Does Academic Grit Mediate the Association Between Family Support and Mental Health Among Muslim University Students in Indonesia?

Suwarjo Suwarjo (Department of Guidance and Counseling, Faculty of Education, Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia)
Dody Hartanto (Department of Guidance and Counseling, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Ahmad Dahlan University, Indonesia)
Muhammad Asyraf bin Che Amat (Department of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia)
Remedios C. Moog (Counseling and Psychological Services, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines)
Mufied Fauziah (Department of Guidance and Counseling, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Ahmad Dahlan University, Indonesia)

Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2026): Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal

Mental health among university students is a growing global concern, yet studies on Muslim students in Indonesia have rarely examined how social and motivational factors jointly shape positive psychological outcomes, with most research relying on deficit-oriented instruments. This study examined whether academic grit mediates the effect of family support on the mental health of Muslim university students in Indonesia. Data were collected from 537 Muslim university students in Pontianak and Yogyakarta using three validated instruments: the Family Support Scale (FSS; 20 items), the Academic Grit Scale (AGS; 10 items), and the Indonesian version of the Arabic Scale of Mental Health (ASMH; 36 items), all using a four-point Likert format. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. Family support was positively associated with both academic grit (β = 0.371, T = 8.675) and mental health (β = 0.453, T = 11.057). Academic grit was also positively associated with mental health (β = 0.227, T = 5.743), and together the two constructs accounted for 33.3% of the variance in mental health outcomes. Bootstrapping analysis indicated a statistically significant indirect association between family support and mental health through academic grit (β = 0.084, 95% CI: 0.049 to 0.125), although the magnitude of this indirect pathway was limited relative to the direct association (Variance Accounted For = 15.64%). These findings suggest that, within this cross-sectional design, family support is associated with student wellbeing primarily through a direct pathway, with academic grit representing an additional but comparatively modest statistical mechanism. The results tentatively support the integration of family-inclusive counselling approaches and grit-focused developmental programmes in higher education institutions serving Muslim student populations.