Positive childhood experiences and their association with behavioral problems in Thai early adolescents
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: A cross-sectional school-based survey in Bangkok enrolled adolescents aged 10-13 years and their parents (n = 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.
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BibTeX
@article{vivattanasinchai2026positive,
title = {{Positive childhood experiences and their association with behavioral problems in Thai early adolescents}},
author = {Thitaporn Vivattanasinchai and Prakasit Wannapaschaiyong},
journal = {World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.5409/wjcp.117939},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5409/wjcp.117939},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Positive childhood experiences and their association with behavioral problems in Thai early adolescents
AU - Thitaporn Vivattanasinchai
AU - Prakasit Wannapaschaiyong
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics
DO - 10.5409/wjcp.117939
UR - https://doi.org/10.5409/wjcp.117939
AB - 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: A cross-sectional school-based survey in Bangkok enrolled adolescents aged 10-13 years and their parents (n = 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.
SN - 2219-2808
ER -