Family, Spirituality, and Mental Health in Higher Education
Esa Nur Wahyuni
1
, Rahmat Aziz
2
, and Retno Mangestuti
2
1
Islamic Education Department, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, Malang, Indonesia
2
Psychology Department, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, Malang, Indonesia
Keywords: Family Functioning, Spirituality, Mental Health, Higher Education.
Abstract: Family, spirituality and mental health have become important issues in education. The holistic education
paradigm views these three variables play a part in determining student development and their academic
achievement. Theoretically, family and spirituality affect mental health. Healthy mentality can develop into a
functional and supportive family, and the mental health of individuals becomes disrupted when in distressed
families. Spirituality also has a positive impact on mental health, especially when a person experiences life
pressure. Students who have healthy spirituality will have strong mental resilience when they are in a family
and a depressed environment. This study aims to empirically examine the influence of families on mental
health with spirituality as a mediator. Total 382 respondents were involved in this study. The level of mental
health is measured using a mental health scale, and spirituality is measured using a scale of daily spiritual
experience. For family support measured by a family scale developed by Rindfleisch. Regression analysis
results showed that family and spirituality have a significant influence on mental health. The results of the
spirituality mediation test showed that spirituality mediated the influence of the family on students' mental
health. Thus, this study points out that spirituality is an essential aspect of maintaining the mental health of
students. Mentally healthy students have the opportunity for academic and developmental success.
1 INTRODUCTION
Mental health has become an important issue in
education, especially in universities. In addition to
increasing awareness that mental health affects
student development and their achievements, there is
also the fact that college students are vulnerable to
mental health problems.
Considerable evidence that mental health
problems appear among college students (Conley,
Durlak, & Kirsch, 2015; Auerbach et al., 2018).
Emotional issues such as depression, stress, high
anxiety, have been known as common symptoms
experienced and potentially threatening the lives of
students and cause mental health problems (Fehring,
Brennan, & Keller, 1987; Conley, Durlak, & Kirsch,
2015; Keyes et al., 2012). Mental health problems
have a terrible impact on students. Academically, it
causes students to have low academic performance
and achievement, even study failure (Alzaeem,
Sulaiman, & Gillani, 2010; Carter, 2016).
Student mental health is an important aspect that
needs attention because it has a significant impact on
the life of the campus environment both at the
individual, interpersonal, and institutional level
(Kitzrow, 2009a). At the individual level, mental
health problems affect all aspects of students, both
emotional, physical, social, and academic.
Emotionally, students experience mood disorders,
anxiety, depression, depression, and mood disorders.
While physically students become exhausted, lack
energy, problems with eating and sleeping patterns,
and poor concentration. Socially, students lose
enthusiasm for regular activities and withdraw from
the social environment, as well as more extreme
conditions to escape from home and even commit
suicide. Academically, students who have mental
health problems also experience impairments in
academic performance, attention, and low levels of
student graduation. The results of research conducted
by Alzaeem, Sulaiman, & Gillani, (2010), Carter
(2016), Brackney and Karabenick (1995) have
strengthened the evidence that mental health
problems affect student academic performance.
Interpersonally, students with problematic mental
health conditions tend to have emotional and
behavioral problems in the appearance of disruptive,
disturbing, and other dangerous behaviors, even
376
Wahyuni, E., Aziz, R. and Mangestuti, R.
Family, Spirituality, and Mental Health in Higher Education.
DOI: 10.5220/0008589703760385
In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Psychology in Health, Educational, Social, and Organizational Settings (ICP-HESOS 2018) - Improving Mental Health and Harmony in
Global Community, pages 376-385
ISBN: 978-989-758-435-0
Copyright
c
 2020 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

more, extreme is self-harm to others. Such conditions
can interfere with their relationships with others, both
with classmates, staff, or teachers to be less
harmonious (Kitzrow, 2009b)
While from the institutional aspect, every
university has a vision and mission to be achieved.
