Jakarta, IO – Commemorating National Family Day on June 29 under this year’s theme, “Fathers Must Be Present,” the Health Ministry (Kemenkes) issued a poignant reminder that children’s mental health begins at home. It emphasized that a full parental presence and a nurturing environment running the core family functions are foundational to raising a strong, confident generation.
Kemenkes’ Director of Health Services for Vulnerable Groups, dr. Imran Pambudi, MPH, stressed the critical need for a father’s emotional, psychological, and social presence in upbringing to foster early mental resilience.
Speaking on Tuesday, he revealed that data indicates roughly one-third of Indonesian adolescents experience mental health issues. “The phenomenon of fatherlessness is a significant risk factor that worsens this condition, making children who grow up without a father’s support more vulnerable to bullying, mass student brawls, and substance abuse,” he noted.
The urgency is backed by recent data. A mental health screening program conducted by Kemenkes from 2025 to 2026 revealed that nearly 10 percent of Indonesian children face mental health challenges. Out of 7 million children screened, 4.4 percent, or 338,000 children, exhibit symptoms of anxiety, while 4.8 percent, or 363,000 children, are said to suffer depression.
Attempts Among Adolescents
Furthermore, data from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey recorded a stark rise in suicide attempts among adolescents, surging from 3.9 percent in 2015 to 10.7 percent in 2023.
According to dr. Imran, these figures underscore that child mental health is not a minor issue, but a major challenge that demands serious cross-sectoral attention.
“A thriving family unit relies on eight complementary functions that act as a primary fortress for a child’s mental well-being,” he explained. “These include the religious function to instill faith and inner peace, and the socio-cultural function to introduce norms and traditions that shape identity.”
Emotional warmth, he added, is provided through the love and affection function, while the protection function ensures the home remains a safe haven.
Generational continuity is secured through healthy family planning via the reproductive function, and the socialization and education function establishes the family as the first school for honesty and discipline.
Finally, the economic function teaches resource management, while the environmental care function nurtures an awareness of nature preservation.
To counter rising mental health risks, Kemenkes is driving a positive parenting campaign that advocates simple practices with profound impacts. Parents are urged to spend 15 to 30 minutes of gadget-free time every day to play or talk with their children, listening to their stories without passing judgment and focusing on their inherent potential.
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Fathers are specifically expected to lead by example, demonstrating healthy stress management and enforcing positive discipline, without violence. Kemenkes notes that a balanced presence from both mothers and fathers builds a secure attachment, enabling children to regulate their emotions, develop resilience, and grow in self-confidence.
The dimensions of parental care are divided but complementary, with a father’s role reflected in role-modeling, discipline, and active engagement, while a mother’s role centers on consistent affection, empathetic communication, and fostering the child’s potential.
“When both parents are equally present, children grow up in an emotionally secure environment, rich in positive role models, and equipped to navigate the digital era,” Dr Imran pointed out.
Conversely, screen dominance and the risk of emotional fatherlessness—where a father is physically present but emotionally detached— can leave children devoid of primary support, driving them to seek attention outside the home, he said. (est)
