Developmental assets, creativity, thriving, and mental health among Malaysian emerging adults

Abstract

This study was part of a larger cross-national research project at the Norway’s University of Bergen, which involved participants from over 30 countries. This undertaking delves into developmental assets, creativity, and thriving, and the part they play in determining mental health. Thus, this study examined the developmental assets (internal assets: support, empowerment, boundaries, and expectations and creative use of time; external assets: commitment to learning, positive identity, positive values, and social competencies), creativity, thriving, and their importance to mental health in a sample of Malaysian emerging adults. This study was based on a sample of 394 undergraduate students, comprising 264 females and 130 males, ranging between the ages of 18 and 26 years (M = 21.5). Two subscales of the Reisman diagnostic creativity assessment (RDCA) were used to measure creativity (originality and fluency). Meanwhile, thriving indicators of Search Institute were used to measure thriving while the short form of the mental health continuum (MHC-SF) for adolescents was used to measure mental health. An online Google form was used to collect data from university students enrolled in both public and private universities. The correlation analysis results revealed that all the variables were positively correlated to each other and that the relationship between development assets, creativity, thriving, and mental health ranged from weak to moderate. Multiple regression (stepwise) analysis produced four models that indicated that positive identity, support, creativity, and thriving have a significant influence on mental health among emerging adults. Further, analyses using the PROCESS procedure demonstrated significant indirect effects of positive identity and support on mental health through its effects on creativity and thriving. As such, it is our recommendation that mental health practitioners tailor their treatment approach to include positive identity, support, creativity, and thriving in their sessions with Malaysian emerging adults.

Mapping Developmental Assets in Kosovo’s Youth: Insights into the Internal Cohesion Psychotherapeutic Process for Young People Experiencing Anxiety and Depression: A Qualitative Study

“…AGMZH's acknowledgment of prevailing prejudices and the call for embracing cultural competence underscore the crucial role of youth in challenging and mitigating societal biases and in fostering a more inclusive and tolerant society [21]. These insights also support the evident importance of various developmental assets in supporting the development of young individuals experiencing mental health challenges [14,31,32].…”

Developmental assets in emerging adulthood—Systematic review

“…It is also worth highlighting the predominance of studies with a cross-sectional observational design and, to a lesser extent, studies with a longitudinal, prospective design. [39] 2) Malaysia Results revealed that all the variables were positively correlated to each other; the relationship between development assets, creativity, thriving, and mental health ranged from weak to moderate. Multiple regression (stepwise) analysis produced four models that indicated that positive identity, support, creativity, and thriving have a significant influence on mental health among emerging adults.…”

Developmental assets as predictors of Albanian adolescents’ life satisfaction

“…While internal and external assets are individually important for young people's lives, their interaction is considered vital for fostering strength, character, and receiving guidance and opportunities from family, school, and society (Abdul Kadir & Rusyda, 2022;Gan et al, 2022). Drawing from the Positive Youth Development Approach, this study focuses on positive growth concepts that facilitate youth flourishing, achievement, and intelligent interactions with others and life events.…”

“…Moreover, they are more likely to exhibit caring behaviors toward their family, others, and the community, as a response to the positive environment they have experienced. In other words, youth perceive a high sense of connection between themselves and the adults in their context, which fosters their productivity and involvement in society (Abdul Kadir & Rusyda, 2022;Dost-Gözkan et al, 2021;Sui et al, 2021). Lastly, youth who possess social skills or who are situated within a supportive school environment are more likely to develop a commitment to learning and social competencies (Wiium et al, 2021).…”

“…The internal and external assets of Positive Youth Development (PYD) are believed to have a significant impact on health and general well-being (Wiium et al, 2021;Gomez-Baya et al, 2022;Abdul Kadir & Rusyda, 2022;Zheng et al, 2021). Previous research indicates that specific aspects of PYD may have varying effects on youth outcomes, influenced by factors such as social-cultural background, age, gender, education, and ethnicity (Gomez-Baya et al, 2022;Gan et al, 2022;Dervishi et al, 2022a).…”