IIUM JOURNAL OF HUMAN SCIENCES

Enhancing Psychological Well-Being Through Experiential Learning in Self-Compassion and Learned Optimism Among Malaysian Adults

Venisry Periasamy Gnana Sambathar, Ameerah Abdul Azmil, Lihanna Borhan — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

While mental health awareness has grown in recent years, many adults still lack the practical understanding needed to apply positive psychology principles, often undermining their emotional resilience through perfectionism, pessimism, and self-criticism. This study explores the awareness, understanding, and application of two key constructs: self-compassion and learned optimism, among Malaysian adults following a culturally sensitive intervention. The study involved 20 women aged 18 to 40 who participated in a two-part intervention: an in-person experiential workshop designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and lived emotional experience. Using a pre-post design with a follow-up phase, researchers collected data through questionnaires and reflective responses to assess both practical and psychological shifts. Quantitative findings revealed significant improvements in participants' knowledge scores, alongside modest shifts in their underlying beliefs and attitudes. Qualitatively, participants reported successfully integrating practical coping tools, particularly the Self-Compassion Break and the ABCDE model, into their daily routines, leading to improved emotional regulation and heightened awareness of internal self-talk patterns. Furthermore, participants naturally incorporated cultural and spiritual elements, such as Tawakkul (reliance on Allah), reinforcing the importance of tailoring positive psychology interventions to specific cultural contexts. Although participants acknowledged challenges in sustaining these new habits long-term, they showed increased openness and a strong intention to continue applying the learned strategies. Ultimately, this study highlights the feasibility and relevance of brief, experiential workshops in fostering psychological well-being, emotional awareness, and self-reflective growth in adult populations.

Navigating Grief and Post-traumatic Growth Among Muslim Adults Who Lost a Parent During Adolescence

Kyay Mone Win Khin, Nurul Miza Mohd Rashid — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Losing a parent during adolescence can profoundly affect development, imposing physical and psychological challenges that may persist into adulthood. This qualitative study explored reactions to loss, coping strategies, and post-traumatic growth among six Muslim adults who lost a parent during adolescence. Using a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand participants lived experiences. Thematic analysis revealed four major domains: reaction to loss, coping strategies, post-traumatic growth, and the continuing grief process. Participants’ initial responses ranged from shock and emotional withdrawal to delayed grief that surfaced later in adulthood. Coping strategies varied across emotion-focused, maladaptive, religious, and problem-focused responses, with socio-cultural and spiritual influences shaping their choices. Emotion-focused coping, particularly thought suppression, helped participants maintain functioning but at times hindered emotional processing. Religious practices offered meaning and stability, although some participants experienced guilt framed by their faith. Despite these struggles, many participants reported growth in areas such as personal strength, spirituality, and life purpose. The findings also highlighted that grief was not fully resolved over time. Instead, it resurfaced during significant life events, reflecting the non-linear and enduring nature of loss. This study underscores the need for culturally sensitive grief interventions that address both immediate emotional needs and the long-term psychological journey of bereaved Muslim youth.

The Economic Impact of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Osun State

Jamiu Adeniyi Yusuf, Olawale Muideen Aremu, Oludoyi Isaac Olakunle — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

This study provides a comprehensive examination of the economic impact of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Osun State, Nigeria. SMEs play a crucial role in fostering economic development, generating employment opportunities, and driving innovation within the local economy. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates quantitative survey data with qualitative insights from in-depth interviews with SME owners. The findings reveal that SMEs are vital contributors to local employment and economic diversification, significantly enhancing the region's economic landscape. However, the study also identifies several challenges SMEs face, including limited access to financial resources and regulatory hurdles that hinder growth. These obstacles underscore the urgent need for supportive policies and initiatives to bolster SME growth and sustainability in Osun State. Ultimately, the research advocates a collaborative effort between government and the private sector to create a more conducive environment for SMEs to thrive.

Unmasking Fake News: Lexical Patterns in COVID-19 Misinformation

Sharmin Haque, Adlina Ariffin — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

The surge of fake news on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic posed serious risks to public health and social stability. While previous studies have largely focused on computational detection of misinformation, less attention has been paid to identifying human-recognisable linguistic features that enable real-time fake news detection. This exploratory study investigated the lexical features that characterise fake COVID-19 news and identified the most distinctive features that differentiate fake news from authentic reporting. Using a qualitative research design, this study analysed 27 misinformation texts to examine a corpus of English-language fake COVID-19 news articles collected from an International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN)-certified fact-checking website: SEBENARNYA.MY (Malaysia). The findings may suggest preliminary evidence of linguistic patterns of recurring lexical features in fake news, including random capitalisation (capitalised words and all-uppercase text), irregular use of lowercase letters, repetition of content words and phrases, multiple types of spelling errors, informal shortened words, inappropriate lexical choices, and non-standard formatting such as excessive bold text and improper word spacing. The results indicate that fake news shows orthographic instability, reduced lexical diversity, and register mismatch, reflecting deceptive intent and cognitive constraints associated with fabricated narratives. This study contributes to fake news research by foregrounding interpretable, surface-level lexical cues that enable readers to identify misinformation without reliance on automated tools. The findings have important implications for media literacy, public health communication, and linguistic approaches to detect misinformation.

A Rasch Measure of Parents’ Educational Expectations Scale of Kindergarten Children: Validation of the Indonesian Version

Erni Agustina Setiowati, Lihanna Borhan, Zainurin Abd Rahman — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

A measurement tool intended to assess parents’ expectations for their young children is needed. This paper presents the adaptation and validation of the Parents’ Educational Expectations, which consists of academic, social, athletic, art, and compliance domains. The initial study included translation (forward and backwards), expert committee review, and pretesting to ensure compliance with the translation and cultural adaptation process. A total of 202 parents of kindergarten children, predominantly mothers (70,3%) and fathers (29,7%) from 7 kindergartens, completed the 32-item Indonesian version of Parents’ Educational Expectations. We used quota sampling, and we analysed the data using Winsteps 3.73. Rasch analysis showed excellent item quality for the academic, social, athletic, art, and compliance domains, with values of 0.99, 0.98, 0.91, 0.94, and 0.99, respectively. The person's reliability in the academic domain was consistent (0.81), and the domain's reliability was 0.86. However, other domains have person and domain reliability scores below 0.60; therefore, these domains need further elaboration. Regarding dimensionality, all domains were unidimensional, and the present study also identified item difficulty levels in each domain.

The Evaluation of Peer Support Group in Navigating Friendship Challenges among Undergraduate Students

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0800

This study investigates the social challenges undergraduate students face in forming and sustaining friendships and evaluates the effectiveness of a peer support group intervention designed to address these issues. Using a mixed-methods design, the study combines qualitative need analysis through semi-structured interviews with quantitative outcome assessments. Eight undergraduate participants took part in three structured intervention sessions that emphasised intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies, including emotional validation, perspective-taking, and effective communication. The intervention drew on Positive Psychology principles. Quantitative data, collected using the Friendship Network Satisfaction Scale, showed that 75 per cent of participants reported increased friendship satisfaction after the intervention. Qualitative feedback further highlighted gains in empathy, emotional awareness, and communication skills. The findings underscore the potential of peer support group interventions as a practical way to enhance social connectedness and mitigate relational difficulties among university students.