Culturally Adapting an Internet-Delivered Mindfulness Intervention for Indonesian University Students Experiencing...

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Research
• Digital Health Interventions
• Cross-Cultural Psychology

Background:

• Psychological distress is common among university students globally.
• Limited access to evidence-based mental health treatments in low- and middle-income countries like Indonesia.
• Internet-delivered mindfulness interventions show promise for scalable student mental health support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the cultural adaptation of an Australian internet-delivered mindfulness program for Indonesian university students.
• To ensure the intervention's relevance and appropriateness for the Indonesian cultural context.
• To address the need for accessible mental health solutions for Indonesian students.

Main Methods:

• Employed a systematic cultural adaptation framework and mixed-methods approach.
• Study 1: Online questionnaire with 248 Indonesian university students on program preferences.
• Study 2: Mixed-methods evaluation (interviews, focus groups, questionnaire) with 25 Indonesian stakeholders (professionals and students).

Main Results:

• 96.8% of students were open to internet-delivered mindfulness programs.
• Preferred program length: 3-4 sessions; lesson duration: 15-30 minutes; accessibility via web and mobile.
• Stakeholders confirmed cultural appropriateness but recommended adaptations in delivery, cultural content, engagement strategies, and design.

Conclusions:

• Cultural adaptation is crucial for the effective implementation of internet-delivered psychotherapy.
• The adapted program, Program Intervensi Mindfulness Daring Mahasiswa Indonesia, is culturally relevant for Indonesian students.
• Further research is required to assess the clinical efficacy of the adapted intervention.