MARITAL QUALITY AMONG MALAYSIAN STUDENTS

INTRODUCTION

1.1Introduction Nowadays, marital quality becomes an important aspect of human life. Persons experiencing marital problems tend to report higher level of stress symptom compared to those who are having good quality in a marital relationship. The marital quality helps the spouse to achieve life satisfaction and global happiness (Proulx et al., 2007). A longitudinal research already revealed that the negative marital relationship predicts increase in stress phase over the time (Randall & Bodenmann, 2009).

The numerous and profound impact of stress on marital quality had been documented by previous researchers (Proulx et al., 2007; Lichter & Carmalt, 2009; Randall & Bodenmann, 2009). Nowadays, to pursuit of university level, especially at postgraduate is one of commonly transition which brings high levels of stress. Academic stressors, including many syllabi to be learned, overwhelming workload, test or exam anxiety, struggles with time management, and individual high expectation already been reported to contribute higher stress levels which had been experienced by postgraduate students (Oswalt & Riddock, 2007). Other stresses include financial problems, high demand of dissertation work, challenging coursework, and handling internship. According to Vaez & Laflamme (2008) person who attend postgraduate programs reported to have increased stress due to the role strain between academic and familial. The postgraduate program presents both chronic, persistent stressors (e.g., work life balance, various workloads) and acute, time-limited stressors (e.g., specific milestone such as proposal defends and comprehensive exams). Thus, it clearly showed that the postgraduate program is the struggle transition which most of the students experiences as a period of elevated stress.

Postgraduate stressors brings many consequences. The stress which comes from postgraduate program has been associated to decrease students' psychological well-being and physical health. According to Paro et al., (2010) higher levels of stress has have been linked with physical consequences such as depression, anxiety, and lower mental-health related quality of life. Therefore, it is not weird when the postgraduate students tend to consider dropping out of university due to academic overwhelming demands.

Based on this concern, in the past two decades, there has been a marked increase of empirical and theoretical attentions to stress and adaptive process (Neff, & Karney, 2009; Langer et. al., 2008; Randall & Bodenmann, 2009. Usually, individual stress has been reported to affect the marital quality. Furthermore, higher levels of stress are associated with higher risk of divorce (Bodenmann et al., 2007). Previous outcomes are meaningful due to it explain explanation that the stress appears to cause as an indirect effect on individual health through its impact on marital quality. Besides, the stress also can cause contribute as a direct effect on the physical and emotional of individuals. Comment by DrAdibahFP: Baiki ayatMy English pun tak bagus..minta dr aqeel or sesiapa yang boleh check kan English semak

Therefore, researchers are faced with critical tasks in order to determine the factors which impact the adaptive process used between postgraduate students with their spouses and identifying effective strategies for handling the transition of stressful events.

Current research on the perspective of marital quality emphasizes the importance of recognizing marital relationships in broader context. The research will integrate many contextual factors which are likely to influence marital quality based on individual stressful events, couple adaptive process, and couple enduring vulnerabilities.

Pengenalan Nampak agak longgar. Setiap isi penting hanya di sentuh pada permukaan sahaja. Perlukan ulasan / sokongan. Ada yang ok kerana disertakan bukti / kajian lalu..tetapi kebanyakannya Nampak agak biasa dan tidak Nampak kesarjanaan dalam penulisan.

1.2Background of the Study ProblemAs the the married postgraduate students face various several of stress, their relationship with the spouse are impacted. They requireds an adaptive process for their families when a major transition experienced by any person in their family. An example, Fuenfhausen & Cashwell, (2013) indicated that the program related stress, which come from the postgraduate program had a significant impact on the whole family system. Comment by DrAdibahFP: Betulkan ayatComment by DrAdibahFP: Apa maksudnya? Kena ulas panjang sikit, Program yang menyebab kan stress?

One of the subsystems which potentially to be affected is the marital dyad. The stress face of the among postgraduate students has been shown to have a negative impact on marital quality between the students and their spouses (Ghorogh et al., 2015). It reveals that the postgraduate students have potentially exposed by the marital dissatisfaction sources. According to Fuenfhausen & Cashwell (2013) the dissatisfaction sources may come from lack of energy and time spend together for the family, differing or changing levels of individual philosophies and development of life, affective communication, role strain, sexual relation, and difficulties in problem solving. All of these may lead towards the high potential for divorce, especially at the transition points such as a dissertation, internship, exam, and graduation. Therefore, these findings showed evidence that participation in postgraduate program has already introduced various numbers of stressors which then have potential to affect postgraduate students negatively. Comment by DrAdibahFP: Are you sure negatively? Any reference? Some of students treat these challenges as motivation not stress.

