On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, the Doctoral Program in Psychology held the third closed doctoral defense from the 2021 cohort. This time, Brigitta Erlita Tri Anggadewi, S.Psi., M.Psi., Psychologist, defended her dissertation titled The Concept of Independent Living for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities in the Indonesian Context.

The examination committee consisted of Dr. Nida Ul Hasanat, M.Si., Psikolog, as Promoter, and Restu Tri Handoyo, S.Psi., M.Psi., Ph.D., Psikolog, as Co-Promoter. Erlita’s dissertation was also examined by experts in the field, namely: Elga Andriana, S.Psi, M.Ed, Ph.D., (Faculty of Psychology UGM), Supra Wimbarti, M.Sc., Ph.D., Psychologist (Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI), Jakarta Social Sciences Commission), and Prof. Dr. Mumpuniarti, M.Pd. (Special Education, Faculty of Education and Psychology, UNY). Dr. Wenty Marina Minza, M.A., Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs of the Faculty of Psychology UGM, chaired the defense.

The dissertation consists of five studies involving multiple stakeholders, ranging from individuals with intellectual disabilities, parents, teachers, psychologists (developmental, special education, rehabilitation), doctors, to policymakers. Through this approach, Erlita sought to capture the meaning of independent living comprehensively from different perspectives.

Erlita emphasized that independence is not merely an individual concept, but also the result of interactions, support, and understanding from the surrounding environment. “It is important to listen to how independent living is perceived by those around individuals with intellectual disabilities,” she stated.

She also reaffirmed her commitment to disseminating her research findings to various stakeholders involved in the study. She hopes her work will open new spaces for discussion on how independent living can be realized in a more inclusive and contextual way in Indonesia.

This research is expected not only to contribute to the development of psychology but also to make a tangible impact in fostering a more caring, inclusive society that supports independence for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Congratulations to Brigitta Erlita Tri Anggadewi on this significant achievement. May this milestone further pave the way for a psychology that makes a broader impact on life.

Writer: Yutia Cesarinda Kusumawati
Editor: Sussanti

Sheilla Varadhila Peristianto, M.Psi., Psikolog, successfully earned her doctoral degree at the open defense of the Doctoral Program in Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, on Tuesday (19/08). Her dissertation, titled “The Concept of Rasa Rumangsa and Its Relation to the Subjective Burden of Families Caring for Individuals with Schizophrenia”, marked her as the 6,672nd doctoral graduate of UGM.

The open doctoral defense was held in Room A-203, Faculty of Psychology UGM. The session was chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Psychology, Rahmat Hidayat, S.Psi., M.Sc., Ph.D., and attended by distinguished examiners from the academic community. Serving as Promoter was Prof. Drs. Subandi, M.A., Ph.D., Psikolog, with Co-Promoter Dra. Muhana Sofiati Utami, M.S., Ph.D., Psikolog. The examining committee also included PProf. Dra. Kwartarini Wahyu Yuniarti, M.Med.Sc., Ph.D., Psikolog, Dr. Nida Ul Hasanat, M.Si., Psikolog, as well as external examiners Dr. Nanik Prihartanti, M.Si., and Dr. dr. Carla Raymondalexas Marchira, SpKJ.

In her research, Sheilla highlighted a Javanese cultural value—rasa rumangsa—that plays an important role in helping families manage themselves while caring for a member with schizophrenia. She successfully developed a valid and reliable measurement tool for rasa rumangsa, and demonstrated its role in reducing family members’ subjective burden through social support. Her findings not only enrich the study of local culture but also open opportunities for Javanese wisdom-based psychological interventions to strengthen family resilience in caregiving.

With this achievement, Sheilla hopes her research can serve as a reference for developing culturally grounded psychological interventions. She emphasized the importance of providing support services that do not solely focus on medical aspects, but also consider the social and cultural dimensions inherent in families. According to her, integrating local wisdom values such as rasa rumangsa into psychological practice can strengthen social support, reduce subjective burden, and enhance the well-being of families caring for individuals with schizophrenia.

