Invest visitor: Siti Khadijah Zainal Badri

I am an Associate Professor of Applied Psychology at the Institute of Work, Organisation and Wellbeing (IWOW) (formerly known as the Division of Organisational and Applied Psychology – DOAP) at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. I hold various responsibilities, including Director of Research and Knowledge Engagement (RKE) for IWOW, senior tutor, and Chair of the Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FASS) committee.

My broader research interests include issues surrounding mental health and well-being at work and in the general population in Malaysia. My research priorities focus on understanding the predictors, consequences, frameworks, and complex social mechanisms associated with mental health issues in both working and non-working populations. I am particularly interested in examining different levels of practical problems and interactions related to human life (such as various aspects of work life, personal life, and family life) including surrounding socio-economic conditions (e.g. changing work demands/climate, technological revolution, digitalisation) in understanding mental health and well-being challenges or needs at a social/group level.

At present, much of my focus and research supervision is centred on understanding well-being problems and promoting the mental health of young professionals across different occupations. I am deeply enthusiastic about exploring the mental health issues of young people, such as adolescents and young adults, given the significant influence of these issues on the quality of the future workforce where I come from.

Why did you want to visit INVEST?

I am part of the research team from Malaysia for the Global Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (GCAMS), through which I had the opportunity to learn about INVEST and UTU and the impressive work done by Professor Andre Sourander and his team.

INVEST has introduced several informed perspectives and ideas through this project focusing on child and adolescent research. It helps me to understand some potential implications of unmet mental health needs of the child and adolescent population towards quality and resilience of future workforce from clinical, practical, and policy depths. Visiting INVEST and UTU is an excellent outlet for me to learn, exchange ideas and bridge my existing focus and expertise on the mental health of young professionals.

I am also drawn to the broader aspect of INVEST and Finland as a country which receives many global admirations for its outstanding social policy in supporting well-being and welfare. Having the opportunity to visit INVEST allows me to directly experience the culture, hospitality and mindset of its people which prioritises social development, and wellbeing from early years of human development.

What do you expect/hope to achieve during your visit to INVEST?

The visiting fellowship has served as an excellent platform for me to understand the admirable dedication of INVEST to becoming the leading global research centre for research related to the mental health of children, adolescents, and young people.

My aspiration includes establishing a long-term partnership and supporting INVEST and fellow UTU researchers in terms of projects, knowledge exchanges or research collaboration that can bring mutual benefit to global mental health research for Finland and the Malaysian population. I am also excited and look forward to future collaborative projects, including cross-cultural and interdisciplinary research in promoting adolescents’ mental health that have great implications for building healthier and more resilient young professionals at work in the future.