Building Mental Toughness in Indonesian Islamic Boarding Schools: Socio-Emotional Adaptation and Education in the Global South

Azam Syukur Rahmatullah (Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta)
Dewi Sekar Kencono (Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta)
Eko Harianto (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purworejo)
Muhammad Hisyam Syafii

Tribakti: jurnal pemikiran keIslaman
Vol. 37 No. 2 (2026): Tribakti: Jurnal Pemikiran Keislaman

This study examined a structural model in which self-efficacy, emotion regulation, adaptive coping, and socio-emotional factors (social support, social adjustment, and religious coping) predict mental toughness among students in Indonesian Islamic boarding schools (pesantren). A total students from 12 pesantren in Central Java and Yogyakarta participated; after data screening, 654 respondents (95.2% valid response rate) were retained for analysis. Mental toughness, emotion regulation, self-efficacy, and adaptive coping were measured using the Mental Toughness Questionnaire-48 (MTQ48), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), and Brief COPE, while socio-emotional factors were measured using the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS-SR), and Religious Coping Scale (RCOPE), all adapted for the pesantren context through translation, back-translation, and pilot testing. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in AMOS version 28.0. The hypothesized model showed excellent fit to the data, χ²(247) = 389.74, p < .001, χ²/df = 1.58, CFI = .97, TLI = .96, RMSEA = .031 (90% CI [.025, .037]), SRMR = .041. Self-efficacy showed the strongest direct effect on mental toughness (β = .35, p < .001), followed by emotion regulation (β = .28, p < .001) and adaptive coping (β = .18, p < .001). Among socio-emotional factors, social adjustment had the strongest effect (β = .16, p < .001), and its indirect pathway through self-efficacy was the strongest mediating mechanism identified (point estimate = .109, 95% CI [.068, .155]). These findings indicate that psychological resources, rather than socio-emotional resources alone, are the primary proximal drivers of mental toughness in the pesantren context, with socio-emotional support operating largely through its influence on self-efficacy. Practical implications point toward psychopedagogical programs that prioritize self-efficacy and emotion-regulation training, supported by structured mentoring and religious coping resources.