By nurturing strong family bonds and actively advocating for greener, quieter neighbourhoods, we can protect our children’s mental health and equip them with the resilience to thrive in the modern world.
As parents, we dedicate ourselves to providing our children with a loving, safe home. We ensure they have good nutrition, a solid education, and strong family relationships. We understand these are the pillars of a happy, healthy life. Yet, in Indonesia’s rapidly growing cities, our children face silent, invisible stressors that can undermine even the most nurturing home environment.
A recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Research (2025) offers a crucial new perspective on how our physical surroundings, from traffic noise to the presence of a simple garden, profoundly impact our children’s mental health and sleep. This research from Austria and Northern Italy provides a powerful lesson for us here in Indonesia, where our urban landscapes are just as complex.
Environmental stressors and coping abilities
The study, conducted on over 1,200 schoolchildren, revealed that a child’s home and neighbourhood are more than just a place to live; they are a complex ecosystem of physical and social influences. Researchers found that a poor physical environment, characterised by high levels of traffic noise, nitrogen dioxide, and a lack of green space, was directly linked to worse mental health and sleep problems. It is a sobering finding that confirms what many of us feel intuitively: the constant hum of city life, the pollution in the air, and the absence of nature can take a toll.
What is particularly illuminating about this research is its exploration of the pathways through which these environmental stressors work. The study used structural equation modelling to show that the physical environment does not harm children directly. Instead, it works indirectly. The presence of traffic and lack of green space lead to children perceiving their neighbourhoods as having lower quality and less safety. These negative perceptions, in turn, increase the need for children to cope with noise—a factor that, the study found, was strongly associated with poorer mental health and sleep problems.
This finding on coping is particularly poignant. The study further suggests that children, unlike adults, may have limited coping abilities. When they are constantly forced to deal with the distraction of traffic noise, especially during focused activities like homework, it strains their psychological resources. This resonates deeply with many parents in Indonesia. How many of us have seen our children struggle to concentrate on schoolwork, interrupted by the relentless sounds of traffic or noisy neighbours?
A critical shield
But the study also offers a beacon of hope, highlighting powerful protective factors that are within our reach. The research identified good family relations as a robust buffer against these environmental stressors. When children have positive interactions with their parents and feel secure at home, they develop better self-regulation and coping strategies, leading to improved mental health and sleep. This underscores that our active presence and emotional support as parents are not just helpful—they are a critical shield against the stresses of modern urban life.
Another vital protective factor identified was access to green space. The study found that having a home garden was related to better mental health and fewer sleep problems. Green spaces, whether in the form of a backyard garden, a community park, or even a small patch of trees, offer a restorative escape. They facilitate physical activity and provide a calm environment where a child’s fatigued attention can recover. This finding is especially relevant for Indonesia, where government policies have long emphasised the importance of green open spaces (Ruang Terbuka Hijau or RTH) in urban planning, as mandated by spatial planning regulations. However, the challenges of land scarcity and enforcement have made it difficult to achieve the ideal 30% ratio of green space in urban areas.
This research aligns with several of Indonesia’s current national policies. The government has made significant efforts to address violence and safety in schools through regulations like Ministerial Regulation Number 46 of 2023 on the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Educational Unit Environments. This regulation aims to create a safe and comfortable environment for students, educators, and staff, and mandates the formation of Violence Prevention and Handling Teams (Tim Pencegahan dan Penanganan Kekerasan or TPPK) in educational units. While these policies primarily address social and psychological safety from violence, we must broaden our definition of the word “safety” to include the physical environment. A neighbourhood with low traffic safety and high noise is an unsafe environment in a different, but equally impactful, way.
Recent government initiatives in Indonesia have also focused on integrating mental health into the school curriculum and providing counselling services. This is a crucial step forward. However, without addressing the external, environmental stressors, these efforts may fall short. We must expand our focus beyond the classroom walls to the entire ‘exposome’ of a child—the totality of their environmental exposures throughout their life.
Protection and resilience
Policies that can reduce environmental stressors should be implemented as well as advocated. This includes stricter enforcement of noise regulations, as the current standard of 55 dB(A) for residential areas is considered outdated and often lacks strict enforcement. It also calls for renewed commitment to creating and preserving green open spaces in our cities and neighbourhoods, as mandated by national policies. This is a shared responsibility—not just for the government but for us as a community.
Ultimately, a child’s well-being is a collective responsibility, shaped by the interaction between their family, their community, and the physical spaces they inhabit. By nurturing strong family bonds and actively advocating for greener, quieter neighbourhoods, we can protect our children’s mental health and equip them with the resilience to thrive in the modern world.
This piece was written by Taufiq Ihsan, an assistant professor at the Environmental Engineering Department of Universitas Andalas, Indonesia. Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Indonesia Expat.