Yogyakarta, May 5, 2025 — A recent study titled “A bibliometric analysis on disaster volunteer resilience research: All time period”, published in the Scopus-indexed proceedings IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1479 012036, reveals global trends, collaborations, and key focuses in disaster volunteer resilience research.

The Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, through its Center for Public Mental Health (CPMH) team, has once again received international recognition with the successful awarding of funding for the proposal “Religion and Healing: Collaborative and Participatory Methodologies (RHEAL)” from the Horizon Europe Framework under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchanges scheme. The RHEAL program focuses on developing cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approaches to healing in the field of mental health.

The Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and TVRI Yogyakarta once again present OPSI: Psychological Talk, a weekly interactive talk show. The second episode aired on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM WIB, featuring the theme "Click, Borrow, Regret: Understanding Online Loans through Neuroscience."

Who would have thought that a psychologist's career path could be so varied and colorful—such is the story of Prabaswara Dewi, often called Mbak DJ. A graduate of the Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), she has worked in psychology for over two decades, starting in the non-profit sector, reaching the peak of her career in prominent companies, and eventually becoming an independent psychologist.

Yogyakarta, April 24, 2025 — An article titled “Understanding Work Engagement in Public Administration: A Comprehensive Bibliometric and Systematic Review of the Past Decade”, authored by Iqbal Saffariz Santosa, Erwan Agus Purwanto, Sumaryono, and Puguh Prasetya Utomo, has been published in Social Sciences and Humanities Open, Volume 11 (2025), Article Number 101479. This journal is indexed in Scopus (Q1), with a 2023 SJR of 0.691 and an Impact Score of 4.2.

Yogyakarta, April 23, 2025 — An article titled “The Hygiene Hypothesis of Crime: Examining the Link Between Disgust-Related Diseases and Crime Incidence” by Samudera F. Jamaluddin has been published in Acta Psychologica, Volume 256, article number 105013. This journal is indexed in Scopus with a Best Quartile (Q1), an SJR score of 0.854 (2024), and an Impact Factor (IF) of 2.1.

The Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with TVRI Yogyakarta, presents a weekly interactive talk show titled OPSI: Psychological Talk. The premiere episode aired on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM WIB, featuring the theme "Unveiling the Phenomenon of Brain Rot."

The workshop featured three lecturers from the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM): Prof. Dr. Sofia Retnowati, M.S., Psychologist; Prof. Drs. Subandi, M.A., Ph.D., Psychologist; and Dr. Diana Setiyawati, M.HSc.Psy., Psychologist. These individuals were directly involved in psychosocial recovery programs following the tsunami. UGM played a significant role in Aceh’s recovery post-tsunami, with its Faculty of Psychology actively supporting the psychosocial rehabilitation of the community. This support included deploying psychologists to various community health centers (puskesmas), including in the Meulaboh area, and initiating collaboration to establish a Psychology Study Program at the Faculty of Medicine, Syiah Kuala University. This initiative was part of long-term efforts to build local capacity in mental health.

The workshop’s in-depth discussions aimed to evaluate the achievements of mental health programs over the past two decades while formulating concrete follow-up action plans. “All parties agree that the presence of psychologists in puskesmas needs to continue, just as it was during the tsunami recovery period. This step is crucial for strengthening mental health services at the community level,” explained Dr. Diana Setiyawati.

The main commemoration event is scheduled for December 26, 2024, in Meulaboh, one of the areas most severely affected by the disaster. The event will be attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Psychology UGM, Rahmat Hidayat, M.Sc., Ph.D., and Drs. Haryanto, M.Si., Psychologist, representing the Faculty of Psychology UGM, along with local officials and community members. This commemoration serves as an important moment to honor the victims and to strengthen solidarity in building a more resilient future for Aceh.

This series of commemorative events is not only an opportunity for reflection but also a reminder of the importance of preparedness and collaboration in facing future disaster challenges.

Author and photo: Wulan Nur Jatmika, S.Psi., M.Sc.

The Inclusive Learning Innovation Project aims to develop innovative and inclusive learning strategies for students with special needs in higher education. As part of this initiative, each team from funded universities was required to design inclusive learning plans, textbooks, and educational videos. Additionally, the teams conducted research that resulted in journal articles evaluating the effectiveness of the implemented strategies.

The UGM team, composed of faculty members from the UGM Faculty of Psychology, was led by Elga Andriana, S.Psi., M.Ed., Ph.D., and Edilburga Wulan Saptandari, S.Psi., M.Psi., Ph.D., Psychologist. They developed a learning strategy that integrates traditional Photovoice methods with AI-based Photovoice, specifically tailored for the course on Educational Psychology and Character Development.

Key contributors to the project included Naida Shafa Ghozalba, a student from UGM’s International Undergraduate Program (IUP) in Psychology (Class of 2021), and Ukhtina Duhi Anindita, S.Psi., M.Psi., Psychologist, an alumna of UGM’s Professional Psychology program. They played pivotal roles in developing learning materials and acted as peer researchers alongside other team members.

The project also involved three UGM Psychology students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as peer researchers. They contributed to designing inclusive learning strategies and ensured that the approaches accommodated diverse learning needs, particularly for students with special conditions. According to one of the participating students, the project provided them with a sense of gratitude as their challenges during lectures were heard and addressed with effective solutions and support.

Prof. David Evans from the University of Sydney, Australia, also participated in the project, leading focus group discussions and offering valuable insights throughout its implementation.

Elga Andriana expressed, “This award is a recognition of the importance of creating inclusive learning environments where every student feels accepted and supported to reach their full potential. It also reminds us that diversity is not a barrier but a strength that enriches the learning process. Moving forward, we are increasingly motivated to create adaptive, supportive, and empowering learning environments for students with various needs.”

Elga also conveyed a message to the academic community: “Appreciate diversity as a strength. Be open-minded and support your peers, regardless of their backgrounds or needs. By supporting one another, we not only foster an inclusive learning community but also build a more equitable and humane society,” she concluded.

Writer: Relung Fajar Sukmawati

The program focused on drafting manuscripts from prior research titled “Culture and Morality: A Comparison of Moral Endorsements and the Formation of Moral Intentions in Australia and Indonesia.” In addition, plans for collaborative research were developed with universities and institutions across various countries, including Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the United States, and Europe. This research aims to map moral judgments and moral endorsements among adults in different cultures, representing both Western and Eastern perspectives. Understanding the endorsement of moral values is crucial for comprehending societal differences regarding what is considered right and wrong. For example, some societies view LGBT issues as merely variations and not something inherently bad, while others strongly oppose LGBT and seek its eradication from society. Such differences are expected to become increasingly diverse and intense in the future, necessitating anticipatory measures to prevent conflicts that could disrupt societal harmony at both national and global levels.

This research is expected to provide insights into the shifting moral values in society over time. Understanding these changes is particularly important for analyzing societal transformation patterns, especially among adults. Moving forward, the research design will be expanded to include adolescents and children in Indonesia to fully comprehend the developmental patterns of moral values in the country. This knowledge will make a meaningful contribution to efforts aimed at enhancing socio-cultural resilience.

Furthermore, through planned research collaborations, the publication of future research findings is expected to have a positive impact on a broader audience, fostering partnerships among various stakeholders and strengthening the institution’s position both nationally and globally. As such, this program supports the achievement of SDG No. 16 (“Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions”) and SDG No. 17 (“Partnerships for the Goals”).