Empowering Adolescents as Youth Responders in Mental Health Promotion and Basic First Aid for Accidents<b></b>

Vollständiger Abstract

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Adolescents are vulnerable to mental health problems and unintentional injuries. Limited mental health literacy and first aid skills may hinder their ability to recognize problems and provide appropriate initial responses. This community service program aimed to empower adolescents through the Youth Responder program to improve their knowledge of early identification of mental health problems, peer support, and first aid. The program employed a one-group pretest-posttest design and was conducted at SMP Negeri 2 Karang Intan, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, from May to July 2026. A total of 30 adolescents from the student council (OSIS), Youth Red Cross (PMR), and class representatives were selected using purposive sampling. The intervention included mental health psychoeducation, first aid training, demonstrations, simulations, and the establishment of a Youth Responder team. Knowledge was assessed using a 20-item questionnaire before and after the intervention and analyzed descriptively and using a paired-samples t-test. The mean knowledge score increased from 14.73 ± 1.98 to 18.23 ± 1.87, with a mean difference of 3.50 points. The analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in knowledge (t = −11.435; df = 29; p < 0.001). The proportion of participants with good knowledge increased from 11 (36.7%) to 29 (96.7%). Thus, the Youth Responder program was effective in improving adolescents’ knowledge of mental health and first aid. The program can be sustained through school-based mentoring, strengthening the role of the Youth Responder team, and periodic evaluation to maintain adolescents’ knowledge and preparedness.