A major cluster randomised controlled trial in rural Thailand has raised important questions about the effectiveness of combined in-person and online parenting interventions. Researchers from Mahidol University and international partners enrolled 480 parents, randomly assigning them to receive either a blended parenting programme incorporating face-to-face group sessions and mobile-based online modules, or standard care.
Measured against WHO violence prevention priorities, the study examined physical punishment and emotional abuse as primary outcomes at one-month follow-up. Contrary to expectations, the intervention group showed no significant reduction in physical punishment compared to controls (65% vs 68%). More notably, emotional abuse reporting increased in the intervention group (52% vs 45%), challenging assumptions about blended programme effectiveness in low-resource settings.
These findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, suggest that current implementation approaches may require fundamental redesign to achieve meaningful outcomes in rural communities. Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
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