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Many empirical studies related to social capital have established that there is a relationship between social capital and mental health. However, little research has been conducted to evaluate interventions designed to improve the level of social capital and evaluate its impact on the mental health of international students. This research, applying a quasi-experimental nonequivalent groups design, aimed to address the gap by examining whether an intervention aimed at building social capital can improve social capital and the mental health of international students at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Study findings revealed that the intervention was effective in developing social capital and improving the mental health of international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of mental illness is profound. This qualitative study aims to explore the impact experienced by family caregivers who provide care to relatives with mental illness. A total of 15 family caregivers from the state of Kedah in Malaysia participated in this study. The findings indicated that the family caregivers experienced four types of negative impact, including financial burdens and social, psychological and physical health. This study suggests that the family caregivers should engage in support groups to obtain emotional support and the required information from other caregivers who have similar experiences in caring for individuals with mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparison with similar age groups in the general population, students who are studying in universities are more at risk of having mental health problems. Surprisingly, several studies reveal that international students are highly affected by mental health issues than their local counterparts. Seemingly, it is more related to their decision to study overseas that might present them several challenges, including mental health issues. Malaysian universities host a substantial number of international students but the issue of international students' mental health lack substantial attention there. The current research applying a mixed method, aims to address the mental health issues of newly registered international students at Universiti Sains Malaysia. In-depth discussion on the study findings' implications for practice, policy, and research for social work profession will be addressed in this research paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to explore the dynamics of the relationship between bereaved parents after the loss of their child. Literature has attempted to understand how coping mechanisms related to gender characteristics, communication, and intimacy influence the spousal relationship after the loss of a child. However, this area is scarcely explored in a Malaysian context. This qualitative study involved 11 bereaved parents. These parents had lost their children due to accidents (n = 9) and homicide (n = 2). Open-ended questions that focused on the patterns of the spousal relationship were administered to the parents. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Some of the main themes found were that constructive communication and intimacy are interrelated in helping bereaved parents to cope better. Nonverbal intimacy is helpful. Avoidance or limited communication and intimacy are influenced by religion and cultural beliefs. The bereavement responses influenced the spousal relationship, causing it to become stronger, weaker, or causing the parents to act like nothing had happened. This study helps us to understand the effects of the loss of a child on the spousal relationship of the bereaved parents. This study makes recommendations related to the adjustment and maintenance of a healthy spousal relationship after the loss of a child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood disasters is a crisis that creates a very tense situation. In many disaster situations, regardless the level of damage or loss, affected victims may suffer from depression and anxiety that resulted by what they had experienced. This affected their well-being especially after a disaster. Indeed, without help and appropriate supports, victims may suffer from psychosocial difficulties and thus hardly recover after flood. This study was conducted on 28 flood victims whose homes and properties have been destroyed (total lost) by massive floods in Kelantan, Malaysia in December 2014. This study used phenomenological design and inductive approach. Participants were selected using purposeful sampling, and face-to-face in-depth interviews were carried out to all participants separately. Obtained data were analyzed using thematic analysis technique. Findings of this study show that there are six main problems highlighted by participants, including the damage to the homes and properties, financial problems and the loss of income, psychological problems, health problems, problems with the community leader and personal problems with family members or neighborhoods. Overall, this study is expected to reveal problems faced by flood victims whose lost their homes and properties totally, and thus create chances to donors in providing appropriate assistances to improve function and well-being in flood victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental illness is a disease that affects millions of people every year. It not only causes stress to the mentally ill patients, but also for the family members who provide them the care. The family caregivers, therefore need some form of coping strategies in dealing with their mentally ill family members. Aims: This qualitative study aims at identifying and analysing the coping strategies adopted by the family caregivers in dealing with their mentally ill family members. Method: A total of 15 family caregivers from the state of Kedah, Malaysia participated in the face-to-face semi structured interview. Results: The study findings identified an array of coping strategies used by the family caregivers, including religious coping, emotional coping, acceptance, becoming engaged in leisure activities, and the use of traditional healing to help them cope with their mentally ill members. Suggestions and conclusions: Study suggests that the family caregivers should engage themselves in social support groups to learn about and obtain the positive coping strategies used by other caregivers who have similar experiences in caring for the mentally ill. Study also suggests that they should get appropriate training from the mental health professionals in order to enhance the caregivers’ coping skills. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Poverty is multidimensional in nature and exists in every part of the world. Microfinance is considered one of the most important programs to achieve poverty reduction, particularly in Bangladesh. It has been estimated that nearly 45% of Bangladesh's population lives below the poverty line. This qualitative research study was conducted in order to determine the effectiveness of microfinance programs and the contributing factors to the high-level of poverty among microfinance beneficiaries in the district of Bogra, Bangladesh. Study findings indicated that microfinance programs were ineffective as a result of high interest rates; insufficient loans; unproductive use of loans; corruption and poor skills of microfinance institution staff; weekly repayment schedules; and physical and mental harassment of poor women. Additionally, the lack of employment opportunities, education, healthcare facilities and social safety nets; natural disasters; the dowry system; and the rising cost of basic daily needs have also contributed to chronic poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper theorises some of the learning outcomes of a three-year project concerning student learning in international social work