A research team from the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), will examine job flourishing, an indicator of positive mental health at work, among lecturers and administrative staff at a public university in Indonesia. This study responds to growing global concern about workers’ mental health. WHO data point to the high burden of depression, anxiety, and daily stress affecting productivity. In Indonesia, mental health indicators among working populations likewise call for more precise organizational-level mapping. The research focuses on how emotional, psychological, and social well-being at work relate to work engagement, performance, burnout, anxiety, and depression, while offering an evidence-based picture to inform intervention planning in campus settings.
Scientifically, job flourishing is understood as a state in which employees function optimally emotionally, psychologically, and socially in the workplace. However, prior studies reveal a measurement gap: many have used “general life” well-being instruments to assess “workplace” conditions, which risks blurring diagnoses and practical recommendations. This study adopts the Indonesian version of the Flourishing-at-Work Scale – Short Form (FAWS-SF) to map workers’ mental health specifically within the work domain. The 17-item instrument classifies employees into flourishing, moderately healthy, and languishing groups. With this framework, the team will analyze how each profile relates to positive outcomes such as work engagement and performance, as well as risk factors including burnout, anxiety, and depression.
The research employs a quantitative, non-experimental survey approach targeting approximately 700 participants recruited via convenience sampling between April and July 2025. In addition to FAWS-SF, the team will use validated Indonesian-context measures to capture work engagement based on the Job Demands–Resources model, in-role performance, burnout (Indonesian adaptation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory), depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7). Rather than relying on mean scores alone, the team will apply Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to identify response patterns and cluster individuals into homogeneous latent profiles. This person-centered approach enables a sharper mapping of who is flourishing, who is in a moderate state, and who is languishing, along with the psychological characteristics that accompany each profile.
The research team is led by Dr. Rizqi Nur’aini A’yuninnisa, S.Psi., M.Sc., with members Ramadhan Dwi Marvianto, S.Psi., M.A.; Ardian Rahman Afandi, S.Psi., M.Psi., Psychologist; Thomas Ari Wicaksono, S.Psi.; Jamilatu Istiyah, S.Psi., M,A,; and Siti Sholichah, S.Psi., M.Psi., Psychologist. The project also involves an international research partner, Dr. Lara Carminati (University of Twente), serving as advisor and co-author. This cross-expertise collaboration, industrial-organizational psychology, psychometrics, and organizational behavior, is designed to ensure measurement precision and analytical rigor, as well as practical relevance for human resource management in higher education.
Expected outputs include a comprehensive mapping of campus workers’ mental health profiles, a scholarly manuscript for a reputable journal in occupational health, and practical recommendations for organizations to implement preventive and promotive interventions. By knowing the proportion of employees who are flourishing, moderately healthy, and languishing, organizations can take targeted steps: strengthening work resources that enhance engagement and performance, mitigating burnout risk, and reducing the burden of depressive and anxiety symptoms. At the individual level, well-targeted interventions can help employees move from psychological stagnation toward more adaptive and meaningful functioning in their roles. At the institutional level, the findings can underpin data-driven decisions, from training design and psychological services to supportive policies that sustain well-being and performance.
By combining a work-specific instrument with robust profile analysis, this study, funded by the 2025 UGM Faculty of Psychology Research Grant, is expected to contribute to a mentally healthier, more productive, and sustainable campus ecosystem, while serving as a reference for other institutions seeking to map and advance lecturer well-being.
Writer: Raden Roro Anisa Anggi Dinda