EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE COURSE SEM 2021-1
FINAL PROJECT REPORT
Group No. 4
Names of Group Members and Roles
1. Audhie Agatha - 015202100082 - Member
2. Elga Deliana Zafirah - 015202100048 - Member
3. Kelly Cen - 015202100065 - Leader
4. Mutia Citra - 015202100077 - Member
5. Nathanael Hadi Jaya - 015202100095 - Member
6. Sayyidah Hilmiah - 015202100050 - Member
7. Wynona Sheehan Purba - 015202100046 - Member
III. Main Body of the Essay
We decided to arrange an essay as our final project for this Emotional Intelligence course. First and foremost, Elga is responsible for the background, Audhie for the objectives, Kelly for the topic significance and correlation to emotional intelligence, Nathan for the justification, Sayyidah and Mutia for the research evidence and example of cases, and Wynona for the society and team perspectives. In addition, Kelly is responsible for partially editing the essay words and format, so is Nathan for the latter. The publisher would be either Elga or Nathan to back up each other just in case there is an issue.
A. Introduction
a) Background
Mental health is one of the biggest issues that is faced by university students. With the academic pressure, students have to deal with stressful tasks and also dividing their university life and their individual life. It has been reported that the number of poor mental health in university students is increasing. In a survey from 274 institutions, 88% of counselling center directors reported that there is an increase in “severe” psychological problems over the previous 5 years including self-injury incidents, eating disorders, sexual assaults, and substance use (Pedrelli, Nyer, Yeung, Zulauf, & Wilens, 2015).
Adolescence is a crucial time where it is very important to have healthy mental health and deep social awareness. This includes interpersonal skills, learning to manage emotions, and also having protective and supportive environments (WHO, 2021). Adolescents are very vulnerable yet most people are not aware of this case which globally, it is estimated that 1 in 7 people around 10-19 year-olds experience mental health conditions, and these remain largely unrecognized and untreated (WHO, 2021). That is why we decided to take this topic as our essay project.
b) Objectives
This research has the following objectives.
1. To declare the importance of social awareness to university students.
2. To make university students understand the importance of social awareness.
3. To make university students have more attention and are able to speak up if there is pressure on the campus.
4. To find out more regarding the pressure received by university students.
5. To inform that mental health can not be self-diagnosed.
c) Topic Significance and Correlation to Emotional Intelligence
This essay plays a significant role in assisting to raise social awareness toward university students’ mental health, as stated in the title. Social awareness itself is indispensable in creating strong bonds with one another as social creatures. Without being socially aware, we are neglecting others’ feelings, thoughts, and actions—being inconsiderate and ignorant, perhaps even selfish. In fact, it is the key to address the society’s needs and concerns to empathize and create a more peaceful world of comprehension and tolerance, where everyone should be able to become a blessing that positively influences others. Besides, a profound social awareness defines our adaptability in adjusting to the surroundings. That means catching up with any changes revolving around and understanding the circumstances further. Indeed, it is inevitable for more sustainable relationships.
Corresponding with emotional intelligence, social awareness is considered part of it. With social awareness being left out, no one could be completely emotionally intelligent, as a missing piece does exist. They are integrated—social awareness is interconnected with mental health, which is involved in emotional intelligence development. If one is mentally healthy, it is an excellent benefit to pursue favorable attitudes when responding to oneself and others—when attempting social awareness. That is the reason behind the selection of the topic “Social Awareness Toward University Students’ Mental Health”, to attract more of the society to a far more renewed mindset regarding both issues—social awareness and mental health— particularly among university students.
B. Justification
This research has the following justifications.
1. Increasing University Students’ Social Awareness Regarding Mental Health
The social awareness regarding mental health in Indonesia is not good enough. There are still many people that think their physical health is more important so that they put aside their mental health which is not true. The ones who make us human are physical and mental. Without one of them we are not complete. That is why it is important to take care of all of them. In this essay, we focus our topic to the university students because we understand that it will be hard to discuss if we have a very broad target and since we are university students, we choose to start from it. In fact, in this stage also having a social awareness regarding mental health is very important because in the university student level we are actually fragile because we are too old to get protection (or we can say we are not a child nor teenager anymore) but also, we’re too young to face free social life. In this stage also, we will get so many new experiences that maybe can affect our mental health. For example, we are accepting too many pressures, experiencing something really bad that can cause a trauma, or anything else that can affect our mental health. How can we deal with it if we are not having a social awareness regarding mental health? That is why our topic is “Social Awareness Toward University Students’ Mental Health”.