placements in Malaysia. The problematic issue of promoting cultural and intercultural competence through such placements is examined, where overlapping hegemonies are discussed in terms of isomorphism of social work models, that of the nation state, together with those relating to professional values and knowledge, and the tyrannies of received ideas. A critical discussion of cultural competence as the rationale for international placements is discussed in terms of the development of the graduating social worker as a self-reflexive practitioner. The development of sustainable international partnerships able to support student placement and the issue of non-symmetrical reciprocation, typical of wide socio-economic differentials across global regions, is additionally discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional support such as social and financial assistance play vital role in helping the poor deal with poverty. Nevertheless, institutions are often criticised for its delayed delivery and weak monitoring of programs. This study attempts to investigate the role of institutions in helping farmers deal with their vulnerabilities to poverty. A structured socio-economic questionnaire from a three-round panel survey undertaken at 6-month interval targeting the farmers in Kelantan and Terengganu, Malaysia is employed. The institution support is investigated in various areas that include effects on amount of production sold, head-count of cows, head-count of sheep and goats, head-count of hens and ducks, food storage and valuable things, savings and finally on farmers vulnerabilities. Results of the study indicate that institutions are inactive in providing assistance and support to farmers. Often, assistance is provided after an occurrence of a shock. Incidentally, the assistance provided does not reach all farmers, partly due to asymmetric information on the availability of the assistance or that farmers are not selected for the assistance. In most occasions, assistance is just not available to the farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of the criminal justice system have developed from focusing on the traditional role of the system to acknowledging the position of the victims. The latter recognises that victims' insights are important in determining if a system functions effectively. The objective of this study is to explore what entails satisfaction of citizens towards the criminal justice system. The current study employed a survey method to ask 166 Malaysian respondents to list down what services should be offered and demeanours shown by criminal justice personnel (i.e. police, court personnel) in order for them to be satisfied with the system. The responses were analysed according to themes that were both specific to the sample of the study and parallel to the variables discussed in the literature to check for universality. The findings compiled 12 satisfaction components that were consistent with the ones presented in the literature and 11 components that were specific to the sample used in this study. Implications of this study include highlighting that satisfaction is not one-dimensional, but based on patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International trade trends and global markets have enhanced the women's partaking in informal sector of the economy. This paper highlights the risks faced by home based women workers through the social risk management framework lens and proposes various instruments of social risk management to deal with the multifarious risks. The triangulation of methodologies was used to explore the phenomenon under study. The study found that 71% respondents were living below the poverty line and were unable to be a part of labour intensive market, 83% respondents were facing social exclusion due to restrictions in mobility, 96% respondents were not availing any kind of social protection services, 99% respondents were unaware about their legal rights. While employing the social risk management strategies in the study, it was found that due to lack of access and non-availability of appropriate risk management instruments, they were unable to adopt any preventive or mitigating strategies when they face any kind of risk. Upon facing any emergent situation, their major reliance was on expensive informal sources and the coping strategies used by them to reduce the probable adverse impact of the risk were detrimental for welfare of the individuals, families and society on the whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses research findings into a study of UK student learning on international social work placements in Malaysia in collaboration with two Malaysian universities: Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. The discussion focuses on those placements taking place in children's services: residential care and community-based support programmes. The aim of the study was to explore how social work students adapt to unfamiliar learning situations in new cultural contexts with the goal of increasing cultural competence. Data were drawn from formal but anonymised student learning exercises as a non-assessed requirement of this particular placement. Findings indicated a wide range of responses towards social work practice with vulnerable children in the Malaysian context in terms of student constructions of care and abuse. Subject to an analytical schema, the collision or adaptation of otherwise normative professional and personal values are examined in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restorative justice has been widely practiced across countries, but it is still a relatively new concept in Malaysia. Its implementation in the nation is desired, however, there are issues of culture, shyness, and the people's preference of conflict resolution methods that can interfere with its effectiveness. This paper seeks to explore the individual degree of collectivism/individualism and shyness of the Malaysian people and the kinds of conflict resolution practice that they prefer. The findings showed that the sample is collectivistic and individualistic in general, but they are more collectivistic when it comes to decision making relating to criminal cases. Although the sample appears to be shyer, they seem to be less shy in criminal context. Restorative justice programs also seem to be a good fit in Malaysia since authority is a preferred way of resolving conflict, although they also prefer negotiation and mediation; and both are important elements in programs such as victim-offender mediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh has been a severe victim of its various sporadic natural disasters-flood, cyclone and storm surge, flash flood, drought, tornado, riverbank erosion, and landslide. Familial and societal lives and security of people are being seriously disturbed by these natural calamities every year. They also bring deadly damage to the economy and general environment of the country. Natural disasters cannot be pre-empted at all, but their damage can be mitigated with effective responses. Social work has been a profession notably known for its intervention of people's vulnerability to natural and man-made disasters. This concept paper discusses relevant intervention strategies and approaches to transform the local capacity of communities on natural disaster risk reduction in light of the social work profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study regarding the human trafficking of children in Makassar, Indonesia. The study examines the factors of children's vulnerability to human trafficking which include poverty, runaway from due to violence, sexual abuse or loneliness, and peer influence. It discusses the various places where trafficking usually occurs including streets, nightclubs and mobile phones. It concludes that families, especially parents, must hear and respond to the needs of their children.