The achievement of the vision and mission needs to
be supported by all academic community members,
one of whom is a student. In this context, the mental
health of students both directly and indirectly can
have an impact on the success of achieving the
university's vision and mission.
Vulnerable students as young people experience
mental problems are currently getting attention from
various parties around the world, society,
government, and practitioners from various
backgrounds. The realization of mental health of
college students as young people is one of the goals
of human development as a whole which is an
essential component of community strength,
productivity, peace, and environmental stability and
contributes to social capital and economic growth.
(Andrade et al., 2014; Auerbach et al., 2018).
The problem of students' mental health is not only
caused by the campus environment, but the family
environment is also predicted to be an essential factor
that affects a student mentally or not. The results
showed that students with healthy and harmonious
families had lower levels of depression and high
academic performance compared to students with
broken homes and single parents. (Arnold, Lucier-
Greer, Mancini, Ford, & Wickrama, 2017). Family
stability also has a vital role in shaping healthy
behavior in adolescents (Fomby & Sennott, 2013).
In addition to the family environment, student
personal factors such as spirituality are predicted to
affect the level of mental health. The results of the
study provide empirical facts that spirituality can also
affect the level of mental health of students.
Spirituality can be a mediator between life changes
and depression, where prosperous young people
spiritually can reduce the level of depression in the
face of changes in life (Fehring et al., 1987).
Based on the issues that have been explained, the
purpose of this study was to investigate the direct
influence of family on mental health and the indirect
impact of family on students' mental health through
spirituality as a mediator variable. To examine the
relationship, researchers conducted a correlation
analysis of correlation and regression analysis.
2 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS
2.1 Family and Mental Health
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
mental health is "a state of prosperity where
individuals realize their abilities, can overcome the
pressures of ordinary life, can work productively and
happily, and be able to contribute to their community
(World Health Organization, 2004). The WHO
definition represents a substantial improvement in the
definition of mental health that was previously
understood as a state of absence of mental illness
(Galderisi, Heinz, Kastrup, Beezhold, & Sartorius,
2015).
Thus the definition of mental health according to
World Health Organization (2004) emphasizes more
on the meaning of mental health as a condition that is
not only the absence of mental illness, but more than
that individuals have positive emotions and function
positively so that they can cope with life pressures
that make individuals productive in contributing to
society.
In conformity with WHO, Keyes (2002) argues
that mental health contributes significantly to a
person's overall health condition. Mental health is not
only a lack of mental illness but rather a state of
mental well-being.
Furthermore, according to Keyes (2007), a good
mentality includes three components are emotional
well-being, psychological well-being, and social
well-being. Emotional well-being includes happiness,
interest in life, and satisfaction. Psychological well-
being includes generally feeling happy with self,
being able to manage the responsibilities of everyday
life, having good relationships with others, and being
satisfied with their own lives. Social well-being refers
to positive functions and involving themselves and
having something to contribute to society (social
contribution), feeling part of the community (social
integration), believing that society is a better place for
everyone (social actualization), and that the way it
works society makes sense to them (social
coherence).
The state of well-being emotionally,
psychologically, and socially as an indicator of
mentally healthy individuals do not exist on their
own, but results from the interaction of individuals
with the environment and themselves. In the context
of the environment, a family is an environment that
has a vital role in healthy mental development in
young people (Kuhn and Laird, 2014). As a young
age group, students' mental health cannot be
separated from family influence. Healthy mentality
Family, Spirituality, and Mental Health in Higher Education
377

begins at the beginning of one's life. In the first year
of childhood, the family is responsible for the care
and development of children. In healthy families,
children learn that they can control the environment
to meet the needs for security and well-being
emotionally and physically. Children also learn about
behaviors that enable them to maintain and keep their
emotional and physical health without being
dependent on caregivers or parents.
Likewise in family who are unhealthy and at risk
of open conflict and stress (usually manifested in
episodes of repeated anger and aggression, lack of
care, family relationships that are not harmonious, not
supportive, and negligent) will make vulnerable
children experience various kinds of mental and
physical health disorders (Repetti et al., 2002). This
view emphasizes that family have a significant role in
developing a healthy mentality in individuals.
