Although faced with historical and ongoing hardships, many indigenous communities in Southeast Asia have managed to survive and thrive. The identification of factors that assist these communities in coping with the challenges experienced would help enhance their overall psychological well‐being and resilience. The current review outlines types of protective factors for the indigenous communities in Southeast Asia focusing on the cultural, family and community elements linked to their psychological well‐being. Four themes of protective factors were identified strong connection to the land and the environment, embracing cultural norms and traditions, passing down and keeping indigenous knowledge across generations, and emphasis on community and social cohesion. Findings suggest that the value of interconnectedness serves as an overarching theme that forms the worldview of the indigenous communities in Southeast Asia. Interconnectedness was important to the indigenous peoples as they considered themselves to be extensions of their family, community, ancestors, future descendants, the land and to all living things and creations that reside on their lands. Future intervention attempts to promote resilience among these communities should take these factors into account, and pay closer attention to community‐level factors that seem to have a profound impact on the indigenous construction of resilience.

Background:The emphasis of education within the collectivistic Malaysian culture has exposed Malaysian university students to high levels of academic stressors. The experience of stress that stems from the experience of such stressors can be positive (eustress) or negative (distress). However, the presence of adaptive abilities to academic stress may influence the experience of stress. The present study examines psychological capital as the adaptive ability to academic stress among a collectivistic Malaysian university student sample. Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 183 students from a university in Malaysia. Findings:Analyses showed that university students with high academic distress did not predict low academic performance; while, university students with high academic eustress predicted high academic performance. Psychological capital was found to mitigate the influence of academic distress on academic performance but not on the influence of academic eustress on academic performance. Conclusion:The study debunked the common misconceptions about academic stress. It highlighted that the experience of eustress and the presence of psychological capital may be an important resource for students' stress coping.

Given the challenges experienced by the Semai indigenous communities in Perak, Malaysia, and their distinct cultural beliefs, it is important to understand the role of the social and cultural networks in their resilience processes. In particular, further attention needs to be paid to how their families function and shape their beliefs about their lives, as there might be key mechanisms and processes that differ from existing general conceptualizations of family. This grounded theory analysis of 23 Semai Orang Asli (indigenous) community members established a model of the Semai’s family conceptualization and functioning. Findings revealed that the Semai’s concept of family encompasses an extensive network of individuals with their shared relationship with nyenang (spirit ancestors) and cultural heritage, which in turn leads them to have a deep sense of shared family identity and connectedness. This worldview guided the Semai’s family processes and functioning, captured by the following five dimensions: sharing obligations and responsibilities, making collective decisions, prioritizing community’s welfare, sharing of knowledge and resources, and willingness to work with everyone. These factors facilitate a conducive and supportive environment aimed at maintaining existing family relationships. This model can guide the development of culturally specific programs that promote and strengthen indigenous family relationships and resilience.