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