Students' Spiritual Well-being Landscape: Insights from Indonesian Islamic Universities

Abstract

Introduction: The rising prevalence of mental health concerns among students in Indonesian higher education necessitates thorough exploration. This study systematically investigates the intricate landscape of spiritual well-being among Indonesian students within Islamic universities. Methodology: Employing a rigorous mixed-methods approach, a survey covering 1547 students aged 18-22, consisting of 26.8% males and 73.2% females across 30 Indonesian Islamic universities was conducted, from Jawa (58.1%), Kalimantan (9.5%), Papua (4.5%), Sulawesi (7.8%), Sumatera (20.1%). This study systematically investigates the intricate landscape of spiritual well-being among Indonesian students within Islamic universities. Guided by Fisher's four-domain theory—personal, communal, environmental, and transcendental—the survey served as the analytical framework. Results: Survey outcomes reveal nuanced levels of spiritual well-being: very low (0.0%), low (42.3%), moderate (57.1%), high (0.6%), and very high (0.0%). The survey results highlight a diverse spectrum of spiritual well-being levels among students, with a significant portion falling into the low to moderate range. This indicates a clear imperative for interventions aimed at enhancing spiritual well-being among this demographic. In-depth interviews with 30 academics from 30 Islamic universities illuminate the repercussions of low spiritual well-being, impacting various dimensions of students' lives. Interview findings discern three distinctive counseling approaches: modern (reality, behavior, and REBT), post-modern (SFBC), and religious counseling (fill ard kholifah counseling). However, these approaches are underutilized, resulting in suboptimal provision of counseling services. The findings recommend each institution focus on crafting an Islamic counseling model to mitigate the prevalence of mental health concerns and significantly enhance students' spiritual well-being, aligning with the distinct characteristics of those studied in Islamic universities in Indonesia.