Graduate Research Degree Awarded - Margaretha Margaretha

Congratulations to Margaretha Margaretha - Graduate Research Degree Awarded 4th April 2025

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Supervisors: Professor Susan Sawyer, Professor Peter Azzopardi, Professor Jane Fisher
Advisory Committee: Professor Dave Coghill, Professor Steve Graham

Thesis Title: The Development of a Framework to Promote Student Mental Health in Schools in Indonesia

Thesis Summary: Embedding mental health promotion within school systems is a strategy to improve school-age children's mental health and educational attainments. However, few studies have been conducted of school-based mental health promotion in low to middle-income countries (LMIC). This research aims to formulate an evidence-informed and feasible school mental health promotion framework for improving the mental health and wellbeing of 11–16-year-old adolescents in Indonesia.

Designed as an exploratory sequential multi-method study, this research project conducted a series of studies to: identify mental health and psychological wellbeing issues and needs in Junior high-schools; map the role of policies at global and national levels in guiding school-based mental health services and wellbeing promotion; and chart perceived enablers and barriers, in order to identify key intervention factors for leveraging the quality of school-based mental health and wellbeing promotion in the future. The findings of these five studies then informed considerations around a feasible framework for mental health promotion in schools.

This study's findings highlight the importance of addressing school mental health as a part of holistic health using a comprehensive school health framework which prioritises universal and whole-school approaches. Three key findings were identified: 1) there are shared explanatory factors for mental health and wellbeing that can be addressed through a universal approach at schools; 2) there is convergence of global and national Indonesian policies in supporting mental health promotion through health-promoting schools and comprehensive school health; and 3) context, content, processes, and actors have a significant role in influencing implementation. These new insights were considered when developing a school mental health promotion framework for Indonesia.

This research project found that current implementation problems of school-based mental health promotion in Indonesia were not due to the absence of programs for supporting student mental health but rather were due to various internal and external implementation barriers currently faced by schools. For this reason, school mental health promotion in Indonesia can be leveraged further. In terms of recommendations, this study’s findings suggest six overarching actions that could be pursued to leverage the implementation of school-based mental health promotion. These recommended actions represent the implementation of the whole-school approach through the absorption of national-level policies into school-level policies, empowering school leadership, ensuring functional partnerships among related stakeholders in the community, and improving school-based mental health actions.

After considering the strengths, limitations and implications of this work, this study provides evidence-based input regarding future studies, policy developments, implementation in schools and educational spheres, and practical impacts on the work of mental health professionals and services in the community. This research project is expected to contribute to the development of evidence-informed school-based mental health promotion in Indonesia.

Date awarded: 4th April 2025