International Journal of Child Development and Mental Health

Shifting the Paradigm of Autism Early Intervention in Thailand: A Pilot Study of the THAI Model

Tamara Sumalrot — 2026-01-21

This study examines the Thai Home-based Autism Intervention (THAI) model, a parent-mediated, play-based approach designed to shift the paradigm from a medical model to a family-centered framework, addressing systemic inequities in early ASD care. This was a quasi-experimental pilot study conducted over six months in five provincial hospitals. Forty-six caregiver-child pairs participated in the intervention, which included biweekly in-clinic I-CARE skills coaching (Interaction, Comfort, Adapt, Respond, Encouragement), parent support groups, and home-based activities. Outcomes were assessed using the Functional Emotional Assessment Scale (FEAS), I-CARE Assessment, and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF). Parent-child interaction improved significantly (I-CARE scores increased from 12.69 ± 5.08 to 16.60 ± 6.45, p < .001), as did children’s social-emotional development (FEAS scores increased from 28.67 ± 9.34 to 35.31 ± 9.21, p < .001). Parental stress decreased significantly (PSI-SF scores from 94.89 ± 13.40 to 85.09 ± 12.43, p < .001). Provinces with fewer resources showed the greatest improvements, particularly among children under three years old. The THAI model represents a paradigm shift in early ASD intervention by decentralizing care to families and communities, empowering caregivers, and addressing disparities in access. This scalable, culturally adapted approach holds promise for reducing health inequalities in LMICs.

The Effectiveness of the Smart Love, Smart Parenting: 7-Day Parenting Program on Parental Positive Parenting Behaviors, Holistic Intelligence, and Emotional Intelligence in School-Age Children in Roi Et Province

Anchalee Aeamsee — 2026-03-26

This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Smart Love, Smart Parenting: 7- Days Parenting Program on parents’ positive parenting behaviors, holistic intelligence, and emotional intelligence among school-aged children in Roi Et Province. Participants consisted of 84 parent–child pairs, divided into an experimental group (42 pairs) and a comparison group (42 pairs) using simple random sampling. Research instruments included questionnaires assessing parents’ positive parenting behaviors, holistic intelligence, and children’s emotional intelligence. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-tests performed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 30. Baseline characteristics of participants in both groups were comparable. The results indicated that parents in the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher mean scores in positive parenting behaviors compared with those in the comparison group (p < 0.001). In addition, school-aged children in the experimental group showed significantly greater improvements in holistic intelligence and emotional intelligence than those in the comparison group (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that the Smart Love, Smart Parenting:7- Days Parenting Program is effective in promoting positive parenting practices and enhancing holistic and emotional development among school-aged children. The program may serve as a practical intervention model for strengthening child development in areas with identified emotional intelligence needs.

Prevalence and determinants of Nomophobia among medical undergraduates in North Kerala

Navya Gangadharan — 2026-06-16

Nomophobia, a form of anxiety disorder, has been found to be prevalent among young adults. This study aims to identify the determinants and prevalence of nomophobia among medical undergraduates in a private medical college in North Kerala. A cross -sectional study was done among 438 medical undergraduates sampled by convenience sampling. A self-administered questionnaire to assess nomophobia and its determinants was provided to participants. Analysis was done using SPSS version 23 software, and the chi-square test was used to test the associations between categorical variables. The prevalence of mild nomophobia was 15.1% (n=66), moderate nomophobia was 70.1% (n=307), and 13.9% (n=61) had severe nomophobia as per the nomophobia scale. The majority of participants aged 20–22 years (75.3%) reported higher levels of nomophobia compared to the 17–19 years group (7.7%) and those above 22 years (16.8%) [p value 0.006]. Hostellers (94.2%) reported higher levels of nomophobia compared to day scholars (6.1%) [p value 0.010]. Those who had spent more than 4 hours per day on smartphones and who had a single phone in hand had statistically significantly higher prevalence of moderate-severe nomophobia. Nomophobia is an emerging psychological condition among medical students as well. The young adults and children should be given awareness and off-screen time to limit the smart phone use.

I am anxious I won't pass my exams and disappoint my parents”: Mental health challenges among Sri Lankan 12-18 year old school children: A cross-sectional study of urban, provincial and rural areas

Rathnayake Mudiyanselage BANDARANAYAKE — 2026-06-23

Though about one-fifth of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people are teenagers, studies specifically focusing on Sri Lankan teenagers' mental health experiences and challenges remain limited. Current evidence suggests that mental health problems diagnosed in adulthood begin in adolescence, and the trajectories of these disorders can be modified through early detection and intervention. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the factors influencing mental health conditions and specifically depression among adolescent children in Sri Lanka. A survey was distributed to children in three different school types in Sri Lanka. The total sample (n=150) achieved representation across three school types: urban high schools (n=52, 34.7%), provincial council-controlled schools (n=49, 32.7%), and rural plantation schools (n=49, 32.7%). Results revealed marked differences in mental health experiences across school settings, with statistically significant associations confirmed for financial stress (χ²(2) = 69.57, p < .001, V = 0.48), parental career expectations (χ²(2) = 45.20, p < .001, V = 0.39), transactional sex awareness across school types (χ²(2) = 19.02, p < .001, V = 0.25), and illegal drug use by gender (χ²(1) = 11.01, p < .001, V = 0.27). High levels of academic stress were observed across all school types, though variation did not reach statistical significance (χ²(2) = 4.43, p = .109).

A Robust Feature Selection Analysis of Early Childhood Development Predictors in Thailand Using Stability Selection

Saengrawee Sutas — 2026-06-26

Early identification of developmental delays is critical for timely intervention. However, the specialized training and time required for frequent professional evaluations create a high clinical demand. This highlights the need for proxy predictors, features that are strong predictors of developmental delays that are also easily observable by caregivers, which can act as early triggers for professional referral. This study aimed to identify robust clinical and environmental predictors of suspected developmental delay across five DSPM domains and overall development among children in Chonburi, Thailand. Using a cross-sectional dataset (N=300) with 243 engineered features, a two-stage statistical pipeline was employed: (1) Stability Selection (100 iterations, 50% subsampling) to identify variables with a selection frequency ≥ 0.50; and (2) Non-parametric Bootstrapping (1,000 iterations) with multivariate logistic regression to calculate Median Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). Dental plaque emerged as a primary predictor, significantly increasing the risk for overall developmental delay (OR = 5.36) and linguistic delays. Other stable risk factors included starting electronic media between ages 2.0–2.9 years (OR = 6.95), a history of childhood pneumonia (OR = 5.96), and receiving the DSPM manual only during vaccination visits (OR = 5.47). Conversely, avoiding electronics (OR = 0.29) and proactive DSPM utilization (OR = 0.30) were significant protective factors for expressive language. No stable predictors reached the threshold for motor or social domains. Findings emphasize the sentinel role of caretakers’ health literacy, oral health, and digital hygiene in developmental screening. Poor oral health, early digital device usage, and lack of health literacy through DSPM are proxy predictors for developmental delay, while caretakers’ health literacy through utilization of DSPM and avoiding usage of electronic devices lowers the likelihood of developmental delay. Pediatric nursing interventions should prioritize caretakers’ health literacy and shift from reactive to proactive DSPM utilization to improve developmental outcomes.