2. Providing the Correct Concepts About Mental Health To University Students Who Are Starting To Be Socially Aware of It
Increasing university students’ social awareness regarding mental health does not mean that there are no university students who are aware about it. Some of them do but the next questions are do they have the right concepts or knowledge? Unfortunately, not all of them have it. It is proven from the social media, some of university students have talk about mental health, they share their experience through social media but sadly some of them directly presume they are having some mental issues but they never check it to the psychologist and if others ask about how do they know, they will just say “I know it from Google”. That kind of answer is not good and tends to make other people underestimate something that is actually good. That is why increasing university students’ social awareness regarding mental health must be balanced by giving them the right concepts and knowledge. What kind of concepts and knowledge will be needed by university students? Of course we can start from the basic one such as what is mental health, how to treat your mental health well, what is the sign if there is something wrong with your mental health, what is the right steps if you feel that there is something with your mental health, etc.
3. Preparing Indonesia's Next Generation with Good Mental Health To Survive In the Global Society
First of all, who is the closest generation that will continue the nation's dream? Of course, one of the closest ones is the university students. Then, what will this generation face in the future? There are so many world-wide competitions in getting a job, the social media life that can be so tough, the post condition after this pandemic, etc. from those obstacles there will be risk related to the mental health such as depression, insomnia, anxiety, eating disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and many more. Those mental issues can happen to our next generation and none of that is trivial. When it comes to our mental health, the impact can be massive. That is why preparing the university students to be socially aware with their mental health is very important since they are the closest generation that will carry the future of Indonesia and so that they can survive in society or the world.
C. Argumentation
Mental problems frequently begin in childhood or adolescence, although therapy does not begin for several years. Although interventions with early incipient disorders may assist lower the severity of main disorders and prevent subsequent disorders, further research on acceptable therapies for early incipient cases and long-term evaluation of the impact of early intervention on secondary prevention is needed. (Kessler, Amminger, Aguilar-Gaxiola, Alonso, Lee, & Üstün, 2007) By the age of 14, over a half of the teenagers had met the criteria for at least one condition. Simple phobias appeared first (during early childhood), but the highest risk periods for severe depression and drug abuse problems were in adolescence. Early onset (by the age 14) problems were linked to sustained behavioral and emotional functioning deficits in late adolescence (by age 18). Furthermore, early beginning of disorders (years 15–18) was associated with a higher probability of co-occurring disorders than later onset (ages 15–18). (Giaconia, Reinherz, Silverman, Pakiz, Frost, & Cohen, 1994)
Mental disorders are as common among college students as they are among non-students of the same age group, and the frequency and severity of these problems appear to be increasing. The goal of this paper is to examine the research literature on college student mental health and make comparisons to the literature on adolescent and young adult populations in general. (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010) According to the researchers, personal stigma was both positively and adversely associated with measures of help seeking. Although perceived public stigma was significantly higher than personal stigma, it was not significantly connected with seeking help. The findings can be used to influence efforts to lessen stigma's function as a barrier to getting treatment. (Eisenberg, Downs, Golberstein, & Zivin, 2009)
Many college students either face the onset or an aggravation of mental health and substance use problems. Because of the particular characteristics of college students, it is necessary to list essential topics to consider while working with this group. Practitioners will be better able to treat college kids if they become familiar with the special challenges associated with their developmental stage and setting. (Pedrelli, Nyer, Yeung, Zulauf, & Wilens, 2014) University mental health practitioners must continue to make strategic efforts to convey knowledge about mental health services to all students, given the high incidence rates and severity of mental health disorders. (Yorgason, Linville, & Zitzman, 2010)
As a college student ourselves, we found that depression, anxiety, loneliness, and other mental health problems are increasing by the time we went to college compared to our years in highschool, middle school, and elementary school. A Boston University mental health researcher and a co–principal investigator of the nationwide survey, Sarah K. Lipson said that half of college students in fall 2020 screened positive for depression and/or anxiety. Especially as the pandemic grew over time, According to the survey, 83 percent of students said their mental health had a negative impact on their academic performance in the previous month, and two-thirds of college students are lonely and depressed most high prevalence that reflects the pandemic's toll and the social distancing required to combat it. Lipson also suggested that faculty should be flexible with deadlines and remind students that their skill isn't exclusively proved by their ability to obtain a perfect mark in one difficult semester. At a higher level within colleges and universities, administrators should focus on providing students with mental health services that emphasize prevention, coping, and resilience. The fall 2020 survey data revealed a significant “treatment gap,” meaning that many students who screen positive for depression or anxiety are not receiving mental health services. It is also important to note that rising mental health challenges are not unique to the college setting—instead, the survey findings are consistent with a broader trend of declining mental health in adolescents and young adults.
