DOI : https://doi.org/10.56338/jphp.v7i1.8706

SPEAKUP!: A Community-Based Digital Intervention for Youth Violence Prevention and Mental Health

Prima Dewi Kusumawati (1), Reni Nurhidayah (2), Dhita Kurnia Sari (3)
(1) Post Graduate Program, STRADA Indonesia University, East Java, Indonesia
(2) Faculty of Nursing, STRADA Indonesia University, East Java, Indonesia
(3) Faculty of Nursing, STRADA Indonesia University, East Java, Indonesia
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Dewi Kusumawati, P., Nurhidayah, R., & Kurnia Sari, D. (2026). SPEAKUP!: A Community-Based Digital Intervention for Youth Violence Prevention and Mental Health. Journal of Public Health and Pharmacy, 7(1), 24–36. https://doi.org/10.56338/jphp.v7i1.8706
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Introduction: Adolescents are highly vulnerable to experiences of violence, bullying, and psychosocial difficulties, yet youth-informed digital approaches that integrate violence prevention and psychosocial support remain limited in Indonesia. Digital interventions may provide an accessible and youth-oriented approach to complement conventional school-based health promotion. This study aimed to develop SPEAKUP! through a formative youth- and stakeholder-informed process and evaluate its short-term effects on violence-prevention knowledge and attitudes, psychosocial functioning, psychosocial health literacy/awareness, and self-efficacy among adolescents.


Methods: A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. The qualitative phase included three focus group discussions with 24 adolescents (eight per group) and in-depth interviews with six teacher/expert stakeholders to identify needs and design the intervention. Based on these findings, the SPEAKUP! app was developed as an integrated multi-component digital intervention comprising psychosocial self-screening, interactive educational content, consultation support, self-care and relaxation resources, and emotional journaling. In the quantitative phase, a randomized controlled trial was conducted with 416 adolescents (SPEAKUP!, n = 208; control, n = 208). The intervention group used SPEAKUP! for four weeks, while the control group received conventional school-based health promotion. Violence-prevention knowledge and attitudes were assessed using the PVAQ. Psychosocial functioning was assessed using a self-report SDQ-based composite psychosocial score, with lower scores indicating more favorable psychosocial functioning. Psychosocial health literacy/awareness (AMHLQ) and self-efficacy (ASES) were examined as secondary empowerment-related outcomes. Intervention effects were estimated using between-group differences in change with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and Cohen’s d.


Results: The formative phase identified four priorities: awareness and protection, confidential and stigma-sensitive access, interactive youth-friendly learning, and emotional support/self-care. These findings informed the integrated SPEAKUP! intervention. At four weeks, violence-prevention knowledge improved by 11.4 points more in the SPEAKUP! group than in the control group (95% CI, 10.26–12.54; d = 1.93; p < 0.001), while the between-group difference in violence-prevention attitudes was 6.7 points (95% CI, 5.74–7.66; d = 1.34; p < 0.001). Psychosocial functioning also changed more favorably in the SPEAKUP! group, with a between-group difference in the SDQ-based composite psychosocial score of −5.6 points (95% CI, −6.54 to −4.66; d = −1.15; p < 0.001). Secondary outcomes similarly favored SPEAKUP! for psychosocial health literacy/awareness (10.5; 95% CI, 9.57–11.43; d = 2.18) and self-efficacy (8.2; 95% CI, 7.33–9.07; d = 1.82); both p < 0.001.


Conclusion: In this four-week school-based randomized evaluation, adolescents assigned to SPEAKUP! demonstrated greater short-term improvements across violence-prevention, psychosocial, and empowerment-related outcomes than those receiving conventional school-based health promotion. The findings reflect the integrated SPEAKUP! intervention as a whole and support further longer-term and multi-setting evaluation before broader implementation is considered.

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