scholarly journals Community psychological and behavioural responses to coronavirus disease 2019 over one year of the pandemic in 2020 in Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuyan Liao ◽  
Jingyi Xiao ◽  
Justin Cheung ◽  
Tiffany W. Y. Ng ◽  
Wendy W. T. Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Personal Efficacy ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Self Protection

AbstractMonitoring community psychological and behavioural responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is important for informing policy making and risk communication to sustain public compliance with challenging precautionary behaviours and mitigating the psychological impacts. Monthly telephone-based cross-sectional surveys in January–April 2020 and then weekly surveys from May through December 2020 were conducted to monitor changes in public risk perception of COVID-19, personal efficacy in self-protection, confidence in government’s ability to control the pandemic, precautionary behaviours, perceived impact of precautionary behaviours, psychological fatigue and distress in Hong Kong, and examine their inter-relationships. While worry about contracting COVID-19 increased, personal efficacy and confidence in government declined as the community incidence of COVID-19 increased. The public maintained high compliance with most precautionary behaviours throughout but relaxed behaviours that were more challenging when disease incidence declined. Public confidence in government was persistently low throughout, of which, a lower level was associated with more psychological fatigue, lower compliance with precautionary behaviours and greater psychological distress. Perceived greater negative impact of precautionary behaviours was also associated with more psychological fatigue which in turn was associated with relaxation of precautionary behaviours. Female, younger and unemployed individuals reported greater psychological distress throughout different stages of the pandemic. Risk communication should focus on promoting confidence in self-protection and pandemic control to avoid helplessness to act when the pandemic resurges. Policy making should prioritize building public trust, enhancing support for sustaining precautionary behaviours, and helping vulnerable groups to adapt to the stress during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Community Psychological And Behavioural Responses To Coronavirus Disease 2019 Over One Year Of The Pandemic In 2020 In Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuyan Liao ◽  
Jingyi Xiao ◽  
Justin Cheung ◽  
Tiffany W. Y. Ng ◽  
Wendy W. T. Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Personal Efficacy ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
The Government ◽  
Self Protection

Abstract Background: Monitoring community psychological and behavioural responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is important for informing policy making and risk communication to sustain public compliance with challenging precautionary behaviours and mitigating the psychological impacts. Methods: Monthly telephone surveys in January-April 2020 and then weekly surveys from May through December 2020 were conducted to monitor changes in public risk perception of COVID-19, personal efficacy in self-protection, confidence in the government’s ability to control the pandemic, precautionary behaviours, perceived impact of precautionary behaviours, psychological fatigue and distress in Hong Kong, and examine their inter-relationships. Results: While worry about contracting COVID-19 increased, personal efficacy and confidence in the government declined as the community incidence of COVID-19 increased. The public maintained high compliance with most precautionary behaviours throughout but relaxed behaviours that were more challenging when disease incidence declined. Public confidence in the government was persistently low throughout, of which, a lower level was associated with more psychological fatigue, lower compliance with precautionary behaviours and greater psychological distress. Perceived greater negative impact of precautionary behaviours was also associated with more psychological fatigue which in turn was associated with relaxation of precautionary behaviours. Female, younger and unemployed individuals reported greater psychological distress throughout different stages of the pandemic.Conclusions: Risk communication should focus on promoting confidence in self-protection and pandemic control to avoid helplessness to act when the pandemic resurges. Policy making should prioritize building public trust, enhancing support for sustaining precautionary behaviours, and helping vulnerable groups to adapt to the stress during the pandemic.

A descriptive study of the prevalence of psychological distress and mental disorders in the Canadian population: comparison between low-income and non-low-income populations

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Caron ◽  
A. Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Canadian Community Health Survey ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
High Psychological Distress

Objective This descriptive study compares rates of high psychological distress and mental disorders between low-income and non-low-income populations in Canada. Methods Data were collected through the Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health and Well-being (CCHS 1.2), which surveyed 36 984 Canadians aged 15 or over; 17.9% (n = 6620) was classified within the low-income population using the Low Income Measure. The K-10 was used to measure psychological distress and the CIDI for assessing mental disorders. Results One out of 5 Canadians reported high psychological distress, and 1 out of 10 reported at least one of the five mental disorders surveyed or substance abuse. Women, single, separated or divorced respondents, non-immigrants and Aboriginal Canadians were more likely to report suffering from psychological distress or from mental disorders and substance abuse. Rates of reported psychological distress and of mental disorders and substance abuse were much higher in low-income populations, and these differences were statistically consistent in most of the sociodemographic strata. Conclusion This study helps determine the vulnerable groups in mental health for which prevention and promotion programs could be designed.

