University of Southern Punjab

Dr. Saadia Zia

Brief Bio

Seasoned and experienced psychologist with a comprehensive background in academic teaching, psychological research, and counseling services. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor and Research Coordinator at the University of Southern Punjab, Multan. Certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and academic leadership development. Ski led in psychological assessment, Tele-counseling, and organizing academic initiatives. Dedicated to promoting mental we l-being and advancing the field through research supervision, institutional leadership, and community engagement.

Education
Ph.D. in Applied Psychology
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur
2023
M.Phil. in Psychology
University of Southern Punjab, Multan
2017
Msc in Applied Psychology
Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan
2013
Professional Experience
Assistant Professor
University of Southern Punjab, Multan
2024 – Present
Lecturer & Academic Coordinator
University of Southern Punjab, Multan
2018 – 2024
Visiting Lecturer
Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan
2022
Special Education Needs (SEN) Resource Person
Beaconhouse Newlands, Multan
2017 – 2018
Subject Teacher
Zenabia Campus School, Multan
2014 – 2017
Internee Psychologist
Combined Military Hospital (CMH)
2013

Professional associations

Member, Pakistan Psychological Association (PPA), Pakistan

Research Interests

Current Projects

  • Development of the Gamophobia (Fear of Marriage) scale
  • Urdu Translation and Validation of Workplace Stress Scale

Research Impact:

  • Publications: 24
  • h-index: 4
Title Year Published Link
Psychosocial Predictors of Maternal–Fetal Attachment in Anxious Pregnancies: A Study Among Women With Prior Miscarriages
2026
Personality Speaks Urdu: Translation and Validation of the Big Five Inventory.
2025
The Living among the Dead: A Phenomenological Study of Cemetery Workers’ Mental Health
2025
Fear of Negative Evaluation and Self-Criticism as Determinants of Self-Esteem in College Students: A Mediational Analysis.
2025
Urdu Translation and validation of Hogg Eco Anxiety Scale.
2025
Sustaining We l-Being amid Eco-Anxiety: The Moderating Influence of Environmental Concerns among Adults in Urban Settings.
2025
Moderating Role of Organizational Support in Thriving at Work and Job Performance among Telecom Employees.
2025
Urdu Translation and Validation of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) Scale.
2024
Successful Aging as a Determinant of Life Satisfaction and Wi l to Live among Older Adults
2024
Street harassment: Affecting the Self-esteem and Mental Health of Young Women in Multan.
2024

Javaid, I., Ameeq, M., Hassan, M. M., Kargbo, A., Butt, M. D., & Zia, S. (2026). Psychosocial predictors of maternal–fetal attachment in anxious pregnancies: A study among women with prior miscarriages. Health Science Reports, 9, e72470. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.72470

Zia, S., Liaquat, S., & Fahd, S. (2025). Personality Speaks Urdu: Translation and Validation of the Big Five Inventory. Journal of Research in Psychology (JRP), 3(2), 42-57.

Fatima, M., Zia, S., & Javaid, F. (2024). Attachments in the digital age: Social media’s role in

predicting marital burnout. Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(1), 38–47.

Naseer, S., Majeed, A., & Zia, S. (2025). The Living among the Dead: A Phenomenological Study of Cemetery Workers’ Mental Health. Journal of Professional & Applied Psychology, 6(2), 193–209. https://doi.org/10.52053/jpap.v6i2.386

Zia, S., Aftab, A., Mahmood, S., & Arbab, M. (2025). Fear of Negative Evaluation and Self-Criticism as Determinants of Self-Esteem in College Students: A Mediational Analysis. Academy of Education and Social Sciences Review, 5(2).

Nayab, F., Zia, S., & Imtiaz, M. (2025). Urdu Translation and validation of Hogg Eco Anxiety Scale. iRASD Journal of Educational Research, 6(1), 22-29.

Noor, A., Zia, S., & Imtiaz, M. (2025). Sustaining We l-Being amid Eco-Anxiety: The Moderating Influence of Environmental Concerns among Adults in Urban Settings. Journal of Professional & Applied Psychology, 6(1), 95-105.

Rasheed, H., Arbab, M., & Zia, S. (2025). Moderating Role of Organizational Support in Thriving at Work and Job Performance among Telecom Employees. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 13(1), 272-282.

Dr. Saadia Zia, Manika Arbab, Momna Saba, & Attiya Farooq. (2024). URDU TRANSLATION AND VALIDATION OF FEAR OF MISSING OUT (FOMO) SCALE. International

Journal of Contemporary Issues in Social Sciences, 3(2), 1937–1942. Retrieved from https://ijciss.org/index.php/ijciss/article/view/910

Zia, S. ., Arbab , M. ., Anjum , A. ., & Hussain Babar , Q. . (2024). Successful Aging as a Determinant of Life Satisfaction and Wi l to Live among Older Adults. Journal of

Education And Humanities Research (JEHR), University of Balochistan, Quetta, 17(1), 175–182. Retrieved from http://journal.uob.edu.pk/journal/index.php/jehr/article/view/466

Areeba Rauf, Dr. Saadia Zia, Nadia Bushra Bashir, & Shahid Razzaq. (2024). Street harassment: Affecting the Self-esteem and Mental Health of Young Women in Multan. PAKISTAN

JOURNAL OF LAW, ANALYSIS AND WISDOM, 3(5), 224–231. Retrieved  from

https://pjlaw.com.pk/index.php/Journal/article/view/v3i5-224-231

Zia, S., & Fahd, S. (2022). Urdu Translation and Validation of Adapted Self-Report Altruism Scale. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 10(3), 1111-1120.