According to Fuenfhausen & Cashwell (2013), the stress faces of the among postgraduate students is coming comes from the specific situation, event, or transition during the university challenges. Uncontrolled stress can give directly or indirectly threatens to the family. Thus, it is important for each partner to have a good adaptive process. A good adaptive process should consider each others satisfaction in the marital relationship. Adaptive process is is the one of the important aspects need to be considered because as it is very useful to be a buffersa buffer from the negative effects [references]. It also can shape the relational appraisals of the marriage such as intimate, trusting, and supportive partnership. In the current research, as the university life has been the stressors for postgraduate students, they need to have some form of coping response due to its potential to be a predictor towards marital quality. Comment by DrAdibahFP: Why suddenly family?Change to spouse Due to current challenges in marriage today, the current research is trying to provide knowledge on the various factors which can brings impact on the marital quality. The current study builds based on the integrated previous theoretical work. The research will reveal what is are the causes that will give a negative impact on the marital quality. By From the integrated previous theoretical work, it will give a picture on how factors such as spouse enduring vulnerabilities, stressful events, and adaptive process are related to each other. The Vulnerabilities Stress Adaptation (VSA) model is offered to be used so that the research can have the integrative model which can contribute many factors. A wide range of factors is important to show a wide view in order to understand the marital quality.Comment by DrAdibahFP: Whose current research?Comment by DrAdibahFP: Which current study?Betulkan ayatComment by DrAdibahFP: Awak nak kaji yang ada impact negative sahaja ke?Comment by DrAdibahFP: Baiki ayat.

Theoretical model that had been developed by Karney and Bradbury (1995) is going to will be used to explain the relationship among various contextual variables. The Vulnerabilities Stress Adaptation (VSA) model will be assumed to provide support in the recent study. The theoretical and empirical will be used to test the unified model in order to associate among various of context. The present research is going to evaluate the ways of various factors which can bring impact on spouse marital quality. Comment by DrAdibahFP: Which one yg awak guna? VSA ke Karney.. or both

Mustaqim, you have to learn how to write background of problem.Taka da langsung isu di sini. Yang ada hanya masalah stress yang memang diketahui umum. Tiada sokongan / bukti masalah sehingga menyebabkan awak perlu buat kajian ini.\Apa masalah adoptive process? Apa masalah Vulnerabilities?Apa bukti marital quality pelajar post graduate di Malaysia ada masalah?

Bagaimana stressful event pelajar PG yang dah kawin di Malaysia?Dalam isu kena sentuh semua variable yang ada dalam persoalan kajian sehingga awak rasa perlumya buat kajianCari GAP kajia lalu yang menyebabkan kajian ini perlu dilakukan

1.3Problem StatementThe influence of postgraduate students stress on marital relationship has been studied among the samples of psychology (Wilks, 2008), medical (Shariati et. al., 2007), and family therapy (Fuenfhausen & Cashwell 2013) by the outcomes showed the university life give the negative impact on the marital relationship. However, no existing studies explained specifically the marital relationship of postgraduate life among Malaysian. It is still unknown, whether the personal growth, emotional nature of the work, and society culture bring positive or negative impact on Malaysian students marital quality. Most of the research had been done among the western society(Shariati et al., 2007; Howkins et al., 2008; Fuenfhausen & Cashwell, 2013), but not yet research being conducted to the Malaysian culture society. It is believed that, different culture has different expectation on the marital quality.Comment by DrAdibahFP: Are you sure no or less?? Statement kena humbleFurthermore, most of the researches on the marital quality just focus on the international students (Hassan & Al Horany 2011; Askari et. al., 2012; Ghoroghi et al., 2015). There is no study was focused on local postgraduate students. Thus, there a still lack of information on any factors which can give impact on local postgraduate students. It is believed, local and international students have different kind of challenges due to how many commitments they hold. More commitments they have, more stressful events they need to face. Usually, local postgraduate students have more commitments compared to the international students. Local postgraduate students need to manage time and energy between academic, career, and family. It is different with international students. Most international students are not burdened with career commitment [Reference]?. Comment by DrAdibahFP: ?? ini international students kat negara kita atau negara mereka..kalau negara mereka taklah jadi international stuents

Lastly, adult attachment also has been known to be as a factor which influence marital quality (Butzer & Campbell, 2008), but not among the postgraduate student population. Regarding to the various demand of postgraduate life, the most common stressors reported is lack of energy and time between the spouses and family (Fuenfhausen & Cashwell, 2013). Managing roles, adapt new stressors, and adjusting expectations can lead couple to feel isolated (Hassan & Al Horany, 2011), and lonely (Sawir et al., 2008). Therefore, enduring vulnerabilities could provide the information to explain why postgraduate stress impacts marital quality more than others.This is not the way of writing Statement of Problem

1.4Purpose of Study Objective of StudyResearcher notice there have several gaps related to the previous researches on marital quality among postgraduate students. Previous researches not explored the marital quality among Malaysian students. The outcomes are still unknown about how the stressors of Malaysian students may relate to the spouse adjustment. Comment by DrAdibahFP: Ini kan dah highlight dalam statement of problemPrevious studies also not explored the marital quality of local students. Most of the study were conducted among the international students. Therefore the past researches was not being able to give justification at the marital quality levels among the local students. Previous researches also showed a gap in combining the various variables. Based on the existing research, the existing studies just indicate the relationship between postgraduate stressors and marital quality (Ghorogh et al., 2015), the relationship between adaptive process and marital quality (Hassan & Al Horany, 2011), and the relationship between adult attachment and marital quality (Gouin et al., 2009). Therefore, until now, previous researchers still not considered broader aspects that in the marital relationship.

