Prevalence of Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET), Associated Factors, and the Relationship with Game Addiction Among Youth Aged 15 - 25 Years in Thailand
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Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of NEET, examine psychiatric disorders in youth with NEET, and explore the association between NEET and game addiction among youth in Thailand.
Methods: This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among youth aged 15 - 25 years from July to November 2023. Participants were recruited from communities across 15 provinces in Thailand using a stratified and multi-stage sampling method. The questionnaire included demographic data, NEET status and related characteristics, gaming behavior, and positive parenting. Furthermore, game addiction was assessed using Gaming Disorder Scale: GAME-S, while other psychiatric disorders were evaluated using the Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.). The data analysis employed descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, including Chi-square, T-test, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).
Results: The participants included 668 youths and their parents with equal proportions of males and females, with a mean age of 19.92 years. The prevalence of NEET was 4.5%. Factors associated with NEET were older age and playing video games with strangers or online friends (OR=3.39; 95%CI [1.01, 11.42]), and playing alone (OR=3.30; 95%CI [1.15, 9.46]). In contrast, gender, main caregiver, screen time, game addiction, and positive parenting were not associated with NEET. Additionally, psychiatric diseases found in youth with NEET were alcohol abuse (3.3%) and major depressive disorder (3.3%).
Conclusion: The prevalence of youth with NEET is 4.5%, and comorbid psychiatric diseases of those youth include alcohol abuse and major depressive disorder. The interpretation of the association between studied factors and NEET is limited due to the limited number of youth identified as NEET.
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