Five UGM students have produced the MAHEZZA puzzle as part of an effort to address mental health issues in Indonesia.
The UGM team consists of Yovanti Trifa Mivea, Ahmad Taufiq (Electronics and Instrumentation 2021), Apriana Vika Vikanbara (Management 2021), Muhammad Rizqi (Information Technology 2021), and Hemalia Happy Virginia Koeswardani (Psychology 2021).
Team leader Yovanti Mivea mentioned that 1 in 3 children in Indonesia has mental health problems. A survey conducted by I-NAHMS in 2021 indicated that 34.9 percent of children and adolescents experienced mental health disorders in the past year.
According to the Indonesia Primary Health Research in 2018, mental health problems such as anxiety and depression in Indonesia have a relatively high prevalence of 64.3 percent.
Specifically for children, the depression rate is around 6.2 percent, and emotional disorders are about 9.8 percent.
“Hence, the team highlights the importance of the family’s role in understanding mental health,” said Mivea on Monday (October 23).
The team wanted to find ways to enhance family literacy about mental health. They endeavored to devise an effective method to help parents pay attention to and support their family’s mental health.
The answer was narrowed down to the MAHEZZA puzzle product. Why? Puzzles are toys that benefit a child’s cognitive abilities and mental health.
“That’s why the team eventually chose MAHEZZA as the right medium to introduce mental health to families,” she explained.
Muhammad Rizqi explained that MAHEZZA features an integrated mobile application that can be accessed via a QR scan or bit.ly/downloadMahezza.
The MAHEZZA mobile app has a unique design. Its main features are child puzzle challenges, education about mental health, and reflection media. Overall, it is packaged in a simple, attractive, and interactive way.
“An example of a reflection contained in MAHEZZA is a question posed to the child: What are you grateful for today? Here, the engrossment of this puzzle can encourage family awareness of the importance of mental health in daily life,” he said.
Hemalia Koeswardani added that the MAHEZZA puzzle was designed in December 2022. After conducting literature studies, receiving input from psychology lecturers, and market surveys, the product was finally launched in August 2023.
According to her, the MAHEZZA team will continue to innovate to refine the product and application according to the community’s needs, ensuring the product always has a positive impact on Indonesian families.
“MAHEZZA is currently available for purchase on marketplaces and social media platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp,” Koeswardani added.
“Moving forward, the team plans to sell MAHEZZA in various toy stores across Indonesia, especially in major cities. It is priced at Rp99,000 per piece.”
Author: Agung Nugroho