Page 43 - NIH Bulletin Vol. 21: January - June 2023 NIH Way Forward

Vol : 21 • January - Jun 2023 •

PUBLICATION LAUNCHING OF A
PUBLICATION LAUNCHING OF A
COLLABORATIVE WORK WITH UNICEF
COLLABORATIVE WORK WITH UNICEF
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG ADOLESCENTS: A COLLABORATIVE WORK
MENTAL HEALTH AMONG ADOLESCENTS: A COLLABORATIVE WORK
WITH UNICEF
WITH UNICEF
• • • • • •
Siti Nur Farhana Harun

A collaboration between IPTK and UNICEF has taken
place since the year 2022. The title of the report
is “Contributing Factors to Psychological Distress,
Coping Strategies, and Help-Seeking Behaviours
Among Adolescents Living in the Klang Valley People’s
Housing Project (PPR)”, and was published during the
MyHealthyMind@PPR Program event at Dewan Pusat
Komuniti Pinggiran Bukit Jalil 1, Kuala Lumpur, on
Saturday, 18 March 2023. The event was officiated and
the report was launched by the Deputy Health Minister,
YB Tuan Lukanisman Awang Sauni. Also in attendance
were the Deputy Secretary General (Management), Dato’
Zainal Alhakab Seman, former Deputy Director General
of Health (Research and Technical Support) and current
Director General of Health, Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi
Abu Hassan, Deputy Director General of Health (Public
Health), Datuk Dr Norhayati Rusli, and representative
from UNICEF, Ms. Hayon Nam.

Overview of the report

The main objective of this study is to determine the
mental health status of adolescents living in Klang
Valley PPRs during the COVID-19 pandemic; with two mixed-methods study and the participants
specific objectives: (1) To determine the prevalence were adolescents aged 10 to 17 years living
of psychological distress among adolescents living in in selected PPRs in the Klang Valley. From
the PPRs during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (2) To the 37 PPRs, a total of 1,578 adolescents
explore the source of psychological distress, coping completed the questionnaire and 47
strategies and their help-seeking behaviour in dealing participated in the in-depth interviews
with psychological distress among adolescents living (IDIs). Data collection commenced on 1 April
in the PPRs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a 2022 and ended on 30 September 2022.

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