Professor Alvin Ng Contributes to Research Team Recognized with RM 3.7 Million Award from Kavli Trust Programme

Professor Alvin Ng Contributes to Research Team Recognized with RM 3.7 Million Award from Kavli Trust Programme
School of Medical and Life Sciences

Congratulations to Prof Alvin Ng Lai Oon from the Department of Psychology, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, and his team from British, Spanish, and four other Malaysian universities, which will begin a 3-year study that will examine the effects of a school-based programme. The Kavli Trust Programme awarded the team 3.7 million Malaysian Ringgit (€765,000) funding for Health Research in December 2022.

Professor Cecilia Essau at the University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom, will lead the project in collaboration with researchers from the University of Exeter, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Sunway University, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Malaya (UM). Associate Professor Dr. Suzaily Wahab at UKM, research lead in Malaysia, will coordinate and oversee the operational management across the study regions.

This new study aims to evaluate a school-based psychosocial intervention among adolescents at high risk of developing anxiety and depression. From May 2023 to April 2026, the research team will determine whether Super Skills for Life – a psychosocial intervention delivered by school staff – is successful in reducing anxiety and depression and promoting mental health among at-risk adolescents aged 12-14 years from low-income communities in Malaysia.

The study will be conducted across 20 schools in economically deprived regions in the Malaysian states of Sarawak, Sabah, and Selangor. If proven to impact adolescent outcomes and significantly represent good value for money, the study will influence health and education policy and practice and provide a model for promoting mental health in Malaysia and other low- and middle-income countries. The aim of the study will also generate new knowledge that will enhance the understanding of interventions to promote mental health in vulnerable adolescents.

For more information on this project, visit the Kavli Trust Programme page at: 
(https://kavlifondet.no/en/2022/12/79-million-euro-for-research-into-chil... )