The number of Indonesian students in higher education has been increasing rapidly. However, many Indonesian university students report experiencing mental distress. Research on student wellbeing found that self-compassion (i.e., being kind towards oneself in challenging times) and academic engagement (i.e., a commitment and purposeful effort toward study) are essential to students’ mental wellbeing. With the present study, we aimed to assess the mental wellbeing of Indonesian students. A convenience sample of 156 Indonesian students completed self-report measures on mental wellbeing, self-compassion and academic engagement (consisting of vigour, dedication and absorption). To contextualise their mental wellbeing, data from Indonesian students were compared with those from 145 UK students using Welch t-tests. Correlation, regression and mediation analyses were then performed to examine the relationships among these variables. Indonesian students had higher levels of self-compassion and absorption and a lower level of dedication than UK students. Self-compassion and academic engagement explained 36% of variance in mental wellbeing. Self-compassion and vigour were identified as significant predictors of mental wellbeing, whereas self-compassion was the strongest predictor. Lastly, vigour did not mediate the pathway from self-compassion to mental wellbeing. Interventions to support self-compassion and academic engagement, especially vigour, in Indonesian students are recommended to support their mental wellbeing.

Negative attitudes and shame towards mental health problems are detrimental to our mental health. An established scale of measure for mental health attitudes and shame is the Attitudes Towards Mental Health Problems Scale (ATMHPS), comprising 35 items. This comprehensive instrument evaluates Community/Family Attitudes, Community/Family External Shame, Internal Shame, and Family/Self Reflected Shame. One weakness of the ATMHPS is its length. The present study constructed and validated a shorter version of the ATMHPS (SATMHPS), comprising 14 items.Two samples of UK university students (274 business and 301 healthcare students) were recruited, and the analyses were performed to construct and validate the factorial structure. The SATMHPS demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency, and very strong correlations with the original ATMHPS in both samples. Confirmatory factor analyses on the SATMHPS replicated the seven-factor model identified in the original ATMHPS. The SATMHPS can be a reliable, valid and user-friendly instrument to measure attitudes and shame towards mental health problems.

While the Indonesian higher education has been growing rapidly, poor student mental health including a high level of mental health shame is a cause for concern in Indonesia. This study aimed to evaluate their mental health, shame, and self-compassion. One hundred fifty six participants completed self-report measures regarding mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and stress), mental health shame (negative attitudes, and external, internal, and reflected shame), and self-compassion. Data were first compared with 145 U.K. students, then correlation and regression analyses were performed. Indonesian students showed higher levels of mental health problems, family-related mental health shame, and self-compassion than U.K. students. Each type of mental health problem and mental health shame were positively associated with each other. Self-compassion was negatively associated with mental health problems, but not with mental health shame. Self-compassion was consistently the strongest predictor of mental health problems. Among the mental health shame types, only family external shame predicted the level of depression. Self-compassion training and mental health education for their family are recommended to protect the mental health of university students in Indonesia.

The Japanese construct of ikigai reflects a sense of having ‘purpose in life’ or a ‘reason for living and has been associated with a variety of positive health outcomes. However, to date little research into ikigai exists within Western populations. This study explored the predictive power of ikigai for measures of well-being, depression, and anxiety in an adult Western population. Ninety-four participants (70% female) responded to an online survey. After accounting for the covariates of sex, age, employment status, and student status, multiple hierarchical regression indicated that ikigai positively predicted well-being and negatively predicted depression. While on its own, ikigai negatively predicted anxiety; this was not the case after accounting for the aforementioned covariates. The findings support the importance for investigating ikigai in the West and the need for further exploration of ikigai as a potential means of bringing about benefit in mental well-being.