In Indonesia, Mental illness has been a stigma for so many years, and still remains that way. However, no matter how people with mental health problems try to be normal and deny that there is anything wrong with them, deep down, we know that mental illness is a real problem and something has to be done about it. Some people accepted the fact that anxiety and depression cannot be cured. Even though mental therapy exists, it was never really an option since in Indonesia, it is still kind of a taboo topic. A person struggling with their mental health may experience this due to stress, loneliness, depression, anxiety, relationship problems, death of a loved one, suicidal thoughts, sadness, addiction, ADHD, various mood disorders, or other mental illnesses of varying degrees, and learning disabilities. The epidemic, the effect of social media, and altering cultural values that are becoming more extrinsically driven (a successful career, more money, more followers and likes) rather than intrinsically motivated (a successful profession, generating more money, gaining more followers and likes) (being a good member of the community). The social pressure from parents, lecturers and teachers, friends, and even strangers that are applied to college students are also the biggest cause of mental health problems.
Fortunately, the world is evolving and there are more and more people who put aside the stigma and actually get some help to cure their mental illness. Survey finds 94 percent of students would not judge someone for seeking out help for mental health. Almost half of students say they perceive that others may think more poorly of them if they did seek help. People need to realize that in order to make the world a better place is not only about educating them academically, but also nurturing their health, mentaly and physically. Students need to be encouraged that peers are not judging them anymore. (McAlpine, 2021)
d. References
division of adolescent and school health . (2021, May 12). Mental health . From Centers for disease control and prevention : https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/mental-health/index.htm
Pedrelli, P., Nyer, M., Yeung, A., Zulauf, C., & Wilens, T. (2015). College Students: Mental Health Problems and Treatment Considerations. PMC, 503–511.
WHO. (2021, November 17). Adolescent mental health . From World Health Organization : https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
Eisenberg, D., Downs, M. F., Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K. (2009, May 19). Stigma and Help Seeking for Mental Health Among College Students. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from Sage Journals: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1077558709335173
Giaconia, R. M., Reinherz, H. Z., Silverman, A. B., Pakiz, B., Frost, A. K., & Cohen, E. (1994, June 1). Ages of Onset of Psychiatric Disorders in a Community Population of Older Adolescents. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(09)64244-1/pdf
Hunt, J., & Eisenberg, D. (2010, January). Mental Health Problems and Help-Seeking Behavior Among College Students. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from sciencedirect.com: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1054139X09003401
Kessler, R. C., Amminger, G. P., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., Alonso, J., Lee, S., & Üstün, T. B. (2007, July). Age of onset of mental disorders: a review of recent literature. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from Current Opinion in Psichiatry: https://journals.lww.com/co-psychiatry/Abstract/2007/07000/Age_of_onset_of_mental_disorders__a_review_of.10.aspx
McAlpine, K. J. (2021, February 17). Depression, Anxiety, Loneliness Are Peaking in College Students. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from Boston University: The Brink: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/depression-anxiety-loneliness-are-peaking-in-college-students/
Pedrelli, P., Nyer, M., Yeung, A., Zulauf, C., & Wilens, T. (2014, August 21). College Students: Mental Health Problems and Treatment Considerations. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from link.springer.com: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40596-014-0205-9
Yorgason, J. B., Linville, D., & Zitzman, B. (2010, August 6). Mental Health Among College Students: Do Those Who Need Services Know About and Use Them? Retrieved December 14, 2021, from Taylor and Francis Online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JACH.57.2.173-182
