Penguatan Mental Health Literacy sebagai Promosi Kesehatan Mental Anak Usia Dini di Kelurahan Karunrung Makassar

Abstract

Early childhood mental health is a critical public health issue because it influences children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well as their readiness to learn. However, adults’ understanding of the early signs of mental health issues, risk factors, support strategies, and the need for professional assistance still needs to be strengthened. This community service activity aims to strengthen mental health literacy as an effort to promote early childhood mental health in Karunrung Village, Makassar. The activity was held on May 25, 2026, at the Convention Hall of the Tidung Campus, Faculty of Education, Makassar State University, through an educational seminar using a participatory approach. There were 66 participants, consisting of early childhood education teachers, parents, and early childhood education students. The activity stages included preparation, conducting the educational seminar, discussion and reflection, as well as evaluation through pre-tests and post-tests. The reinforcement materials covered (1) basic understanding of children’s mental health; (2) recognition of early signs of mental health issues; (3) risk factors and sources of stress for children; (4) support strategies; and (5) understanding regarding professional assistance. Evaluation results showed an increase in the average score from 60.00 on the pre-test to 95.00 on the post-test. The Wilcoxon test yielded a Z-value of -7.078 with a significance level of 0.000, indicating a significant improvement. Thus, community-based educational seminars can serve as an effective strategy to enhance participants’ mental health literacy in support of promoting mental health in young children.