Bridging the Digital Divide

Significant disparities in mental health service access persist in rural Indonesia, where community health volunteers (known as Kader) represent a vital but undertrained resource. Digital training platforms offer a scalable solution to build mental health literacy, yet their efficacy and accessibility in low-resource, digitally diverse settings remain under-evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy, accessibility, and user experience of a novel, web-based Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training program for Kader in rural Indonesia. We employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design with a single-group, pre-test/post-test framework. A total of 165 Kader from 15 rural districts across North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and South Sumatra provinces were recruited. Participants completed a 4-week, self-paced, web-based MHFA course. Quantitative data were collected using the Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ), the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale, and the System Usability Scale (SUS) at baseline and post-intervention. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured focus group discussions (FGDs) with a purposive subsample of 32 participants to explore user experience and perceived impact. The intervention yielded a highly significant improvement in mental health knowledge, with mean MHKQ scores increasing from 48.5 (SD=10.2) at pre-test to 89.7 (SD=8.8) at post-test (t(164) = -35.1, p

Digital health · Empowerment · Focus group · Mental health · Mental health service · Nonprobability sampling · Qualitative property · Qualitative research · Usability · COVID-19 Prevention and Impact · Education, Sociology, Communication Studies · SMEs Development and Digital Marketing