Margaretha, Margaretha and Fisher, Jane and Azzopardi, Peter S. and Sawyer, Susan M. (2026) Bridging understanding and practice: School community perspectives on mental health in schools in Indonesia. Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health, 13.

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Abstract

Mental health promotion in schools has gained greater salience in high-income countries, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less is known about its conceptualisation and implementation in less developed countries such as Indonesia. This research aimed to describe what school communities in Surabaya, Indonesia, understand about their role and actions in promoting mental health. This exploratory study employed Focus Group Discussions with diverse members of junior high school communities, including students. Using the Health Policy Triangle as the theoretical framework, transcripts were thematically analysed using a deductive approach. Forty-six participants took part, from national to municipality levels. Three themes were found. First, participants considered that socialisation difficulties contributed to poor student mental health and engagement in learning. Second, while schools reported familiarity with a range of actions, from promotion to preventive and curative interventions, their primary focus was around ensuring access to services for students with mental health problems. Third, contextual barriers and enablers were identified impacting schools' mental healthpromoting actions. The inter-related aspects of context, content, process, and actors were found to shape implementation. These findings highlight the multi-component expertise and resources of school communities, which, if better embraced, could enhance their capabilities to promote mental health in schools. © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press.

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