Family, both long and short term can have an impact
on the mental health of young people positively or
negatively.
The role of families in developing mental health
in young people is determined by family support.
Family support is the attitude and actions of family
acceptance towards other family members so that
each family member feels that someone is paying
attention and giving help if needed (Friedmann et al.,
2004). Family support can also be understood as a
pattern of interpersonal relationships between
families to protect family members from stressful and
adverse conditions. (Arnold, Lucier-Greer, Mancini,
Ford, & Wickrama, 2017.; David H., Demo & Alan
C. Acock, 1996)
Family support is also understood as family
sources, namely sources where children or young
people get family support to meet their development
needs. Rindfleisch, Burroughs, & Denton (1997).
Dividing two family sources, namely tangible and
intangible family support. Tangible support,
including clothing, food and shelter, and finance.
While intangible support is time and attention,
emotional support and love, discipline, guidance and
role modeling, life skills and instruction.
Research on families with low economic status
and lack of material support has the potential to bring
about psychological and social welfare problems that
lead to the emergence of mental health problems.
Furthermore, for families who have an economic
disruption resulting in low tangible support can also
be the cause of the appearance of intangible disorders
in the form of low emotional support, guidance, love,
and role models. (Rindfleisch et al.,1997).
In addition to family support, another aspect that
affects mental health in young people is family
stressors. Family stressors are conditions or events
that exist in the family and create pressure on the
family (Masarik & Conger, 2017). Family stressors
can be in the form of accidental pressure to move
residence, divorce, lack of economic conditions,
involvement in the crime, changes in composition and
family members, as well as events in the death of
family members (Rindfleisch et al., 1997). Several
studies have shown that family stressors can affect the
physical, social-emotional and cognitive
development of children and young people, resulting
in disruption of their mental health (Masarik &
Conger, 2017; Forster, Grigsby, Rogers, & Benjamin,
2018).
2.2 Spirituality and Mental Health
Another factor that influences mental health and is
interesting to study is spirituality. Spirituality is
understood as something that is transcendent, leading
to the search for the meaning of life, and
understanding life (Park et al., 2013). Spirituality is
also personal, effective, experience, and wisdom.
Spirituality contains spiritual values, such as honesty,
beauty, and happiness (Koenig, 2010).
Spirituality can be a mediator between changes in
life and depression, where spirituality can reduce the
level of depression in the face of changes in life
(Fehring et al., 1987). Spirituality allows individuals
to access inner resources to be used in overcoming
difficulties, facilitating resilience, and improving
positive health outcomes (Utsey et al., 2007).
Spirituality also provides a philosophical framework
for understanding life and a source of ego power that
protects the personality from fragmentation
(Baumeister, 1991).
There is empirical evidence that supports the role
of spirituality as a mediator from the relationship of
predictor variables with the mental health of students,
among others, research conducted by Tung, Ruffing,
Paine, Jankowski, & Sandage (2018) produce
findings that attachment to God mediates the God
representation and mental health. Spirituality
mediates religious relations with mental health in
students (James and Miller, 2017).
The results of the study provide empirical facts
that spirituality can affect the level of mental health
of students and improve the well-being of psychology
(Kane and Jacobs, 2010). Students who are spiritually
strong have better mental health (Mohr et al., 2011)
and more resistant to the stresses of life they face and
are relatively happier. (Ahmadi and
Shahmohammadi, 2015).
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378

Figure 1: Conceptual framework for spiritual as a mediator
between family and mental health.
Based on the conceptual framework of the
research model proposed in this study, the research
hypothesis states that spirituality as a mediator of
family influence on mental health in students. Figure
1 explained the research framework.
3 RESEARCH METHOD
3.1 Participants
Participants in the research included 382 college
students, gathered from introductory Islamic
Education Department of Universitas Islam Negeri
Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang. There were 282
women (73.9%) and 100 men (26.1%). Mean age for
the sample was 18.9 years (SD 0.95), with a range
from 18 to 23 years.
