ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Health Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicImplementing Mental Health Prevention and Promotion Programs: A Sustainable Approach - Volume IIIView all 6 articles
School mental health promotion in Indonesia: a quantitative survey from Surabaya
Provisionally accepted
- 1The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- 2Centre for Adolescent Health, Parkville, Australia
- 3Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- 4Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
- 5Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- 6Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, Telethon Kids Institute, Adelaide, Australia
- 7Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Most young people live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), but little is known about the implementation of school mental health promotion strategies in resource-poor settings. This study describes the extent of school mental health promotion and its drivers in junior high schools in Surabaya, Indonesia. Data were obtained from a sample of 161 schools (63 public schools (100% participation), 74 private schools (28.79% participation) and 24 madrasas (42.85% participation) using an online survey that was supported by the Department of Education. Most schools addressed mental health as part of comprehensive school health strategies derived from national and local policies. Implementation was reported through five key programs: 1) health-promoting school strategies through the school health unit, 2) safe and healthy school environments through the child-friendly schools program, 3) support through peer counsellors, 4) mental health as an extra-curricular health education module, and 5) mental health risk assessments to inform school interventions. Public schools reported the highest success in implementing these programs. Madrasas scored lower across all programs. While school mental health promotion is acknowledged through national policies, its implementation in Indonesia appears to be challenging. The development of national standards, investment in school leadership, and support for wider collaboration, especially between ministries of education, religion and health, could enhance the implementation of school mental health promotion in Indonesia.
Keywords: mental health promotion, implementation, barriers, Enablers, Schools, Indonesia
Received: 05 Aug 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Margaretha, Azzopardi, Fisher and Sawyer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Margaretha Margaretha
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.