Regarding the training materials, the panel approved the following materials: (1) definitions, causes, criteria, and incidence of mental disorders in postpartum mothers; (2) sharing sessions from people who have experienced postpartum depression; (3) early symptoms and postpartum depression screening tool; (4) knowledge about early intervention for postpartum depression (psychological first aid) and practice; and (5) prevention of postpartum depression. Various studies stated that the definition and scope became imperative in mental health training because it was the first way to recognize symptoms, especially related to detection (34–38). Activities such as the PFA and MHFA are presented at the beginning (37, 39–41). Sharing sessions is also essential to build knowledge about a topic or problem (19, 42–44).
The agreed training methods are lecturing followed by group discussion, role play, and utilization of interactive video media, quizzes, modules, and websites. These methods have been widely applied to train the community (19, 43), including to train the health cadres in India, similar to those in Indonesia (45). Giving structured tasks is another option with solid, precise, clear, and interesting material delivery. The online training method has not yet received agreement from most experts because of technological challenges such as connectivity, low internet speed, lack of knowledge in using smartphones, and limited internet data (46).
For training time and duration, the expert panel agreed that the training duration should be 1.5–2 hours per session, three times a week or once a week for three weeks, and should be held from 10 to 12 a.m. (16). The training time is not carried out all day long but is repeated sequentially, for example, on two consecutive days with assignments between breaks. The time and duration of activities are a concern in various training for lay health workers (19, 45).
Evaluation needs to do to help participants remember the material (37). Evaluation can be pretest-posttest, interactive quizzes, role-play practices, discussion, and question-and-answer activities. The panel also suggested that the evaluation results should be submitted immediately after the assessment to increase the motivation of the training participants to follow the next stage.
As for trainer qualifications, consensus states that trainers should be psychologists, psychiatrists, survivors, nurses, general practitioners, or midwives. Posyandu cadres, however, are not recommended to become trainers. The panel emphasized the need to pay attention to the capacity and experience of trainers based on the appropriate profession and, more importantly, those of practitioners and academicians (21).
The results of this study reinforce the need to carefully develop a curriculum for volunteers in the community so that it is right on target (21). Although participatory methods are not applied, the Delphi Technique gives an opportunity to gather available knowledge and practical experience.
Research Limitations
This study has limitations on the equivalence of the number of expert panel participants in each category. Although the number of panels and variations are representative enough, the composition in each type of expertise is not equal.