Search

COVID-19 pandemic is a public health issue. From 2019 to 2022, 4.5 million people died from the COVID-19 epidemic. Consequently, COVID-19 has put a significant strain on every single creature in this world. COVID-19 has been associated with lockdown, thus resulting in lockdown related inequities towards most people in this world, with unanticipated consequences for people with disabilities. Building in this debate, this paper aimed to discuss on the impacts of COVID-19 on the physical health of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Based on the Prisma protocol, this systematic literature review examined 28 publications from Web Sources of Science and Scopus.The study identified three themes regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the physical environment of people with intellectual disabilities namely mental health, social isolation, severe health problems, socioeconomic and psychology. This study has significant implications in understanding how PWID are impacted by COVID 19 and urged that early preventative measures should be taken since People with Intellectual Disabilities are considered a vulnerable population, therefore it is crucial to ensure that their health status are sustained.

Warga emas mengalami penurunan keupayaan mobiliti luar rumah akibat masalah kesihatan dan kurang sokongan keluarga akibat perubahan corak ekonomi. Industri peneman dapat mengisi masalah ini dengan menawarkan perkhidmatan peneman mobiliti. Walaubagaimanapun industri ini berhadapan dengan cabaran sumber manusia yang boleh merencatkan perkembangan corak pernigaan ini. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneroka cabaran penyedia perkhidmatan peneman mobiliti berbayar warga emas dalam aspek sumber manusia. Rekabentuk kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologi. Lokasi kajian di sekitar Lembah Klang ini melibatkan tujuh orang informan yang terdiri daripada pengasas dan operator peneman. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa terdapat dua cabaran dihadapi oleh penyedia perkhidmatan yang melibatkan isu-isu pekerja dan profession peneman iaitu kekurangan operator peneman, sukar merekrut pekerja, persekitaran kerja gig, isu kemahiran dan disiplin pekerja, risiko keselamatan dan imej profesion yang dipandang rendah. Kesimpulan kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa industri sokongan warga emas seperti peneman mengalami kekangan serius dalam mendapatkan sumber manusia yang mencukupi disamping isuisu lain. Implikasi kajian ini dapat membantu kerajaan dalam mengukuhkan dasar dan polisi sedia ada dalam memastikan bekalan sumber manusia yang mencukupi dan berkemahiran dalam bidang sokongan penjagaan warga emas jangka masa panjang.

During the pandemic, the lives of B40 single mothers were severely affected, especially in terms of social, economic, and psychological factors. The reduction of income caused by the crisis has forced single mothers and their children to live frugally and without luxury. They also had to perform more than one job at a time during the pandemic to meet their children’s needs. A qualitative study has been conducted to explore the perceptions of quality of life during the pandemic among B40 single mothers. Respondents were selected based on demographic characteristics established before the study. A focus group discussion has been conducted on ten (10) B40 single mothers in Balik Pulau, Penang. Single mothers were selected based on purposive sampling. They had to meet the inclusive criteria required to participate in the study, specifically: aged between 20 and 60 years old, belonged to the B40 income category, had children under 18 years old living together, and became single mothers due to divorce or death of husbands. The focused group discussion explored issues related to qualities of life during the pandemic. B40 single mothers expressed their concern about access to health facilities, security in residence, children’s education, and economic stability. These areas of life quality have been significantly affected especially during Movement Control Order (MCO). In short, the quality of life of these single mothers has been significantly affected by the pandemic. Their vulnerability towards stress, anxiety, and depression have worsened due to financial issues. Besides the need for emotional and social support, this study found that these single mothers entail financial support.

