UI expert presents mental health solutions for shipwreck victims

The intervention targets medium-term recovery, when victims and families begin to feel prolonged psychological effects.

Depok (ANTARA) - Professor Herni Susanti, Chair of the Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing Cluster at the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Nursing (FIK UI), has presented a sustainable solution for the mental health of shipwreck disaster victims and the families left behind.

Speaking at the UI campus in Depok on Tuesday, Professor Susanti introduced the Low Intensity Psychological Intervention (LIPI) as a community-based psychosocial recovery strategy.

Professor Susanti’s study stems from the fact that shipwreck disasters often inflict deep psychological wounds on survivors as well as families who have lost loved ones.

In the initial phase, psychological first aid becomes the priority, calming victims, ensuring their safety, and helping families meet their basic needs.

However, after some time has passed, she said, many victims begin to experience persistent symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, excessive anxiety, prolonged grief, and difficulties returning to their normal daily activities.

The approach makes use of structured sessions covering psychoeducation, coping strategy exercises, and the activation of positive daily behaviours. The intervention can be delivered by trained community health workers, such as cadres or puskesmas nurses, making it easily accessible to the public.

Professor Susanti emphasised that LIPI is not intended for the acute phase, but is effective when psychological symptoms begin to persist.

“This intervention targets medium-term recovery, when victims and families begin to feel the lasting psychological impact,” she said.

LIPI enables ongoing support that can be delivered at the community level, broadening access to recovery and reducing dependence on specialist personnel. In this way, mental health recovery becomes more inclusive and tailored to the needs of the community.

Trials at 12 sites on the island of Java in 2025 successfully involved more than 1,500 patients with very high participation rates, demonstrating both the effectiveness of the intervention and public acceptance of it.

For victims’ families still facing uncertainty over missing loved ones, LIPI can be adapted into a group support programme to manage anxiety, uncertainty, and profound grief.

With this approach, LIPI has proven to be not merely an ordinary psychological intervention, but part of a sustainable, culturally sensitive community-based mental health strategy with a real impact.