International Psychology Conference 2026 (PSIMA)

Presented my research paper today at the International Psychology Conference 2026, organised by Persatuan Psikologi Malaysia together with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and HELP University.

My study examined traumatic stress exposure and burnout among 120 Malaysian corporate employees using the LEC 5 and Burnout Assessment Tool.

The findings suggest that the relationship between traumatic stress and burnout may be more complex and dimension specific than a simple “more trauma, more burnout” pattern.

The clearest signal appeared in exhaustion. The regression model for exhaustion was significant and explained 23.1% of the variance.

This leads to an important direction for future research.

I would like to explore this with larger and more diverse samples, while examining cumulative trauma exposure and moderators such as job demands, job resources, resilience, social support and perceived control.

I am also interested in whether subjective exhaustion always matches physiological regulation.

Some employees may become accustomed to chronic stress, underreport exhaustion, or experience reduced awareness of their own physiological load.

Future studies could therefore combine self report measures such as BAT with psychophysiological indicators such as heart rate variability and biofeedback derived regulation measures.

The question may not only be “How burned out is this employee?”

It may also be “What pattern of resource depletion is developing, what is maintaining it, and can we detect it before it progresses further?”

This is the direction I hope to continue exploring within Occupational Health Psychology.

#OccupationalHealthPsychology #Burnout #WorkplaceMentalHealth #PsychosocialRisk #TraumaInformed #IPC2026

Psychosocial Trained Person (PTP) Malaysia: PRISMA Workplace Psychosocial Risk Assessment Explained @ AiFM Radio Station

 

I recently had the opportunity to share my thoughts on RTM AiFM radio station on the topic of workplace mental health and psychosocial risk from an Industrial and Organizational Psychology perspective.

During the interview, I discussed the growing importance of psychosocial risk assessment in organisations, particularly in light of Malaysia’s PRisMA (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Management at the Workplace) Guidelines 2024 introduced by DOSH.

As a DOSH-certified Psychosocial Trained Person (PTP), I also shared insights from my work supporting organisations in identifying and managing psychosocial risks, including key factors such as job demand, job control, and job support, and how these workplace conditions influence employee well-being, engagement, productivity, and burnout prevention. The conversation highlighted how organisations can build healthier and more sustainable workplaces by strengthening psychosocial safety climate (PSC) and organisational support systems.

I also shared another perspective on reframing this psychosocial risk assessment guideline as a training needs analysis approach, rather than viewing it solely as a way to fulfil legislative requirements. This perspective helps organisations identify their psychosocial risk areas and develop tailor-made interventions and training programmes that address their specific needs.

I strongly resonate with the Persatuan Psikologi Malaysia (PSIMA) movement in advocating that psychology should not remain confined to clinical settings, but should also extend its impact to the public health and workplace sectors, where it can contribute meaningfully to the well-being of society.

Contact us via +60167154419 (Whatsapp) or [email protected] if you would like to know more about Psychosocial Trained Person (PTP) related services in psychosocial risk assessment or training.

Full Member of the Malaysia Psychological Association (PSIMA)

Hiro Koo is an ordinary/full member of the Malaysia Psychological Association (Persatuan Psikologi Malaysia).

Membership Certificate

Membership Certificate till 2023

Ahli Biasa / Ordinary Member / Full Member : Mempunyai latihan dan pengalaman dalam bidang psikologi atau siswazah universiti dalam bidang psikologi, psikologi perubatan, psikologi pendidikan atau lain-lain bidang yang sebahagian besar kursus –kursus psikologi dan telah bekerja sepenuh masa dalam bidang tersebut sepenuh masa selama 2 tahun ATAU seorang siswazah selain daripada bidang-bidang tersebut dan telah bekerja selama 4 tahun sepenuh masa dalam bidang psikologi; atau lainlain IPTA/IPTS dan telah bekerja dalam bidang psikologi selama 6 tahun.