Family and neighbourhood issues are distinctly sensitive and emotional. They might also not be suitable to be settled using the existing courtroom device in the form of adjudication. It has been acknowledged that procedures in court have failed to address the emotional state of the disputants. The alternative way to resolve the dispute is by using mediation. A study was conducted among 217 community mediators selected to determine their knowledge, attitude and practice of community mediation. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather the research data. The results revealed that the majority of the respondents (97.7%, n = 212) know that mediation is used to resolve community disputes. All respondents agreed that mediation helps in alleviating disputes in the community. The majority of the respondents (92.2%, n = 200) agreed that mediation is an important source of information and help for the community. The majority of the respondents (99.5%, n = 216) agreed that cooperation between mediators and members of the community is very important in reducing domestic disputes and gaps in the community. The study also found that a little over half of the respondents have a low attitude (51.2%, n = 111) on community mediation. Furthermore, listening to both disputants was the most (87.1%, n = 189) practiced technique used by the respondents in dispute resolution. The study concluded that the respondents have good knowledge of community mediation, a low regard for community mediation, and practise various techniques in resolving the disputes. Most of the respondents have fewer than 10 years of experience as a community mediator. Thus, it is understandable why they do not yet have a high attitude towards community mediation.

Emotional abuse is the core of all other kinds of child abuses and maltreatments. The significant and serious outcomes of other kinds of abuses are often due to the emotional aspects. Moreover, emotional abuse has several forms, and each form may lead to different adverse outcomes for children and adolescents. Unfortunately, there is not a comprehensive instrument to assess all categories of emotional abuse. A 30-item self-report questionnaire was developed for ages 12 years and older. The sample included 328 students aged 12 to 19 years selected randomly from students referred to different student counseling centers. Exploratory factor analysis categorized the scale into six subscales. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that all items were fitted with the subscales significantly. Content and concurrent validity demonstrated good validity and reliability for each subscale. Overall reliability was also significantly acceptable.

Background Despite impressive strides in health, social protection, and education, children continue to experience high rates of child maltreatment in Malaysia. This mixed-methods study assessed the feasibility of a five-session, social learning-based parenting program delivered by government staff in a community setting to reduce violence against children. Methods Parents of children from birth to 17 years were recruited from two communities near Kuala Lumpur to participate in the government-run program called the Naungan Kasih Positive Parenting Program (“Protecting through Love” in Bahasa Melayu). Quantitative data from female caregivers (N = 74) and children ages 10–17 (N = 26) were collected along with qualitative interviews and focus groups with parents, children, and facilitators. The primary outcome was child maltreatment with secondary outcomes including neglect, positive parenting, acceptability of corporal punishment, harsh parenting, positive discipline, and child behavior problems. Multilevel Poisson regression and multilevel linear regression were conducted to compare baseline and post-test outcomes. Qualitative interviews and focus groups examined how participants experienced the program utilizing a thematic analysis approach. Results Quantitative analyses found pre-post reductions in overall child maltreatment, physical abuse, emotional abuse, attitudes supporting corporal punishment, parent sense of inefficacy, and child behavior problems. There were no reported changes on positive and harsh parenting, parental mental health, and marital satisfaction, nor were there any other significant changes reported by children. Qualitative findings suggested that the program had tangible benefits for female caregivers involved in the program, with the benefits extending to their family members. Conclusions This feasibility study is one of the few studies in Southeast Asia that examined the feasibility and initial program impact of a parenting program delivered by government staff to families with children across the developmental spectrum from birth to 17 years. Promising results suggest that the program may reduce child maltreatment across a range of child ages. Findings also indicate areas for program improvement prior to further delivery and testing, including additional training and content on sexual and reproductive health, parenting children with disabilities, and online child protection.

Money does matter especially in the family life and it affects marital satisfaction and marital stability. The purposes of this study are to examine the relationship between financial strain and financial management practices, and marital satisfaction and marital stability. 278 married individuals were involved in this study who was within 5 years of marriage. The In-Charge Financial Distress/Financial Well-Being (IFDFW) Scale, Financial Management Behavior Scale (FMBS), Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (KMSS) and Marital Instability Index (MII) were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation. The findings showed that there was significant relationship among financial strain, financial management practices, marital satisfaction, marital stability, financial management practices and marital satisfaction. Therefore, it can be concluded that financial does play an important role in satisfaction and stability of marriage.   Keywords: financial strain, financial management practices, marital satisfaction, marital stability.

Child visitation can facilitate the continued involvement of both parents in their children’s lives after a divorce. This study aims to examine the issue of visitation rights and report the results of an analysis of relevant court cases involving Malaysian Muslim families. It describes the structure or type of visitation awarded to non-custodial parents as a result of their loss of child custody. Content analysis technique was applied to elaborate on the reported court cases. A cross tabulation method was also performed to describe the frequency of cases for the respective types of visitation. This study has revealed several details about visitation rights hidden in the masses of case law. These include granted visitation rights which comprise scheduled, reasonable and dual-form visitation, counting omission of access rights which occurred most frequently including cases where parties received legal representation. The study has contributed towards a greater understanding of how visitation orders are made in practice through a quantitative analysis of past court decisions.