Zia, S., Kokab, S., Kanwal, F., & Aleem, S. (2022). Social Capital as the Determinant of Self-efficacy and Academic Performance among University Students. IUB Journal of Social Sciences, 4(1).

Zia, S., Nawaz, D., Iqbal, S., Arbab, M., & Asghar, I. (2021). Mediating Role of Social Support on the Relationship between Emotional Inte ligence and Mental Health among the University Students. Psychology and Education, 58(2), 10560-10566.

Wang, Z., Hania, A., Muzaffar, A., & Zia, S. (2021). Post Traumatic Growth for Gestational Diabetic Patients during COVID-19: Role of Partner Supportive Communication and Family Environment. International journal of women’s health, 13, 1017.

Yaseen, B., Zia, S., Fahd, S., & Kanwal, F. (2021). Impact of Loneliness and Fear of Missing Out on Phubbing Behavior among Mi lennials PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION, 58(4),

Fatima, A., Zia, S., Kanwal, F., & Aleem, S. (2020). Relationship between Parental Bonding and Aggression among Medical College Students in Multan. IUB Journal of Social Sciences, 2(2), 51-57.

Zia, S., Kanwal, F., Jahangir, N., Nawaz, D., & Aleem, S. (2021). Impact of Perceived Organizational Support and Psychological Capital on Organizational Commitment among University’s Employees. Journal of Independent Studies & Research: Management & Social Sciences & Economics, 19(1).

Iqbal, S., Zia, S., & Khizar, U. (2021). Impact of Perceived Organizational Support on Organizational Commitment among University Employees: Moderating Role of Job Experience. IRASD Journal of Management, 3(3), 200–207. https://doi.org/10.52131/jom.2021.0303.0038

Mustafa, F., Zia, S., & Khizar, U. (2021). Impact of Environmental Concerns on Environmental Attitudes among University Employees. IRASD Journal of Economics, 3(3), 251 –. https://doi.org/10.52131/joe.2021.0303.0041

Hussain, S., Nawaz, D., Khan, M. A., Nawaz, T., & Zia, S. (2021). The Impact of Death Anxiety on Quality Of Life among Cancer Patients: A Case Of Bahawalpur And Multan

District. Psychology and Education Journal, 58(1), 5473-5477

Mushtaq, N., Zia, S., & Kanwal, F. (2020). Impact of Perceived Emotional Support and Perceived Academic Stress on the Life Satisfaction of University Students. IUB Journal of Social Sciences, 2(1), 51-60.

Farrukh, K., Zia, S., & Kanwal, F. (2020). Relationship between Smartphone Addiction and Sleep Quality University Students. IUB Journal of Social Sciences, 2(2), 25-33.

Dua, A., Zia, S., bin Rafique, U., & Kanwal, F. (2019). Impact of Perceived Competence and Academic Self-efficacy on the Academic Major Satisfaction among University Students. IUB Journal of Social Sciences, 1(2), 26-34.

Teaching & Supervision

Courses:

  • Advanced Psychopathology
  • Advanced Statistics in Psychology
  • Environmental Psychology

Supervision:

  • MPhil : 30

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is a two-way process in which a teacher and students together create a learning environment, and its effectiveness relies on sincerity and motivation from both sides.

Collaborations and Honors

  • Trained in academic Leadership under USEFP between KUST and University of Kentucky
  • Conducted the psychological profiling of over 400 personnel from the Multan Police Department in 2021 as a collaboration program with CPO Multan.
  • Peer Reviewer of the Journal “iRASD Journal of Management”.
  • Peer Reviewer of the Journal of Professional & Applied Psychology
  • Organized and Attended 2 days International Conference “1st International Conference on Social Sciences: Emerging Trends in Research” on 8th and 9th Sep 2018, Institute of Southern Punjab, Multan
  • Organized and Attended a Symposium on Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Prevention “Addiction: More than Feelings”, Department of Psychology, Institute of Southern Punjab, Multan.
  • Organized and hosted a webinar entitled, Bu lying at ”Workplace: a virus” in collaboration with Ms. Gulum Ozer, a senior banker and a Ph.D. candidate from the University of Barcelona, Spain. (2020)
  • Organized and Participated as the Conference Convener in the ‘2nd International Conference on Social Sciences: Emerging Trends in Research” held on 2nd November 2024.
  • Promoting mental health through a radio program segment on Radio Pakistan, Multan.

Awards & Recognition

  • Trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), integrating evidence-based interventions into academic instruction and applied settings.
  • FACT (Focused Acceptance & Commitment Therapy): Successfu ly completed a 4 hours Training workshop entitled, “Fact Mindfu ly”, organized by the Institute of Psychological Research (SMC-PVT) LTD

Collaboration

Open to international collaborations in psychology and multidisciplinary research.