3.2 Measurement
The study collected data using three research
instruments.
3.2.1 Spirituality
Spiritual experience was measured using the Daily
Spiritual Experiences Scale (DESES) by Underwood
& Teresi, 2002. In this research, the English version
of the DSES was translated into Indonesian.
Spirituality in DSES is as a person's perception of
transcendent and perceptions of his interaction with
the transcendent environment in life (Underwood and
Teresi, 2002). This scale consists of 16 favorable
statements arranged in the form of a Likert scale with
five alternative answers, namely (5) Very like me, (4)
Often like me, (3) Almost like me, (2) A little like me,
(1) Not like me at all. Reliability test results on scale
daily spiritual experience are gained value α = .86. Of
the 16 items tested found 15 valid items and 1items
that fall due to their correlation coefficients less than
.300. A valid item has correlation coefficients ranged
from .319 to.627.
3.2.2 Family
A family variable was measured using the family
scale developed by Rindfleisch et al., (1997) which
divides the family into two domains, namely the
support of family and family stressors. Family
support includes tangible or material support (money,
food, and clothing). While other types of intangible
or psychological family support (time, attention,
discipline, modeling, life skills, emotional support,
and compassion). Whereas the family stressor domain
is the events in the family that affect one's life (such
as moving shelter, school problems when with family,
family members involved in crime or drugs,
separation from parents, and divorce).
Family-scale is a semantic differential scale that
aims to measure attitudes. The form is not a double
choice or checklist but arranged in a continuum line.
The data obtained by measuring the semantic
differential scale is the interval data.
The family scale consists of 20 items, as many as
10 items measuring family support (3 items
measuring material support and 7 items measuring
psychological support) response answers for family
support start from (1) "does not support" to (7)
"strongly supports." while the remaining 10 items
measure the family stressor with response responses
1 through 7. The value 1 states "has no effect" and the
value 7 states "is very unaffected."
The results of reliability testing the scale of family
support on aspects of material support obtained value
α = .89. Of the three tested items declared as valid
with the correlation coefficient of items ranging from
.764 to 8.04 while reliability testing of 7 items of
psychological support obtained α = .87 and all
otherwise valid with a correlation coefficient between
459 to 769. Reliability test results to 10 items of
family stressor obtained α = .76 and validity test
obtained correlation coefficient between 0.31 to 0.68.
3.2.3 Mental Health
Mental health measurement using mental health scale
was developed by Ryff & Keyes (1995). There are
two dimensions of mental health, namely psychology
wellbeing and social wellbeing. In measurement
instruments, the psychological wellbeing dimension
consists of 15 items indicating self-acceptance,
Purpose in life, Environmental Mastery, Autonomy,
Positive relation with others. The social wellbeing
dimension consists of 17 questions to measuring
indicators of social wellbeing which include social
c
Spiritualit
y
Mental
Health
Family
Family, Spirituality, and Mental Health in Higher Education
379

acceptance, Social realization, Social coherence,
Social integration. The results of reliability testing of
mental health instruments obtained α of 0.845 with
the value of correlation coefficient between .315 to
.763.
3.3 Procedure
The researcher collected data by distributing a
package of research instruments to respondents
(students of education faculty) in collaboration with
lecturers. Respondents were allowed to complete
research instruments at home so that they had enough
time to answer all questions or statements in the
research instrument. Finally, 382 data are obtained
from research instruments that have been filled and
are feasible for analysis.
3.4 Analysis
This study uses bivariate correlation analysis to
determine the level of correlation between variables.
Whereas to test the research hypothesis spirituality
mediates the relationship between family and mental
health regression analysis is used.
According to Baron & Kenny (1986) there are
four steps to testing mediation variables, namely (1)
analyzing the influence of predictors (family) on
criteria (mental health), (2) analyzing predictors
(family) against mediators (spirituality), (3)
analyzing the influence of mediator (spirituality) on
the criteria (mental health), and (4) establish that the
mediator (spirituality) fully mediates the predictor
relationship with the criteria (family towards mental
health), the effects of predictors (family) on criteria
(mental health), controlling the mediator
(spirituality), must be much smaller or equal to zero.
