An online survey on the perceived challenges, causes of pandemic and helpful resources of Malaysians during the first phase of MCO 1.0

Written by Dr Rachel Ting, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences

The increased suicide rate in Malaysia has shown the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental distress amongst Malaysians. However, no systemic and national-level scale research was done to elicit the Malaysian citizens' perspective on the root causes of their distress and resources that can be helpful to them. As such, this research project aimed to explore Malaysians’ (i) perceived pandemic challenges, (2) perceived causes of the pandemic, and (iii) helpful resources during the COVID-19 lockdown.

This research was conducted online during the March-June 2020 lockdown in Malaysia with 704 citizens from 14 states. Results indicate that 76.8% of the participants experienced moderate to high levels of stress. Based on our cultural theory, this study established that Malaysians are generally more distressed over the financial and employment insecurity and disruptions of life due to lockdown. They attribute the cause of pandemics to both external and internal human and social factors, which shows certain reflectiveness on the consequences of human behaviours. Hence, they found that self-management of stress and obtaining resources from external parties such as the government or institutions would help ease their challenges.

This study could help to inform policymakers on how to effectively control the pandemic and ways to support Malaysians, such as providing financial aid and better digital accessibility. This study also suggested that public health efforts should focus on building capacity and knowledge of the community on public health literacy. On an organisation level, employers are encouraged to provide more flexibility and work-related support for their employees. On a personal level, mental health practitioners could also tailor interventions that promote self-care and mobilise social-emotional support from close friends and family.