MENTAL HEALTH OF SANTRI IN INDONESIAN PESANTREN: A SCOPING REVIEW ON RISK, PROTECTIVE AND INTERVENTION FACTORS

KESEHATAN MENTAL SANTRI DI PESANTREN INDONESIA: TINJAUAN TERHADAP FAKTOR RISIKO, FAKTOR PROTEKTIF DAN INTERVENSI

Abstract

The mental health of santri is a crucial issue that requires attention, because the unique pesantren environment can be a source of psychological challenges as well as strengths for them. The scoping review was conducted by systematically mapping the existing literature on risk factors, protective factors and mental health intervention models in adolescent santri. This review analyzed 30 qualitative, quantitative and literature review articles from three electronic databases (google scholar, researchgate, and crosreff). The results found that pesantren are simultaneously a source of risk factors and protective factors. The main risk factors include academic-spiritual double burden, social adaptation challenges such as homesickness, bullying anxiety and systemic limitations in the form of strict rules and lack of formal mental health services. On the other hand, pesantren have strong protective factors, especially in spirituality and religious practices (suluk, dhikr and burdah recitation) as the main coping mechanism. Social support, especially from peers who function as a substitute family, as well as internal factors such as gratitude and self-efficacy also significantly increase the resilience and psychological well-being of santri. In conclusion, the mental health of santri is determined by the balance between pressure and available resources. The implication is that a holistic approach is needed that integrates formal counseling guidance services with interventions based on local pesantren wisdom and aspects of spirituality. It is also necessary to implement a prevention program through self-screening, psychoeducation and empowerment of peer counseling to create a healthy pesantren environment.

Keywords: Mental health, adolescents, Santri, Pesantren, protective factors, risk factors, intervention.