In this era of urbanization, women have to play roles equal to men especially in making a living to support their families while at the same time, they have to perform their responsibilities as mothers and wives. Subsequently, this situation affects the functioning of families these days. As a result, they are unable to spend enough time with their families due to working overtime or having to take their works home. This article explores work-family conflicts experienced by dual-role women in Selangor and assesses the impacts on their emotional well-being. Eleven (11) informants around Selangor were interviewed thoroughly using semi-structured interview questions. The informants were selected through purposive sampling method. Then, the data were analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis procedure. Results of the analysis showed that work-family conflict among women in the workplace was triggered by career challenges, lack of family time, and unsupportive spouse. The findings of this study can serve as guidelines and references to improve and upgrade the National Women's Policy. The findings of this study should also be noted by the Department of Labor, Human Resources Division, Training Unit, and others in drafting programs and formulating policies for married female employees.

The phenomenon of ageing may contribute to the rise of the dependent population. Due to the obstacles and difficulties they confront, the elderly’s mobility decreases significantly. The aim of this article is to identify factors associated with mobility barriers in older adults. The method employed is an examination of articles published between 2011 and 2022 to identify common themes in previous studies. Four search engines were being used, and 32 articles have been included. This study demonstrated that health is a major factor associated with decreased mobility. This review identified four types of barriers which are health, built environment, socio-economic background and social relation change. This review could help policy makers and gerontologist in identifying solutions to resolve the mobility issues in older people.

The Zuckerman Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ-50-CC) is widely used tool to measure personality traits among the test takers and has been translated in various languages. However, based on the literatures related to personality, it is apparent that there is no Mandarin translated ZKPQ is available to measure personality traits among Chinese population based on the Alternative Five Factor Model. Therefore, the aim of this study is to validate and explore the psychometric properties of the Mandarin-translated version of the Zuckerman Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire. A cross-sectional study was designed involving 250 Malaysian Chinese High school students, aged thirteen to eighteen. Forward-backward translations were performed followed by the factor analysis and reliability testing. The five factors structure was assessed and the factor loadings are similar with the Malay version of ZKPQ. This Mandarin translated ZKPQ comprised of 38 items with the factor loadings ranged from 0.41 to 0.79. The reliability values also showed that Mandarin translated ZKPQ is reliable. As such, the Mandarin translated ZKPQ was found to be valid and reliable to use among Mandarin speaking population for the purpose of personality testing and screening.

Issues related to Persons with Disabilities (PWD) rights are increasingly being considered in Malaysia. This includes their rights in education, employment, healthcare as well as access to the facilities and services provided. Accessibility in education especially at universities are among the major issues faced by PWD. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the accessibility of facilities for persons with disabilities in public institutes of higher education. This study focuses on structured observations of PWD facilities at four faculties and four resource centres in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Five basic facilities for PWD such as parking space, stairs, lifts, toilets and pathways/ramps were thoroughly observed. A detailed comparison was carried out to identify the accessibility of those facilities and the extent of compliance to specifications outlined in universal design criteria. The study findings show that although PWD facilities were available, those facilities were still inadequate and did not follow the specifications set. Facility providers namely the university should devise a specific action plan and establish an inclusive policy for PWD to ensure their rights and needs are entirely fulfilled.

This paper is discusses about volunteers’ needs in order to increase the preparedness in assisting natural disasters victims. Disasters are phenomenon that causes damage in properties and lives that limit individuals or societies’ abilities and well-being. Natural disasters such as landslides, tsunami, flood and typhoon happen almost every year. These natural disasters affect certain countries such as Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. The volunteers are the one who manage the humanitarian aids to the victims. The needs of the volunteers that been identified need to be evaluated in order to help to expedite the disaster relief management process. This is because the important aspects that need to be evaluated are planning, operational management and disaster training. Meanwhile, disaster preparedness represent as systematic planning in response to the disaster situation that needs to be done to those involved in disaster relief i.e volunteers. The concern on this aspect will help volunteer to be more active, positive and confident, in both physically and mentally when providing helps. Therefore, this concept paper will discusses volunteers’ needs in various perspectives and opinions in order to help in increasing the preparedness in assisting natural disasters victims, as well as increase the effectiveness throughout the relief process.