Positive childhood experiences and their association with behavioral problems in Thai early adolescents
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) may promote resilience and reduce behavioral and emotional problems, but evidence from Asian low- and middle-income countries is limited. AIM: To describe PCE prevalence and its associations with parent-reported behavioral and emotional problems among early adolescents in Bangkok, Thailand. METHODS: = 540). Adolescents completed a Thai-validated 7-domain PCE measure; parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Receiver operating characteristic analyses evaluated the discrimination of PCE counts. RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 11.4 years; 54.8% were female, and 81.1% reported ≥ 4 PCEs. Parent-reported the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire risk/problem prevalence ranged from 13.0% to 22.2%. In multivariable models, mentorship was associated with a lower odds of emotional problems (aOR = 0.14, 95%CI: 0.06-0.32), hyperactivity (aOR = 0.35, 95%CI: 0.16-0.77), and low prosocial behavior (aOR = 0.09, 95%CI: 0.04-0.20). The opportunity to share ideas with caregivers was also protective for emotional problems (aOR = 0.13, 95%CI: 0.05-0.35) and hyperactivity (aOR = 0.07, 95%CI: 0.03-0.17). Having ≥ 4 PCEs was associated with lower odds of emotional problems (aOR = 0.26, 95%CI: 0.08-0.83) and hyperactivity (aOR = 0.32, 95%CI: 0.11-0.98). Receiver operating characteristic analyses showed acceptable-to-good discrimination; for the emotional problems area under the curve was 0.835 (95%CI: 0.790-0.881). CONCLUSION: PCEs, particularly mentorship and caregiver-child idea sharing, were robustly associated with fewer behavioral and emotional difficulties in Thai early adolescents, supporting culturally relevant resilience-promoting strategies.
DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.117939
Institutions: Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7163161501