“This research has greatly enriched my perspective in understanding reality. Within it are stories, experiences, local wisdom, and voices that I hope will become a meaningful contribution to the world of psychology,” Sheilla expressed in her remarks after officially receiving her doctorate, completed in 3 years, 10 months, and 25 days, with cum laude distinction.

Writer: Relung Fajar Sukmawati

Source: https://psikologi.ugm.ac.id/earns-doctorate-at-ugm-sheilla-varadhila-explores-the-concept-of-rasa-rumangsa-to-ease-the-burden-of-families-caring-for-schizophrenia-patients/

The Doctoral Program in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), officially welcomed 11 new students for the 2025/2026 academic year, including two students from the fast-track Master’s-to-Doctoral program. The academic orientation took place on August 11–15, 2025, followed by the supervisor meeting on August 19–20, 2025.

The orientation began with a joint session with Master’s students, covering topics on academic life at UGM, university values, academic ethics, and an introduction to various units at the Faculty of Psychology. Students also had the opportunity to get to know research centers, collaboration units, laboratories, the library, and student services.

On the second day, participants were introduced to the digital academic system through workshops on SIT and Simaster. In the afternoon, they joined the Promovendus Club (PC)—the doctoral student community—which concluded with the handover of leadership from the 2023 cohort to the 2024 cohort.

The agenda continued with a faculty tour and a visit to the UGM Museum on the third day. This was followed by an explanation of the 2020 curriculum and the academic calendar by the Head of the Program.

On the fourth day, students were encouraged to maintain their well-being through the session Move & Thrive: Light Exercise for Doctoral Wellness with Fajar Tri Asmara. On the same day, they also attended an international workshop with Dr. Bruno Messina Coimbra from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, on the use of ASReview, an AI-based tool to support systematic review research.

The orientation culminated on the fifth day at Wisdom Park with Rise & Thrive: Games to Fuel Doctoral Journey!—a program designed to strengthen camaraderie and collective spirit. The series concluded with a motivational session by Fuad Hamsyah, S.Psi., M.Sc., Ph.D., emphasizing the importance of maintaining enthusiasm and togetherness throughout the doctoral journey.

Through this orientation program, Doctoral Program in Psychology equips new students not only with academic knowledge but also with a foundation of community, health, and motivation to support them throughout their doctoral studies.

Writer: Yutia Cesarinda Kusumawati
Editor: Sussanti

Endah Puspita Sari, a doctoral student in Psychology at UGM, successfully published her research titled “Cross-cultural adaptation and factor structure investigation of the Marital Forgiveness Scale” in a scientific journal.

This study focuses on adapting and validating the Marital Forgiveness Scale (MFS) within the Indonesian cultural context. The MFS is a psychological instrument that measures an individual’s tendency to forgive in marriage. Since forgiveness is a key factor in maintaining marital harmony, this research provides important insights into how married couples in Indonesia navigate conflicts and build healthy relationships.

Adapting the Marital Forgiveness Scale to the Indonesian Cultural Context

The study involved 330 millennial couples who participated in online and offline surveys. The adaptation process included translation and cultural adjustments, followed by validity and reliability tests to ensure the instrument accurately measures forgiveness tendencies within Indonesian society.

Key Findings of This Study:

• The Indonesian version of the MFS has good validity and reliability, demonstrating that the scale is effective in measuring forgiveness tendencies in marriage.
• The two main dimensions of MFS, positive and negative, remain relevant in the Indonesian cultural context.
• Further analysis found gender differences in the negative dimension, indicating that men and women process conflicts and forgiveness differently.

With a validated and reliable instrument, this study is expected to:

• Support further research on forgiveness in marriage in Indonesia.
• Serve as a reference for counselors and psychologists in helping couples manage conflicts and build more harmonious relationships.
• Provide insights for married couples on the importance of forgiveness in maintaining emotional balance and marital resilience.

Full Research Access

This publication is a valuable contribution to the academic field and clinical psychology practice. The research findings can be accessed through the following link:

🔗 https://journal.walisongo.ac.id/index.php/Psikohumaniora/article/view/22463

Congratulations to Endah Puspita Sari on her outstanding achievement! Hopefully, this research will contribute to the advancement of psychology and help couples build more harmonious marriages.