Before it is too late: primary school students and their mental health challenges in Southern Thailand

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the mental health problems and well-being of primary school students in southern Thailand. Methods: A survey was conducted from 2019 to 2020 among first- to third-grade students (aged 6–9 years) in southern Thailand. Parents completed self-report questionnaires, including questions on socioeconomic characteristics, family functioning, use of information and technology devices, screen time, and mental health problems before and after the child entered kindergarten. All the students completed the happiness, self-esteem, and life-satisfaction questionnaire. Parents and teachers voluntarily reported perceived mental health concerns. School achievement was assessed by students’ grade point averages (GPAs). Results: Of the 2,499 students, 34.5% reported poor family functioning, 18.2% had an increased risk of game addiction, and 7.2% already had game addiction. The average screen time (mean ± SD) was 3.5 ± 3.1 h on weekdays and 6.2 ± 4.1 h on weekends, respectively. Students had significantly longer screen time if they owned a mobile phone, had unrestricted internet access, had a desktop computer at home, or had access to more than one device. Approximately one-third of the students had at least one mental health problem, especially academic-related problems. One-fourth of them had a GPA below 2.50. Almost all the students had moderate to high self-esteem. 10% felt sad about themselves, and approximately one-third had poor to very poor life satisfaction. Conclusion: Significant mental health challenges coexist with positive indicators of well-being, such as self-esteem and happiness. Appropriate intervention is needed to reduce the problems and promote their resources.