Universiti Malaya Community Engagement Centre (UMCares)
UMCares Impact Minute : Building Mental Health Resilience
Introduction
Building mental health resilience for the B40 community of PPR Gombak Setia was built based on the quadruple helix model of the University for Society (U4S). A series of educational programs targeting different age groups in the community has been conducted since January 2021 by a team of researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and UMCares. The main aim was to break the mental health stigma among the community, build resilience to face the challenging environment, and create awareness for them to help others and seek help when the need arises. The next aim was to introduce an "out of the textbook" curriculum to the final year medical students of UM so that they could actively engage with the community.
Impact Minute
Our Team
The mental health research team for the U4S Zon Tengah Wilayah comprises four lecturers:
The methodology
Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, all our programs were conducted online through various social media. Physical and virtual meetings were conducted with the community leaders, DBKL and Pfizer Malaysia, as each program is unique to a specific age group. The final year medical students created informative and creative posters, videos and organised forums shared through social media platforms with the PPR Gombak Setia community. Five programs addressed domestic violence towards women (conducted twice),cyberbullying for children and teenagers, men's health and mental health awareness month.
Invited experts actively engaged with the participants during the online forum and live telecasting through social media. Participants answered the pre and post-program program questionnaire.
Our collaborators, partners and sponsors
Our main collaborators are Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur, Persatuan Penduduk PPR Gombak Setia and Kelab Belia PPR Gombak Setia.
As part of a university-industry partnership, we have established an MOA with Pfizer Malaysia, whereby Pfizer Malaysia is actively contributing and engaging with the community through our programs organised for the community. Pfizer Malaysia and MR. DIY have sponsored door gifts to more than 120 participants in the most recent domestic violence program.
Impact on the community and our UM students
Impact to the community
The program has had a positive impact on the women,s community. They have increased knowledge and awareness of domestic violence issues, when, where and how to get help, and how to offer help to suspected domestic violence victims. There were improvements in knowledge and awareness of mental health illnesses and ways to manage them among the participants, and they have requested that this program be done for a longer-term.
Impact to UM's students
The program has improved the final year medical students' communication, community engagement, leadership and teamwork skills, essential for working when they graduate soon.
Moving forward
This program must benefit more B40 and the M40 community. Government agencies, NGOs, and industries' engagement and collaboration are welcomed for our community's well-being to improve mental health resilience.
Last Update: 09/05/2022