Thus, there are three regression equation models to be
analyzed, namely;
1. The model I: Predictor (family) correlated with
criterion (mental health).
2. Model II: Predictor (family) correlated with
criterion (spirituality).
3. Model III: Predictor (spirituality) correlated
with criterion (mental health).
4 RESULT
4.1 Intercorrelation and descriptive
statistic all variables
The results of the Pearson correlation analysis have
shown the level of correlation between variables as
described in Table 1.
Table 1: Inter correlation and statistics descriptive all
variables
Variable
1
2
3
M
SD
Family
1
.133
**
.215
**
100.15
17.65
Spirituality
-
1
.450
**
58.74
7.42
Mental
Health
-
-
1
109.36
10.35
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-
tailed).
N = 382
In table 1 it is known that family variable
correlates with spirituality variable (0.133) and
mental health variables (0.215), whereas the
spirituality variable has a correlation score with the
mental health of 0.450. All correlations between
variables in table 1 have a significance p <0.05.
4.2. The Spirituality Hypothesis Test
mediates between Family and
Mental Health.
Hypothesis testing of the research was carried out
with regression analysis to fulfill the requirements of
the mediation test (Baron and Kenny, 1986). The first
stage of analyzing is model I (c) testing family as
predictors of mental health. The result obtains  =
.215 significance value of family .001 <0.05. So, it
can be concluded that directly there is a significant
effect of family on mental health. The second stage
examines model II (a) family as a predictor of
spirituality. The test results show the family as a
predictor of spirituality with a score  = o.133 and sig.
.000. It is mean the family is a predictor of
spirituality. The third stage, testing Model III (b) is
the influence of spirituality on mental health. As a
result, spirituality significantly affects mental health
(0.000) and  = .450. Table 2 summarizes the results
of the regression analysis of the three models.
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380

Table 2: Coefficients for each mediation model.
Models
Standardized
Coefficients
(Beta)
Sig.
Family correlated
Mental Health
.215
.000
Family correlated
with spirituality.
.133
.000
Spirituality
correlated Mental
Health
.450
,000
Because testing three models produce significant
correlations, the prerequisites for mediation testing
can be done (note figure 2). Furthermore, the fourth
stage can be conducted to examine the influence of
the family on mental health through spirituality.
Pathway analysis results have shown that besides
having a direct effect on mental health families can
also indirectly affect mental health through
spirituality. The direct effect (c) score is 0.215 while
the indirect effect (c’) must be calculated by
multiplying the indirect coefficient (0.133) x (0.450)
= 0.060. Through multiple tests obtained a
significance score of 0.01 <0.05. So, the total family
influence on mental health is the number of direct
effects and indirect effects (0.215 + 0.060 = 0.275).
Frazier, Tix, & Barron (2004) argue that to prove
the existence of a mediator model, the independent
variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV) may
not be zero, because if there is no correlation between
IV and DV, then it can be ascertained that there is no
measurable impact from the mediator. The second
model illustrates the existence of a mediation model.
In this model, the direct IV impact on DV is
transferred through the mediator (M) using lines a and
b. If IV and DV are correlated through M, then the
path c 'becomes zero, and the correlation between IV
and DV can be said that variable M plays a full role
as a mediator. If the path a 'is not zero, but it is smaller
than line a, then it can be said that the mediation
function of the variable M is only part.
Based on the results of the mediation regression
analysis and the Sobel test, it can be concluded that
the influence of the family on mental health
significantly becomes smaller after the added
spirituality in the family equation influences mental
health. So, it can be stated that spirituality is
mediating the relationship between family and mental
health. However, because the significant effect is not
smaller or equal to zero, the mediation relationship in
this study is partial.