A community-based study of the relationship between somatic and psychological distress in Hong Kong

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 594-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sing Lee ◽  
Candi MC Leung ◽  
Kathleen PS Kwok ◽  
King Lam Ng
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals Rethinking the Penalty of Illicit Enrichment Crime in Ethiopia: Lessons from Comparative Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 213
Author(s):  
Diriba Adugna Tulu
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Legal Regimes ◽  
Severe Punishment

The crime of illicit enrichment has been widely accepted as a useful mechanism for curbing corruption, both international and regional anti-corruption instruments. This article's main objective is to comparatively analyze the rationality and appropriateness of the penalty provided for illicit enrichment crime in the Ethiopian Corruption Crimes Proclamation compared with Hong Kong and Rwanda's legal regimes to draw some best lessons and way forwards for the identified problems. The article found that the Ethiopia Corruption Crimes Proclamation fails to set a minimum penalty limit and entails severe punishment in terms of imprisonment and fine that can convey a meaningful message to potential offenders. Thus, the penalty provided for the crime of illicit enrichment is designed in a manner in which the person who commits such crime has the chance to be less punished. In effect, this provision is inconsistent with the purpose of criminal law and major sentencing principles, but it also degenerates public confidence in the justice system. Therefore, Ethiopia needs to take a lesson from Hong Kong and Rwanda's experiences in incorporating severe and setting minimum limit of penalty for the crime of illicit enrichment that can convey a meaningful message to potential offenders.

scholarly journals The imf and Protection of Vulnerable Groups

2020 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-243
Author(s):  
Viljam Engström
Keyword(s):  
International Economic ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Present Article ◽  
International Monetary Fund ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Human Rights Law ◽  
Know How ◽  
The International Monetary Fund ◽  
The Imf

The concept of vulnerability serves to focus protection on those most in need. While prominent in human rights law, protection of vulnerable groups is also increasingly invoked by international economic/financial actors such as the International Monetary Fund (imf). The present article explores how vulnerability enters imf policymaking. The article looks for points of contact of imf practice, with a human rights-based conception of vulnerability. The aim of the article is not to revisit the discussion on human rights accountability of the imf. Instead, the article seeks to identify and analyse the function of vulnerability in the policy-making of the Fund. The protection of vulnerable groups, the article claims, is gradually constituted as part of the law of the imf. For this reason alone, it is of importance to know how vulnerability enters imf policy-making and whom the imf considers vulnerable. Moreover, the imf also becomes a source for the identification of vulnerable groups.

Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Group Intervention on Acculturation

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Yan Pan ◽  
Petrus Ng ◽  
Daniel Kim-Wan Young ◽  
Schoepf Caroline
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
University Students ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Positive Effects

Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) in improving mental health and promoting postmigration growth for Mainland university students in Hong Kong. Methods: Thirty-six Mainland students with mild-to-moderate levels of psychological distress have completed a 8-session CBI group. Various mental health measures have been administered at the pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up tests. Results: The levels of psychological distress, acculturative stress, and negative emotions and negative thoughts of the participants were significantly reduced, while their positive emotions and postmigration growth were significantly increased upon completion of the CBI group. The positive effects were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Conclusions: CBI group appears to be an effective intervention approach for improving the mental health and promoting postmigration growth for Mainland university students in Hong Kong. Implications for social work practices when engaging with Chinese international students were provided.

scholarly journals Living Environment and Psychological Distress in the General Population of Hong Kong

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 78-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corine S.M. Wong ◽  
W.C. Chan ◽  
Linda C.W. Lam ◽  
W.Y. Law ◽  
W.Y. Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
General Population ◽  
Living Environment
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