The present study investigated the associations between social skills, friendship quality, and happiness, and tested a mediational model positing that friendship quality would mediate the relationship between social skills and happiness among American and Malaysian college students. Although American students reported significantly higher levels of psychosocial well-being than Malaysian students, the study variables were positively associated with each other in both cultures. More importantly, findings supported the proposed model in both groups. Results suggest that part of the reason why social skills are associated with positive psychological well-being is because of friendship experiences. Overall, the findings of the present study reinforce, extend and cross-culturally generalize the presumed benefits of social skills in positive well-being elaborated by Segrin and Taylor (2007). The authors also provided suggestions for future research.

This paper aims to identify factors that are considered by the first year undergraduate students from Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), University of Malaya in course selection process in two different stages namely pre-entry and post-entry. Findings from this study reveals that in pre-entry selection criteria, 'teacher' and 'family' factors appears to be more important. 'Labour market consideration' only appears to be the third important factor in this stage. These three factors collectively explains approximately 54 percent of the variation in pre-entry selection criteria. In post-entry selection criteria, 'peers influence' , 'orientation week' and 'limited choices' factors emerged as important dimensions. These three factors in turn collectively explains approximately 49 percent of the variation in post-entry selection criteria. 'Labour market consideration' emerges only as the second last important factor in post-entry selection criteria.

Fall is generally meeting time, and each year most of us must pick and choose where to spend our travel budgets and how best to leverage our time away from our practices and work obligations. Meetings are vital for keeping up-to-date with the rapid advances in brain injury and the developments that are shaping our growing field. On a practical level, nothing can replace the face-to-face contact that comes from attending a professional conference or seminar, but for those of you unable to attend the NABIS meeting, we hope that the abstracts presented in the following pages will at least give you a feel for our annual event. In addition to the presentation of the abstracts included in this issue, over 50 invited speakers will present the latest advances in the science, rehabilitation and treatment of traumatic brain injury. The full conference program is posted on the NABIS Web site, We hope that you will consider submitting your work for our 2009 meeting. Better yet, we hope that you will also consider becoming a member of our multidisciplinary society. Whether it is in the area of research or clinical care, NABIS stands behind the premise that advances in science and practices based on application of the scientific evidence will ultimately provide the best outcomes for those with brain injuries and the community as a whole. ObjectivesTo review issues common to case management of people with acquired brain injury (BI), both as communitybased/external case managers and as facility-based case managers. This presentation will focus on issues involving managing a treatment team, working successfully with families, providing leadership toward targeted outcomes, customer service issues for all stake holders and developing and maintaining a positive relationship with clients so that they may reach an optimal level of independence and self-worth through improved productive activity and expanded social capital. MethodThe presenters will provide demographic data, literature reviews and multiple examples of "successes" and "failures" with community reintegration of BI clients with different types of case management. This didactic presentation will allow attendees to interact and ask questions of the presenters regarding case management strategies which may be implemented to improve the client's success. ResultsAttendees will have a good understanding of how case management can improve successful outcomes for people with BI and will learn strategies that may be implemented in their practices to help better the lives of their clients with brain injury. NABIS Abstracts

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