Background and Purpose: Physical education curricula play a central role in shaping adolescents' body image and mental health. This study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of psychological components in the physical education curricula of Iran, England, and Japan.



Methods: A qualitative approach with thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was employed. Official curriculum documents from all three countries, including both national frameworks and teacher guides, were analyzed. A hybrid inductive-deductive approach was used. Two independent coders reviewed 30% of the codes, with an inter-rater agreement of 87% (κ = 0.84).



Findings: Four main themes were identified: (1) body representation, (2) psychological self-regulation, (3) socio-cultural contexts shaping body image, and (4) supportive-preventive function. England’s curriculum demonstrated the most explicit emphasis on positive body image and mental health. Japan focused on mind-body harmony and holistic well-being. Iran's analysis revealed that its implemented curriculum (teacher guides) represents the body as a source of psychological well-being and offers practical self-regulation strategies. However, two critical gaps remain: (1) complete absence of guidance on addressing contemporary body image challenges (social media, social comparison), and (2) lack of a structured supportive-preventive system (undefined teacher role, no referral protocol).



Conclusion: Iran's PE curriculum at the “implemented curriculum” level (teacher guides) possesses considerable richness. However, transforming this potential into an effective system requires designing a supportive-preventive framework, creating media literacy content, and empowering teachers. England and Japan offer models for institutional comprehensiveness and cultural harmony, respectively.