In the current research, researcher will examine various aspects which give the impact on the marital quality among Malaysian postgraduates student. The aspects that will be considered in research are stressful events, enduring vulnerabilities, adaptive process and marital quality. It is important for the postgraduate to deal with their stressful events. If difficulties occur in handling stressful circumstances, it may alter the spouses perception of their satisfaction in marriage. Ultimately, repeated failure of adaptation will undermine the marital quality, leading to increase levels of divorce thoughts (Hassan & Al Horany, 2011). Well manage of stressful events can contribute to the spouses perceptions of the quality of their marital relationship. While the adaptive process is a product of association between life events they encounter and the spouses enduring vulnerabilities. Thus the marital quality can be achieve when the spouse has a both good enduring vulnerabilities and adaptive process on the life events. Otherwise, the spouses will face chronic and repeated life stressful events due to lack ability to cope their negative marital interactions. Comment by DrAdibahFP: Ini semua tak perlu letak di bahagian objektifCuba susun semula ide dan masukkan dalam pendahulua atau latar belakang masalahComment by DrAdibahFP: Current research ni maksud awak this research ke?

Therefore, in order to strengthen or maintain the marital quality, a research on the successful adaptive process and good enduring vulnerabilities should be concerned so that it can reduce the chances of marital dissolution. Researcher believed, the postgraduate student life events can be either positive or negative impact depending on their strength capacities to provide a good adaptive process and how good the enduring vulnerabilities they had been developed.

i. To determine the relationship between enduring vulnerabilities and adaptive process among Malaysian postgraduate students.Comment by DrAdibahFP: Jadikan satu objektif.Nnati kat persoalan kajian baru pecahkanii. To determine the relationship between enduring vulnerabilities and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students.iii. To determine the effect of enduring vulnerabilities factor on adaptive process among Malaysian postgraduate students.Comment by DrAdibahFP: Jadikan satu objektifiv. To determine the effect of enduring vulnerabilities on marital quality among Malaysia postgraduate students.v. To determine relationship between stressful events and adaptive process among Malaysian postgraduate students.Comment by DrAdibahFP: Jadikan satu objektifvi. To determine relationship between stressful events and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students.vii. To determine the effect of stressful events on the adaptive process factor among Malaysian postgraduate students.Comment by DrAdibahFP: Jadikan satu objektifviii. To determine the effect of stressful event on marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students.ix. To determine a relationship between adaptive process and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students.x. To determine the effect of adaptive process on marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students.xi. To identify adaptive process as a mediator for enduring vulnerabilities and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students.xii. To identify adaptive process as a mediator for stressful events and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students, adaptive process, and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students.xiii. To identify dimensionality for enduring vulnerabilities, stressful events, adaptive process, and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students.xiv. To validate Vulnerabilities Stress Adaptation (VSA) model in the Malaysian postgraduate students context.

1.5Research QuestionsIn current research, the relationships, effect, mediator, and dimentionality among stressful events, enduring vulnerabilities, adaptive process, and marital quality were going to be study among the Malaysian students sample. i. What is the Is there any significant relationship of between enduring vulnerabilities on and adaptive process among Malaysian postgraduate students ?Comment by DrAdibahFP: Guna ayat ini untuk betulkan objketif yang lain 2jugaii. What is the relationship of enduring vulnerabilities on marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students ?Comment by DrAdibahFP: Betulkan semula semua research question niiii. What is the effect of enduring vulnerabilities factor on adaptive process among Malaysian postgraduate students ?iv. What is the effect of enduring vulnerabilities on marital quality among Malaysia postgraduate students ?v. What is the relationship of stressful events on the adaptive process among Malaysian postgraduate students ?vi. What is the relationship of stressful events on marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students ?vii. What is the effect of stressful events on the adaptive process factor among Malaysian postgraduate students ?viii. What is the effect of stressful event on marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students ?ix. What is the relationship of adaptive process on marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students ?x. What is the effect of adaptive process on marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students ?xi. Is that adaptive process can be as a mediator for enduring vulnerabilities and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students ?xii. Is that adaptive process can be as a mediator for stressful events and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students, adaptive process, and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students ?xiii. What is the dimensionality for enduring vulnerabilities, stressful events, adaptive process, and marital quality among Malaysian postgraduate students ?xiv. Is that Vulnerabilities Stress Adaptation (VSA) model is suitable in the Malaysian postgraduate students context ?

1.6Research Objective