ABSTRACT
Social media engagement has contributed to the rise of cyberbullying, which has recently triggered tragic suicides among adolescents. The objective of this cross-sectional study is to determine the prevalence of cyberbullying, suicidal behaviour, and their association among adolescents in Peninsular Malaysia. The study was conducted among 1290 secondary school adolescents aged between 13 and 17 years old in Peninsular Malaysia using a self-administered and anonymous online questionnaire. Our findings reveal that the prevalence of cyberbullying victimization and perpetrator is 13.7% and 3.8%, respectively. The prevalence of suicidal behaviour among adolescents is 17.1%, in which 11.9% had suicidal thoughts, 10.2% had a suicide plan, and 8.4% had made a suicide attempt. Multiple logistic regression shows that adolescents experiencing cyberbullying victimization is a significant risk factor (p < 0.001) for suicidal behaviour after adjusting for other confounders. An alarming number of adolescents in Peninsular Malaysia found to be involved in cyberbullying and its significant association with suicidal behaviour warrant the need to strengthen current interventions. Since the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, our findings make an important contribution in reporting current trends in cyberbullying and suicide among adolescents, especially when they are becoming ever-more present in cyberspaces.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Coronavirus disease also known as COVID-19 in Malaysia were reported on the 25th January 2020 until present. There were several factors that influence the distribution of COVID-19 events. The objectives of this study are to explore the association between population density and the spread on early wave of COVID-19 in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: The clusters of districts with the largest numbers of COVID-19 infected cases and population densities were described by using cluster analysis. Then, correlation analysis where calculated to define the strength between two parameters. Results: Findings of this study showed, there was a clear positive association between population density and COVID-19 infections in Peninsular Malaysia. During the study period, it was estimated that population density has a positive impact on the spread of early stage COVID-19 in Peninsular Malaysia (r= 0.752). Findings also showed there were a weak correlation between population density and COVID-19 cases in Southern region (r=0.370), Northern region (r=0.264) and East Coast region (r=0.248) as compared to Central region (r=0.917) where it have strong correlation between two variables. Conclusion: : This study concluded the spread of COVID-19 in Peninsular Malaysia is increasing as the population density increases. © 2021 UPM Press. All rights reserved.