’We do our best every day’: family experiences in the primary prevention of emotional and behavioural problems among preschool children in Indonesia

Introduction Emotional and behavioural problems (EBPs) in early childhood have long-term implications, yet little is known about how family caregivers experience family-based primary prevention and how this prevention is conceptualised within Indonesian sociocultural, educational, health-service, and policy settings.Theory The Neuman Systems Model, Family-Centred Care, and the Correlated Constraints Model were used as sensitising theoretical lenses to interpret family experiences without imposing predetermined themes.Method This qualitative phenomenological study involved 34 purposively selected participants in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. Eight family caregivers in individual interviews and 26 health professionals, teachers, and policymakers in three focus group discussions (FGDs). Individual interviews elicited family caregivers’ personal caregiving experiences, whereas FGDs examined collective professional and system-level perspectives. Data were collected in Indonesian or Banjar and analysed using a hybrid inductive-deductive framework and thematic analysis.Results Seven themes were identified: adaptive functioning, perceived difficulties, multilevel stressors, everyday prevention, supportive resources, prevention constraints, and holistic support needs.Discussion Families experienced prevention as everyday, relational, and context-dependent work shaped by emotional caregiving, family routines, access to support, and social and service constraints. Findings support culturally responsive, family-centred public health strategies for strengthening early prevention of EBPs in preschool children.