EMPOWERMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH CARES IN EARLY DETECTION AND TREATMENT THROUGH THE EARLY DETECTION AND RESPONSE MODULE FOR BULLYING CASES IN TEENAGERS

The Community Service Team from the Nursing Study Program, Faculty of Public Health, Indonesian Muslim University (FKM UMI) has carried out Mental Health Cadre Empowerment activities in Early Detection and Treatment through the "Early Detection and Response to Cases of Bullying in Adolescents" Module on Thursday, 30 October 2025, at the Tonasa Village Office Hall, Takalar Regency.

This activity aims to increase the knowledge and skills of mental health cadres in recognizing early signs of bullying behavior in teenagers and training empathetic and targeted initial handling skills. The activity was attended by 25 mental health cadres from the Tonasa Village area.

The event was officially opened by the Secretary of Tonasa Village, Mr. Haerul, who was present representing the Head of Tonasa Village. In his speech, he expressed his great appreciation for the implementation of this activity and the hope that cadres can play an active role in maintaining the mental health of teenagers and creating a social environment that is safe and free from bullying.

After the opening, the activity continued with the presentation of the main material by Mrs. Rahmawati Ramli, S.Kep., Ns., M.Kes., M.Kep., as Head of the Service Team. The material presented includes the basic concept of bullying, forms of bullying that often occur among teenagers, the psychological impact it causes, as well as steps taken by cadres in carrying out early detection and initial treatment in the community.

After the material delivery session, the service team guided the ice breaking activity as an effort to create an interactive and conducive learning atmosphere. This activity also serves to strengthen participants' understanding of the importance of empathetic and collaborative communication in handling social problems in the community.

The next session was facilitated by lecturers, namely Mrs. Suhermi S., S.Kep., Ns., M.Kes. and MotherSartika, SKM., M.Kes., who led group discussion activities and role play simulations.In this session, participants practice taking an empathetic approach to victims of bullying andidentify initial treatment steps.

This activity also involved students from the UMI FKM Nursing Study Program, namely AndiRahmadina Aolya and Hendri, who played a role in helping carry out the activities,accompanying participants during the simulation, as well as carrying out documentation and collecting data on the resultsevaluation.

The evaluation results show a significant increase in knowledge andcadre skills after participating in activities. The average pre-test score of 58.4 increasedto 87.2 on the post-test, indicating an increase of 49%. Participants tooshows an increase in positive attitudes towards youth mental health issues and awareness ofthe importance of the role of cadres in preventing bullying.

Several participants said that this activity provided new related insightsan empathetic approach in dealing with teenage victims of bullying, while strengthening their rolethey are the spearheads of mental health promotion at the community level.

The activity ended with a closing message from the Head of the Service Team, Mrs. Rahmawati Ramli, S.Kep.,Ns., M.Kes., M.Kep., who emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration in efforts to maintainadolescent mental health.

"Mental health cadres have a strategic role as the front guard in early detection andcreating a social environment that is healthy, safe and free from bullying," he saidin his speech.

The event closed with a group photo between the participants, the team of service lecturers, students and representativesTonasa Village Government, accompanied by a joint prayer as the closing of the activity.This activity is a real form of collaboration between the Indonesian Muslim University andTonasa Village Government in strengthening mental health literacy in the community, in particularin the prevention and early treatment of bullying problems in adolescents.

As a form of appreciation, the UMI FKM Community Service Team expressed its thanks to the leadership of the Indonesian Muslim University, the Chair of the LPkM and his staff, the leadership of the Faculty of Public Health, as well as the Head of Tonasa Village and village officials for the support and facilitation provided so that this activity could be carried out well and have a positive impact on the community.