The Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, extends its warmest congratulations to Dr Farah Nurulhuda Binti Anuar on the successful completion of her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) viva voce defence on 6 October 2026.
Her dissertation, entitled “Stigmatising Attitudes Towards People with Mental Illness: The Association of Trait Mindfulness and Compassion Among Healthcare Personnel in Johor”, addresses a critical public health concern: the persistence of mental illness stigma among healthcare personnel and the potential role of mindfulness and compassion in fostering more empathetic healthcare environments.
This achievement marks an important academic milestone and reflects her dedication to advancing mental health research and strengthening the quality of healthcare delivery in Malaysia.
Understanding Mental Illness Stigma: The Role of Mindfulness and Compassion
Mental illness stigma remains a significant barrier to equitable and compassionate healthcare. Negative attitudes among healthcare personnel can influence patient experiences, healthcare accessibility, treatment engagement and ultimately, health outcomes.
Recognising this challenge, Dr Farah Nurulhuda investigated how trait mindfulness and compassion are associated with stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental illness among healthcare personnel in Johor.
Her research employed a comprehensive two-phase approach.
Phase One: Validation of Research Instruments
The first phase focused on translating and validating three psychological assessment instruments into Malay: the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale (SCBCS) and Attribution Questionnaire-9 (AQ-9).
Involving 558 healthcare personnel, this phase established the validity and reliability of the instruments for use in Malaysian healthcare settings. Notably, the research also produced a refined six-item Behavioural Stigma Scale, providing a culturally relevant tool for assessing mental illness stigma.
Phase Two: Examining Stigma, Mindfulness and Compassion
The second phase involved 975 healthcare personnel from Hospital Permai and public health clinics across Johor.
The findings identified significant differences in stigmatising attitudes according to educational attainment, professional roles and religious affiliation. Importantly, higher trait mindfulness was associated with lower stigma in the adjusted regression analysis.
The study also demonstrated that compassion partially mediated the overall relationship between trait mindfulness and stigma, with distinct mediation patterns across individual mindfulness facets.
These findings offer valuable insights into the complex relationships between psychological characteristics, sociocultural influences and professional experiences in shaping attitudes towards people with mental illness.
Highlighting an Outstanding Academic Achievement
Dr Farah Nurulhuda’s successful viva voce defence represents the culmination of rigorous academic work, perseverance and a strong commitment to public health research.
Her notable research achievements include:
- Advancing culturally relevant research tools through the translation and psychometric validation of mindfulness, compassion and stigma assessment instruments for Malaysian healthcare personnel.
- Conducting substantial field research, involving 558 participants in the validation phase and 975 healthcare personnel in the cross-sectional phase.
- Identifying important factors associated with mental illness stigma, providing evidence to inform more targeted interventions across healthcare professional groups.
- Exploring the mediating role of compassion, contributing to a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms associated with mental illness stigma.
- Generating locally relevant evidence that can support the development of culturally appropriate interventions to promote compassionate and inclusive mental healthcare.
These accomplishments demonstrate her ability to translate complex public health challenges into meaningful research questions and generate evidence with potential practical applications.
Contributions to Public Health: Towards Compassionate and Stigma-Free Healthcare
The significance of Dr Farah Nurulhuda’s research extends beyond academic achievement.
Mental health stigma within healthcare systems is not merely an issue of individual attitudes; it is a public health concern that can undermine trust, discourage help-seeking and contribute to inequalities in healthcare delivery.
Her findings make several important contributions to public health practice in Malaysia.
First, the validated Malay-language instruments provide researchers and healthcare organisations with practical tools to assess mindfulness, compassion and mental illness stigma in local healthcare settings.
Second, identifying demographic and professional factors associated with stigma can help inform targeted educational programmes and professional development initiatives.
Third, the findings provide an evidence-informed rationale for further developing and evaluating mindfulness-based compassion training among healthcare personnel. Such interventions may help strengthen empathetic communication, reduce discriminatory attitudes and improve patient-centred care.
More broadly, the research supports Malaysia’s continuing efforts to strengthen mental health services by highlighting the importance of addressing healthcare providers’ attitudes alongside clinical knowledge and service accessibility.
By connecting psychological well-being, professional practice and public health outcomes, Dr Farah Nurulhuda’s work offers a promising foundation for future research and intervention development towards a more inclusive mental healthcare system.
Acknowledgement
We wish to acknowledge the invaluable guidance and mentorship provided by Dr Farah Nurulhuda Binti Anuar’s supervisors, Dr Maslinor Ismail, Associate Professor Dr ‘Abqariyah Yahya@Ahmad Noor and Dr Siti Idayu Hasan, from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, whose expertise and support were instrumental in the completion of her thesis.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Professor Dr Claire Henderson, External Examiner from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom, and Associate Professor Dr Nik Daliana Nik Farid, Internal Examiner from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya.
We would also like to thank the Committee of Examiners for their thorough evaluation and insightful feedback, including Professor Dr Tan Maw Pin, the Chairperson of the viva voce session; and Professor Dr Victor Hoe, Head of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya.
Their collective expertise, constructive feedback and commitment to academic excellence contributed to this important milestone.
Congratulations and Best Wishes for the Future!
Once again, heartfelt congratulations to Dr Farah Nurulhuda Binti Anuar on successfully completing her Doctor of Public Health viva voce defence!
Her research highlights the importance of looking beyond clinical treatment to recognise how healthcare professionals’ attitudes, compassion and awareness can influence the experiences of people living with mental illness.
As she embarks on the next chapter of her professional and academic journey, we look forward to seeing her research translated into meaningful public health initiatives, particularly in mental health stigma reduction, healthcare personnel training and the promotion of compassionate healthcare practices.
May this achievement inspire continued contributions to evidence-based public health practice, mental health advocacy and the development of a more empathetic and inclusive healthcare system in Malaysia.
Congratulations on this remarkable milestone, Dr Farah Nurulhuda! We wish you continued success in your future endeavours and contributions to public health.
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