Community-based mental health education and early screening for adolescents

Abstract

Adolescent mental health problems remain an important public health concern, particularly because limited mental health literacy, stigma, and inadequate help-seeking behavior can delay early identification and appropriate support. This community engagement program aimed to improve adolescent mental health literacy, strengthen early recognition of psychological problems, promote peer support, and facilitate appropriate referral pathways through community-based education and early screening. The program employed a participatory community-based approach with a one-group pretest–posttest evaluation design involving 30 adolescents. Activities included interactive mental health education, guided discussion, early screening, peer-support strengthening, brief counseling, mentoring, and referral when further professional assessment was indicated. Educational media consisted of presentations, modules, infographics, videos, and digital resources. Program effectiveness was evaluated by comparing pretest and posttest mental health literacy scores and assessing participant engagement and understanding of help-seeking pathways. The mean mental health literacy score increased from 55.5 at pretest to 83.4 at posttest, representing an average improvement of 27.9 points. Participants also demonstrated better understanding of anxiety and depression symptoms, adaptive coping strategies, stigma reduction, peer communication, and available referral services. The program additionally strengthened community capacity to identify adolescents requiring further support. In conclusion, community-based mental health education combined with early screening is a feasible promotive and preventive strategy for improving adolescent mental health literacy and facilitating timely referral. Continued implementation and longer-term follow-up are recommended to strengthen sustainability and assess behavioral outcomes.