11 Maritime Students’ Perception of Mental Wellness
105
Although the term “wellness” is defined by physical, psychological and social
well-being, it is not merely a “state” or “condition” as it actually encompasses the
habitual practices of certain constructive activities. Wellness is therefore a dynamic
process, which promotes the overall state of well-being [3]. A person enjoys selfgratification when he or she finds successful fulfilment of meaning in life, self-esteem,
spirituality and opportunities for growth and development. All these are called
personal needs [4]. The National Health Service (NHS) of The United Kingdom,
in 2016, projected that there would be one million people suffering from mental
health problems by 2021. Out of this figure, 70,000 are children and the youths [5].
Among the reasons cited for this phenomenon are stress, depression and anxiety as
predicted to be prevalent in 20% of the sufferers [6]. A person who undergoes stress
will normally suffer from both mental and general health imbalances as the natural
responses triggered in the brain result in amplified production of neurotransmitter
[7].
Adolescent wellness comprising that of the university students is a research area
that is gaining an increased focus of. Nevertheless, a thorough analysis of the present
literature reveals the dearth of coverage on adolescents’ perspectives on the definition
of wellness. This research is thus aimed at investigating the perception of a group of
maritime bachelor’s degree students in the northern part of Malaysia regarding their
mental health and well-being as university students.
11.2 Literature Review
A local Malaysian mainstream newspaper, the New Straits Times dated September
2016 reported that the Ministry of Health voiced concerns regarding the state of
students’ mental health. The statistics revealed that mental health issues among
Malaysian students must be attended urgently in order to alleviate more dire problems. The news report indicated an increase of one in every ten students in 2011 to
one in every five students five years later. It was also cited that the primary causes
of mental health issues among students were anxiety and depression besides the
influence of illegal substances such as drugs [8].
Cases of suicide-motivated behaviours among university students are commonly
triggered by their own psychological conditions which affect the way they perceive
of their physical and mental well-being. Oyekcin et al. [9] examined the relationship among psychological signs, suicidal contemplations and perceptions of mental
and physical well-being in university students [9]. An Internet-based survey was
distributed to 4330 students at Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey. It was found that
15% of the respondents indeed contemplate committing suicides at least once in
their entire life. The respondents’ mental symptoms were also increasingly severe
as they reported reduced mental and physical well-being with 28.2% of them found
to be severely depressed and 33.1% were reported of experiencing acute anxiety.
Such findings indicate that this problem may create similar effects on the group
of maritime students in this study given the fact that youths around the globe may
105
Although the term “wellness” is defined by physical, psychological and social
well-being, it is not merely a “state” or “condition” as it actually encompasses the
habitual practices of certain constructive activities. Wellness is therefore a dynamic
process, which promotes the overall state of well-being [3]. A person enjoys selfgratification when he or she finds successful fulfilment of meaning in life, self-esteem,
spirituality and opportunities for growth and development. All these are called
personal needs [4]. The National Health Service (NHS) of The United Kingdom,
in 2016, projected that there would be one million people suffering from mental
health problems by 2021. Out of this figure, 70,000 are children and the youths [5].
Among the reasons cited for this phenomenon are stress, depression and anxiety as
predicted to be prevalent in 20% of the sufferers [6]. A person who undergoes stress
will normally suffer from both mental and general health imbalances as the natural
responses triggered in the brain result in amplified production of neurotransmitter
[7].
Adolescent wellness comprising that of the university students is a research area
that is gaining an increased focus of. Nevertheless, a thorough analysis of the present
literature reveals the dearth of coverage on adolescents’ perspectives on the definition
of wellness. This research is thus aimed at investigating the perception of a group of
maritime bachelor’s degree students in the northern part of Malaysia regarding their
mental health and well-being as university students.
11.2 Literature Review
A local Malaysian mainstream newspaper, the New Straits Times dated September
2016 reported that the Ministry of Health voiced concerns regarding the state of
students’ mental health. The statistics revealed that mental health issues among
Malaysian students must be attended urgently in order to alleviate more dire problems. The news report indicated an increase of one in every ten students in 2011 to
one in every five students five years later. It was also cited that the primary causes
of mental health issues among students were anxiety and depression besides the
influence of illegal substances such as drugs [8].
Cases of suicide-motivated behaviours among university students are commonly
triggered by their own psychological conditions which affect the way they perceive
of their physical and mental well-being. Oyekcin et al. [9] examined the relationship among psychological signs, suicidal contemplations and perceptions of mental
and physical well-being in university students [9]. An Internet-based survey was
distributed to 4330 students at Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey. It was found that
15% of the respondents indeed contemplate committing suicides at least once in
their entire life. The respondents’ mental symptoms were also increasingly severe
as they reported reduced mental and physical well-being with 28.2% of them found
to be severely depressed and 33.1% were reported of experiencing acute anxiety.
Such findings indicate that this problem may create similar effects on the group
of maritime students in this study given the fact that youths around the globe may