Figure 2: The Influence of family to mental health
through Spirituality as Mediator
5 DISCUSSION
In particular, in this study family predictors were
explained in two sub-variables, namely family
sources or family support and pressure. The results of
the analysis of family support for the mental health of
students have a positive relationship direction. Thus,
it can be said that the higher the family support, the
higher the mental health of students. In this research,
aspects of support are termed family sources by
Rindfleisch, Burroughs, & Denton (1997) consists of
two kinds of support, namely tangible family support
(support clothing, food and shelter, and finance) and
family support that is intangible (time and attention,
emotional support and love, discipline, guidance and
role modeling, life skills and instruction )
The positive influence of family support on
mental health in this study shows that when the family
fulfills the needs of students in the form of food,
shelter, and finance, students tend to feel happy and
satisfied. This condition becomes stronger when
students also get intangible support, where the family
can meet social and emotional needs. Fulfillment of
two types of family sources will cause students to be
free from feelings of fear, anxiety, loneliness, and
other negative emotions and tend to feel love,
meaning, loved, cared for, guided by influential
people in their families. Empirically the results of this
study have corroborated research findings which state
family support as a factor affect mental health. Some
of them are research conducted Healy, Kaiser, &
Puffer (2018) which indicates that economic and
social support and emotionally able to help young
people face the pressures and difficulties of life.
Nguyen et al., (2018) on the contrary, weak family
economic and social support causes low mental health
(Healy et al., 2018).
c
.215
Spirituality
Mental
Health
Family
Family, Spirituality, and Mental Health in Higher Education
381

In addition to family sources, another aspect of the
family measured in this study is family stressors.
Rindfleisch et al., (1997) has stated that family
pressures are difficult conditions (parental divorce,
resettlement, family members addicted to alcohol or
drugs, difficulty dealing with school assignments and
so on). Unlike family sources, family pressures have
a negative relationship with mental health. In other
words, that the higher the family pressure, the lower
the mental health of young people. These findings are
consistent with family researchers who state that
pressures in the family will lead to instability in the
family which can result in the emergence of
problematic behavior, emotional disturbances,
personality disorders, and social disturbances.
In other words, that the higher the family pressure,
the lower the mental health of young people. These
findings are consistent with family researchers who
state that pressures in the family will lead to
instability in the family which can result in the
emergence of problematic behavior, emotional
disturbances, personality disorders and social
disturbances (Persson & Rossin-Slater, 2018;
Masarik & Conger, 2017).
Overall the results of this study are consistent with
Bowen's theory which states that family is a system
that influences each other. The pressure faced by
family members will affect other family members, as
well as family structure, family support. Bowen's
theory states that it is the emotional fusion of family
members that causes families to become significant
predictors of mental health (Haefner, 2014).
In this study to test spirituality as a mediator of
family relationships and mental health, a regression
analysis was also carried out on family influence on
mental health. The results of the analysis show that
the family influences the level of one's religiosity or
spirituality. The results of this study remind the
research conducted by Handal & Lace (2017) and
Donaldson, Friesen, & Gage (2018). In the Reliable
& Lace research, it was found that in students with
harmonious families the level of student spirituality is
higher than that of students from broken home
families. Whereas research Donaldson et al., (2018)
states that one of the significant predictors of the level
of spirituality and religiosity of students in New
Zealand is family, in addition to other factors identity
and motivation are closer to God.
Furthermore, to find out the influence of
spirituality on students' mental health, hypothesis
testing was carried out. The results of hypothesis
testing state that there is a significant influence of
spirituality on students' mental health. In other words,
spirituality has contributed to the high and low health
of students. The results of this study are in line with
research conducted by Weber & Pargament (2014),
Koenig (2010), Park et al., (2013), Nelms, Hutchins,
Hutchins, & Pursley, (2007).
This study mental health is not only understood as
the absence of physical illness, but is a condition of
prosperity in individuals where he can develop his
potential, be able to overcome stress normally, and
can perform social functions well, and can carry out
work productively. This concept is relevant to the
mental health construct built by Keyes (2002) and
became the basis for developing instruments to
measure mental health in this study. According to
Keyes mental health has two indicators, namely
psychological well-being and social well-being.
