Wit Wichaidit, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand

Tel.: (+66)74-451-165

wit.w@psu.ac.th

Research Topics

Global health: Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions and program evaluation; health disparities in low and middle-income countries

Violence and armed conflict: conflict epidemiology, effect of violence and armed conflict on physical and mental health

Overview

Professional Summary

I completed my doctoral studies in 2019 under the supervision of Dr. Pavani Ram. My doctoral research work was on global health and focused mainly on the evaluation and design of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) promotion programs. I conducted fieldwork in Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi as a part of my graduate training.

My current research interests include behavioral health, the association between personal finances and mental health, the health of marginalized groups, and the effect of armed conflict and trauma on physical and mental health. I aspire to take a multidisciplinary approach to health research work and try to incorporate the views of other fields of study into my work, including but not limited to behavioral science, social psychology, and gender studies.

As of October 2023, my ongoing research projects include: 

1) The prevalence and determinants of cannabis use in the general population of Thailand

2) An assessment of the association between experience of economic distress and behavioral health, and how personal finances and perception of economic inequalities modify these associations

I am also collaborating with colleagues in nursing, psychology, and sociology on multidisciplinary projects.

Education

·  PhD, Epidemiology, University at Buffalo, 2019

·  MS, Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 2010

·  BS, Biology, Kasetsart University, 2006

·  BA, Spanish, Ramkhamhaeng University, 2022

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Additional Appointments and Services

·  Research Fellow, Centre for Alcohol Studies

·  Board member, Deep South Relief and Reconciliation Foundation

Selected publications 

·     Wichaidit W, Chotipanvithayakul R, Assanangkornchai S. Use of Electronic Cigarettes among Secondary School Students and their Association with Depressive Symptoms: Findings from a National Secondary School Survey in Thailand. Journal of Health Science and Medical Research. 2023;1–10. [Link]

·     Wichaidit W, Mattawanon N, Somboonmark W, Prodtongsom N, Chongsuvivatwong V, Assanangkornchai S. Behavioral health and experience of violence among cisgender heterosexual and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning, and asexual (LGBTQA+) adolescents in Thailand. PLOS ONE. 2023 Jun 15;18(6):e0287130. [Link]

Jeharsae R, Jehnok M, Jeh-alee H, Waeteh S, Nimu N, Chewae C, Yama M, Dureh N, Wichaidit W. Associations between caregiver stress and child verbal abuse and corporal punishment in Thailand’s impoverished Deep South region during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Mental Health. 2022 Jul 14; 51(2): 1–16. DOI: 10.1080/00207411.2022.2098563. [Link]

·     Wichaidit W, Prommanee C, Choocham S, Chotipanvithayakul R, Assanangkornchai S. Modification of the association between experience of economic distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and behavioral health outcomes by availability of emergency cash reserves: findings from a nationally-representative survey in Thailand. PeerJ. 2022 Apr 20;10:e13307. doi: 10.7717/peerj.13307. eCollection 2022. [PubMed]

·     Wichaidit W, Assanangkornchai S, Chongsuvivatwong V. Disparities in behavioral health and experience of violence between cisgender and transgender Thai adolescents. PLoS One. 2021 May 28;16(5):e0252520. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252520. PMID: 34048495; PMCID: PMC8162664. [PubMed]

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