Empowering family caregivers in providing psychological support for older adults through psychological first aid training in the community

Abstract

Elderly individuals in community settings are highly vulnerable to emotional distress and psychosocial crises, such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression, yet family readiness as primary caregivers remains severely limited. This community empowerment program aimed to analyze the effect of Psychological First Aid (PFA) training on improving family knowledge and skills in providing initial psychological support for the elderly in Palipi Soreang Village, Majene Regency. A pre-experimental design with a one-group pre-test and post-test approach was conducted, involving 34 families caring for elderly individuals selected through purposive sampling. The PFA training intervention incorporated Look, Listen, and Link action principles through interactive lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and role-play simulations. Data were collected using a structured knowledge questionnaire and an observational skill checklist prior to and following the intervention. The results showed a significant increase in the mean knowledge score from 19.47 (SD = 4.66) at pre-test to 35.53 (SD = 2.87) at post-test. Similarly, the mean skill score increased markedly from 23.62 (SD = 3.27) to 35.50 (SD = 3.32). Hypothesis testing showed a statistically significant improvement in knowledge using the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test (Z = -5.090; p< 0.05) and in skills using the Paired Samples T-Test (t = -12.783; p < 0.05). In conclusion, PFA training is significantly effective in strengthening family capacity and readiness as an emotional support system for older adults in the community.