Azlin Hilma Hillaluddin

Mental health concerns are increasingly prevalent among postgraduate students, who face academic, social, and career pressures. Although research on student mental health is expanding, less is known about the psychological resources that support well-being in postgraduate learners. Meaning in life has been identified as a key psychological resource that helps individuals interpret challenges and maintain coherence and well-being, and recent research highlights the contribution of self-transcendent traits such as gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality in fostering meaning in life. However, empirical evidence on these interrelationships remains limited. This study involves 1527 Pakistani postgraduate students (M = 795; mean age = 24.89 years) recruited through multistage random sampling from ten public universities in Punjab. Participants completed the Gratitude Questionnaire, Heartland Forgiveness Scale, Spirituality Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Mental Health Inventory (assessing psychological well-being and psychological distress). Correlation analyses showed that gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality were positively associated with psychological well-being and negatively associated with psychological distress. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further indicated that these traits predicted mental health both directly and indirectly, with meaning in life serving as significant partial mediator. Overall, the findings highlight the central role of meaning in life in linking self-transcendent traits to mental health among postgraduate students and suggest important implications for culturally sensitive, university-based mental health initiatives.

Background: Mental health concerns are increasingly prevalent among post-graduate students, who face academic, social, and career-related pressures. Despite the growing literature on student mental health, relatively little is known about the psychological resources that support well-being in post-graduate learners. Meaning in life has emerged as a key psychological resource that enables individuals to interpret chal-lenges, maintain coherence, and sustain well-being in challenging times; recent re-search also suggests the role of self-transcendent traits such as gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality in nurturing meaning in life. However, empirical evidence examining these interrelationships remains limited. Method: A total of 1,527 postgraduate Paki-stani students (M = 795; mean age = 24.89 years) were recruited from ten public uni-versities in Punjab, Pakistan, using multistage random sampling. Five standardized in-struments were employed: the Gratitude Questionnaire, Heartland Forgiveness Scale, Spirituality Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Mental Health Inventory (as-sessing psychological well-being and psychological distress). Results: Correlation analyses revealed that gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality had positive significant relationship with psychological well-being and significant negative relationship with psychological distress. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality were direct and indirect predictors of mental health, while meaning in life significantly and partially mediated these relationships. Conclusions: Findings underscore the central role of meaning in life in linking self-transcendent traits to mental health among postgraduate students, offering implications for cultur-ally sensitive university-based mental health interventions.

Child marriage is an internationally recognised human rights issue that has been extensively studied by various Non-GovernmentalOrganisations and the United Nations. In response to this problem, many countries have implemented social policies aimed at addressing child marriage and several international treaties are dedicated to combatting it. This study focuses on examining the factors contributing to child marriage within refugee populations. The research methodology involved conducting in-depth interviews with ten young wives aged between 16 and 22, facilitating focus group discussions with their husbands and parents residing in Domiz Camps 1 and 2 in Kurdistan, as well as interviewing key informants who work in child protection services and social policy development. Thematic analysis was employed to identify prominent themes and subthemes based on the perspectives of participants. The research revealed that child marriage is driven by factors such as the need for safety, preservation of family honour, and economic challenges. Similar safety concerns were observed among Syrian refugees in this study, as well as in previous studies conducted on Jordanian refugees and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. This study takes a comprehensive approach by considering perspectives from young wives, their parents, husbands, and key informants when examining factors related to child marriage. Ultimately, the findings of this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of refugee issues and efforts towards protecting children’s rights within the refugee context.

Malaysia aims to increase the participation of students with disabilities in Higher Education. This study examines the experiences of students with disabilities in selected Malaysian universities. Interviews with 14 students and 5 administrators indicated that universities need to play more active roles to eliminate barriers to access and participation. Participants’ accounts showed that the central role of universities lies in providing services, access, organising logistics, creating awareness, ensuring disabled-friendly facilities and developing specific policies to address issues concerning disabilities. Suggestions included increasing funding allocations, having Offices of Disability, and incorporating Universal Design (UD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to increase participation.