Community integration services for children with mental health disorders: Evidence from social assistance facilities in Vietnam

Nguyen Trung Hai

doi:10.31893/multiscience.2026732

Keywords:

psychosocial support

social work practice

rehabilitation programs

service delivery models

vulnerable children

Abstract

Families of children experiencing mental health conditions require not only therapeutic care but also supportive social environments characterized by empathy, understanding, and non-discrimination. Despite recent policy advancements in Viet Nam, community integration services for this population remain underexplored in empirical research, particularly with respect to their structural implementation and effectiveness. Guided by an ecological systems framework, this study examines the development, delivery models, and perceived effectiveness of community integration services for children with mental health conditions. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a structured survey of 100 families and 100 service providers with 20 in-depth interviews conducted with family members, frontline professionals, and leaders of seven public and non-public social assistance facilities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively and comparatively, while qualitative data were examined using thematic analysis to identify institutional and systemic factors shaping service implementation. The findings indicate that rehabilitation and special education services are the most institutionalized components of community integration support, whereas stigma-reduction communication and vocational guidance remain inconsistently implemented. Service delivery is predominantly facility-centered, with part-time models prevailing across institutions. Although satisfaction levels among families and providers are generally positive, structural constraints—including governance fragmentation, workforce specialization gaps, and persistent community stigma—limit service consistency and scalability. The study contributes to the literature by situating Viet Nam’s emerging service system within broader international mental health reform frameworks and demonstrating how multi-level structural factors mediate the implementation of community integration services. Strengthening coordinated governance, professional workforce development, and community-based engagement mechanisms will be critical for advancing inclusive and sustainable support systems for children experiencing mental health conditions.
References
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2. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Harvard University Press.
3. Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2002). Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry, 1(1), 16–20.
4. Dang, H. M., Weiss, B., & Nguyen, C. M. (2013). Mental health of Vietnamese children: Current situation and risk factors [In Vietnamese]. Vietnam National University Press.
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12. UNICEF. (2021). The state of the world’s children 2021: On my mind—Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org
13. UNICEF. (2023a). Mental health and psychosocial well-being of children and young people in selected provinces and cities in Viet Nam [In Vietnamese]. UNICEF.
14. UNICEF. (2023b). Strengthening the social service workforce for children. UNICEF.
15. World Health Organization. (2006). WHO-AIMS report on mental health system in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organization.
16. World Health Organization. (2013). Mental health action plan 2013–2020. World Health Organization.
17. World Health Organization. (2020). Mental health atlas 2020. World Health Organization.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Hai, N. T. (2026). Community integration services for children with mental health disorders: Evidence from social assistance facilities in Vietnam. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 8(11), 2026732. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026732

[1] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2016). Overview of mental health in Australia. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

[2] Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Harvard University Press.

[3] Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2002). Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry, 1(1), 16–20.

[4] Dang, H. M., Weiss, B., & Nguyen, C. M. (2013). Mental health of Vietnamese children: Current situation and risk factors [In Vietnamese]. Vietnam National University Press.

[5] Luo, Y., Cui, Z., Zou, P., Wang, K., Lin, Z., He, J., & Wang, J. (2020). Mental health problems and associated factors in Chinese high school students in Henan province: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), Article 5944. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165944

[6] Nguyen, H. H. (2017). Summary report on the evaluation of the community integration system in Viet Nam [In Vietnamese]. Labor Publishing House.

[7] Patel, V., Saxena, S., Lund, C., Thornicroft, G., Baingana, F., Bolton, P., Chisholm, D., Collins, P. Y., Cooper, J. L., Eaton, J., Herrman, H., Herzallah, M. M., Huang, Y., Jordans, M. J. D., Kleinman, A., Medina-Mora, M. E., Morgan, E., Niaz, U., Omigbodun, O., Prince, M., Rahman, A., Saraceno, B., Sarkar, B. K., De Silva, M., Singh, I., Stein, D. J., Sunkel, C., & Unützer, J. (2018). The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development. The Lancet, 392(10157), 1553–1598. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31612-X

[8] Roh, S., Lee, S.-U., Soh, M., Ryu, V., Kim, H., Jang, J. W., Lim, H. Y., Jeon, M., Park, J.-I., Choi, S., & Ha, K. (2016). Mental health services and research and development in South Korea. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 10, 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-016-0077-3

[9] Tran, H., & Doan, M. H. (2010). Social services in Viet Nam toward 2020: Development orientations and solutions [In Vietnamese]. National-level research project (State-level project), Viet Nam.

[10] Tuaf, H. (2023). Community-based programs for youth with mental health conditions: A scoping review and practical implications. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, Article 1241469. https://doi.org/**10.3389/fpubh.2023.1241469

[11] UNICEF. (2016). Mental health and psychosocial well-being of children and adolescents in Viet Nam [In Vietnamese]. UNICEF.

[12] UNICEF. (2021). The state of the world’s children 2021: On my mind—Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org

[13] UNICEF. (2023a). Mental health and psychosocial well-being of children and young people in selected provinces and cities in Viet Nam [In Vietnamese]. UNICEF.

[14] UNICEF. (2023b). Strengthening the social service workforce for children. UNICEF.

[15] World Health Organization. (2006). WHO-AIMS report on mental health system in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organization.

[16] World Health Organization. (2013). Mental health action plan 2013–2020. World Health Organization.

[17] World Health Organization. (2020). Mental health atlas 2020. World Health Organization.

[18] World Health Organization. (2022). World mental health report: Transforming mental health for all. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049338

[19] World Health Organization, & UNICEF. (2022). Joint programme on mental health and psychosocial well-being and development of children and adolescents. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int

Abstract

References

How to cite