Based on the two mental health indicators of
Keyes, the acceptance of the research hypothesis
states that the mental health of students is influenced
by their spirituality, indicating the positive influence
of spirituality on psychological and social wellbeing.
It means that spirituality can improve psychological
well-being and social well-being. This finding
corroborates the results of research by Fehring,
Brennan, & Keller (1987) which shows the influence
of spirituality on the psychological well-being of
students who are facing life changes. Student
spirituality can reduce stress and depression.
According to the study, the spirituality of students can
prevent students from stressful or depressed
conditions due to adaptation to the environment and a
new learning system.
The contribution of spirituality to the mental
health of students that has been shown in this study is
also in line with the results of research conducted by
Nelms, Hutchins, Hutchins, & Pursley (2007) which
states that spirituality has a relationship with physical
health and emotional health in students. Likewise
with research conducted by Compton (2001) shows
that the level of spirituality and religiosity influence
the level of subjective well-being and personal
development in college students.
Path analysis of spirituality as a mediator between
family and mental health shows that spirituality is
significant as a variable that mediates family
relationships with mental health. This finding
explains that families as predictors of mental health
do not always function positively. The family support
that is tangible or intangible cannot always be
fulfilled by the family, allowing students to
experience mental disorders.
Van Cappellen, Toth-Gauthier, Saroglou, &
Fredrickson (2016) explain why spirituality can be a
mediating variable between various conditions, life
experiences that suppress mental health. According to
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382

Fredrick and his colleagues in spirituality, there is a
cognitive dimension studied as a potential
explanatory mechanism for the relationship between
spirituality and mental health. Spiritual beliefs often
give a sense of coherence and meaning which in turn
can increase greater welfare. Spirituality is a system
of making meaning and serves as a way to understand
the world, self, other living things, and their
interactions (Park et al., 2013). So can lead to
perceived control and positive expectations about the
future (Levin 2010). So that individuals can control
what they feel and still have positive expectations for
each situation they face.
In the context of this research explanation Van
Van Cappellen, Toth-Gauthier, Saroglou, &
Fredrickson (2016) asserted that through the ability to
control what he feels and positive expectations as a
result of spiritual beliefs, students continue to
maintain their mental health even if they are in good
support or not in a family or family in a stable or
unstable condition. This assumption is supported by
research that shows someone with high spirituality is
better mentally compared to people who lack
spirituality (Utsey et al., 2007). As a mediator,
spirituality also reduces the level of depression due to
pressure or life difficulties (Wong, Rew, & Slaikeu,
2006).
The results of this study have provided an
explanation of family influences on students' mental
health. Students with stable families who can function
with family resources will produce students with a
healthy mentality. Conversely, families who are
unstable and weak in the functioning of family
resources can disrupt students' mental health. to
maintain the mental health condition of students to
remain stable even in conditions, strengthening
student spirituality is the right solution for students'
mental health.
6 CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, the results of this study showed
family as a significant predictor of mental health.
Therefore, means that influential family determines
students' mental health. This research also provides
evidence that student spirituality is a mediator for the
relationship between family and mental health. As a
mediator, spirituality safeguards the mental health of
students, both when family conditions are conducive
or not for the development of their mental health. In
other words, spirituality is an essential variable for
maintaining mental health and the successful
education of students in college.
Based on these findings, the researcher
recommended several things. First, mental health is
an essential aspect of students' academic development
and success, because it needs serious attention from
university managers and parents. Second, the results
of this study state that families have an important
contribution to students' mental health because
improving the mental health of students needs to
consider family involvement. Third, family
conditions that are not always stable become a
potential disruption to students' mental health.
However, the spirituality of students can be a
mediation for students to remain mentally healthy
when experiencing interference from the family.
Fourth, for researchers who are interested in students'
mental health to carry out testing and explore both
aspects of the variables that influence and research
methods, so that they will broaden their
understanding of mental health, especially for
students.
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