Soria, 2021. "Implications of the Online Teaching Model Derived from the COVID-19 Lockdown Situation for Anxiety and Executive Functioning in Spanish Children and Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-15, October.
    15. Wasiq Khan & Bilal M. Khan & Salwa Yasen & Ahmed Al-Dahiri & Dhiya Al-Jumeily & Khalil Dajani & Abir Hussain, 2022. "COVID-19 Vaccination and Mental Stress within Diverse Sociodemographic Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-19, October.
    16. Sabrina Bonichini & Marta Tremolada, 2021. "Quality of Life and Symptoms of PTSD during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-11, April.
    17. Fei Qin & Yiqing Song & George P Nassis & Lina Zhao & Yanan Dong & Cuicui Zhao & Yiwei Feng & Jiexiu Zhao, 2020. "Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Emotional Well-Being during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-16, July.
    18. Ankica Kosic & Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović & Nebojša Petrović, 2021. "A Cross-Cultural Study of Distress during COVID-19 Pandemic: Some Protective and Risk Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-15, July.
    19. Shunying Zhao & Qiang Yang & Hohjin Im & Baojuan Ye & Yadi Zeng & Zhinan Chen & Lu Liu & Dawu Huang, 2022. "The impulsive online shopper: effects of COVID-19 burnout, uncertainty, self-control, and online shopping trust," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, December.
    20. Durmuş Burak, 2023. "The Effect of Risk and Protective Factors on Primary School Students’ COVID-19 Anxiety: Back to School After the Pandemic," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(1), pages 29-51, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9656-:d:634821. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.