Items covering both core and culture‐specific facets of depression were generated based on literature review and clinical experience. They were modified following focus group discussions with depressed adolescents and adolescents in the community. The newly constructed Asian Adolescent Depression Scale (AADS) was administered to a clinical and a community sample of adolescents together with other rating scales. The AADS comprised 4 factors (negative self‐evaluation, negative affect, cognitive inefficiency and lack of motivation) and demonstrated sound psychometric properties. Negative socially oriented self‐evaluation and cognitive inefficiency were important in Singaporean adolescents’ conceptualization of depression and are likely to be Asian culture‐specific dimensions.

The primary aim of this study was to examine predictors of paternal stress within the first 6 months of having a baby in a normative Australian sample, and to compare paternal and maternal stress. In total, 54 fathers and 71 mothers completed self-report measures of postnatal depressive symptoms, parenting stress, efficacy, responsiveness, attachment, and family and social support. Paired sample t test revealed a significant relationship within couples in their level of parenting stress. Fathers reported lower levels of postnatal depression, responsiveness, and attachment than did mothers. Fathers rated their level of social support to be higher than did mothers. Regression analyses indicated that responsiveness and efficacy significantly predicted paternal stress whereas responsiveness and attachment predicted maternal stress when history of psychological diagnosis and financial stability were controlled for. Results have implications for early preventive parenting programs.

Background Providing high-quality early childhood care and education is widely understood as key to maximizing children's potential to succeed later in life, as it equips young children with the essential skills and competencies needed for their development. Despite the government's efforts to support the early childhood sector, educators in Singapore continue to report difficulties in implementing practices in classrooms that promote children's social, emotional, and cognitive development. To enhance educators' skills in these domains, we developed the Enhancing and Supporting Early development to better children's Lives (EASEL) Approach, a set of universal, educator-delivered practices for use with 3-6-year-old children to improve social, emotional, behavioral, and executive functioning (SEB+EF) outcomes. Methods This study will evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the EASEL Approach in improving early childhood educators' teaching practices and, in turn, children's SEB+EF outcomes. We will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial that utilizes a type 2 hybrid implementation-effectiveness design in 12 childcare centers. We will use the EPIS (Explore, Prepare, Implement, Sustain) Framework to support the implementation of the EASEL Approach. Implementation strategies include training, educator self-assessments, practice-based coaching, and data monitoring. Primary outcomes include educators' teaching practices and their adoption of the EASEL Approach in everyday practice. Secondary outcomes include the acceptability and feasibility of the EASEL Approach and children's SEB+EF outcomes. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected at baseline, six months, and after implementation. Conclusion Findings from this study will provide important evidence on the implementation of the EASEL Approach in early childhood classrooms in Singapore and the effectiveness of the EASEL Approach in improving educators' teaching practices and children's SEB+EF outcomes. Trial registration This study was prospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT05445947 on 6th July 2022.

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