Stress Management to Prevent Mental Disorders

Mental health issues can no longer be viewed as a marginal concern. Data provided by the Indonesian Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, stating that approximately 28 million Indonesian residents experience mental health problems, serves as a serious alarm for all parties. This figure indicates that psychological pressure has become a public health challenge requiring collective handling, ranging from families and social environments to local governments.

In this context, the steps taken by the South Tanger and Tangerang Selatan DP3AP2KB (Department of Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, and Population Control) deserve appreciation as a concrete example of how local governments are beginning to build community-based mental health prevention systems. Through Psychological First Aid (PFA) training, women—particularly housewives and members of religious study groups—are being prepared to serve as the frontline in detecting and responding to psychological issues in their surrounding environments.

This step is highly relevant because the family is the primary space where individuals experience pressure, conflict, or the recovery process. Various studies show that strong social support from families and immediate environments can reduce the risk of depression, anxiety, and even violent behaviour.

US psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman noted that an individual’s psychological resilience is heavily influenced by the quality of their social relationships. Individuals with emotional support from family and community tend to be more capable of facing life’s pressures compared to those facing problems alone.

The initiative by DP3AP2KB South Tangerang aligns with this view. The Head of the Women and Child Protection Division, Irma Safitri, emphasised that the ability to manage stress is closely linked to the prevention of violence.

This statement is well-founded. Many cases of domestic violence and violence against children are triggered by an individual’s inability to control emotions when facing economic pressure, family conflict, or other social issues. In other words, the ability to manage stress is not merely a personal skill but part of a family protection strategy.

The approach taught through Psychological First Aid is simple yet effective. Participants are equipped with three main principles: look, listen, and link.

First, looking for signs of someone experiencing psychological pressure. Second, listening without judgement so that individuals experiencing problems feel safe to share. Third, linking them to professional services if the issues faced require further handling.

This concept aligns with World Health Organization guidelines, which emphasise the importance of community-based psychosocial support as the initial layer in maintaining public mental health. Not everyone experiencing psychological pressure requires intensive therapy, but almost everyone needs someone willing to listen and understand their condition.

The Secretary of DP3AP2KB South Tangerent, Enji Seppraliana, reminded that empathy must be accompanied by the ability to maintain self-care. This message is vital because caregivers helping others also risk experiencing emotional exhaustion if they do not maintain healthy boundaries.

In psychological studies, this condition is known as compassion fatigue. Therefore, volunteers or caregivers need to understand that their task is not to resolve all the victim’s problems, but to serve as a bridge to appropriate assistance.

The programme implemented in South Tangerang also demonstrates that mental health issues do not exist in isolation. Mental health is closely related to the protection of women and children, the prevention of domestic violence, and protection from sexual violence. Individuals living in environments full of pressure and violence face a higher risk of psychological disorders.

Consequently, this training is part of the implementation of various national regulations, including the Child Protection Act, the Law on the Elimination of Domestic Violence, and the Sexual Violence Crimes Act. Prevention cannot be achieved solely through law enforcement after an event has occurred; it must begin with strengthening the community’s capacity to recognise and respond to signs of problems at an early stage.

This commitment is further strengthened by the Mayor of South Tangerang, Benyamin Davnie, who encourages collaboration between the government, families, the education sector, the business world, communities, and the public to protect women and children from various social risks, including threats emerging in digital spaces.

A collaborative approach is an urgent necessity in the current era. Social media, economic pressure, changing patterns of social interaction, and the increase in online bullying cases have created new sources of stress that are not always easy to recognise. Therefore, family resilience is the primary foundation for maintaining the mental health of the community.

South Tangerang provides an example that efforts to maintain mental health do not always have to start in hospitals or psychological clinics. Simple steps such as education, strengthening empathy, and training for women at the neighbourhood level can serve as the first bulwark in preventing more serious mental health crises.

When mothers, neighbours, community cadres, and community leaders possess the ability to recognise signs of psychological pressure, the community will receive help more quickly. Ultimately, mental health is not just the responsibility of healthcare workers, but a shared responsibility to create a safe, caring, and humane environment.