Stress factors in modern urban lifestyles: an Indonesian perspective.

An Indonesian perspective of lifestyle in an urban environment is likely to be sharper because of how recent and substantial urbanisation has been. Contrasts between rural and new urban ways of life make the stressors more obvious than they may be to those in societies where the industrial revolution occurred much earlier. Additionally, the post-industrial society is grafted onto a recent industrial society in cities like Jakarta.

The effect of iron deficiency and mental stimulation on Indonesian children's cognitive performance and development.

Three studies conducted in Indonesia will be described. Soewondo (12) investigated the relation of iron deficiency and cognitive function and impact of iron supplementation on verbal intelligence, attention and concept learning among iron deficient children without anemia and iron deficient anemic children. Half of 176 children, aged 3-6 years, received elemental Fe for 8 weeks and the other half received placebo.

Effects of iron deficiency on attention and learning processes in preschool children: Bandung, Indonesia.

A double-blind clinical trial was conducted in Indonesia to assess effects of iron supplementation on performance of iron-depleted and iron-deficient anemic children in discrimination and oddity learning tasks. Half these children received elemental Fe for 8 wk; the others received a placebo. There were significant changes from pre- to postintervention evaluations in ferritin, transferrin saturation, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, and hemoglobin among the anemic and iron-depleted children; no changes were observed among the placebos or any of the iron-replete children.

Epidemic hysteria in Malaysian schools: an illustrative episode.

This paper discusses the prevalence and characteristics of epidemic hysteria among predominantly rural Malay schools in Malaysia. An illustrative episode in a Malay residential girls' school is described, and contributory factors to this outbreak are elaborated. An attempt is made to analyze the complex interweaving of psychological, religious, cultural, and sociological factors in the precipitation of the outbreak.