The Influence of Positive Affect on Mental Health of Undergraduates from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in the Context of Smoke-free Campus in Chinese Mainland

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 5055-5073
Author(s):  
Dong Yile

In recent years, more and more young people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have come to universities in Chinese Mainland for higher education. However, due to the differences in political, economic and cultural environment between Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions and Chinese Mainland, these young people have encountered psychological problems such as examination anxiety, interpersonal loneliness and lack of sense of meaning in life due to the related learning and life difficulties in Chinese mainland universities, which affect their growth and success. Many of the students originally thought that smoking was used in a more secluded environment to relieve stress, psychological counseling and energy recovery, but in fact smoking brings more harm. In the creation of a smoke-free campus, a variety of measures are adopted to give full play to the positive emotions of students to promote their mental health, which will help to achieve the creation of a smoke-free campus and share a healthy life on the campus. Based on the survey of a total of 658 undergraduates from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in H University on their positive affect and mental health, the following conclusions are drawn through data analysis: undergraduates from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in Chinese Mainland have positive affect at the upper-middle level, negative affect and overall affect at the lower-middle level; some undergraduates from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in Chinese mainland universities have middle-level mental health status and significant differences in grade and family relationship satisfaction; family relationship satisfaction has an important impact on students' emotional and mental health; the negative emotional performance and mental health of senior students, science students and students with low family relationship satisfaction need more attention from educators. Correlation analysis shows that positive affect is positively correlated with health concerns, energy status, satisfaction and interest in life, mood status, control of emotions and behaviors, relaxation and tension, and total score of mental health (P < 0.01). Regression analysis shows that positive affect has significant positive predictive effects on six factors in mental health, such as "health concerns", "satisfaction and interest in life", "energy", "mental state", "control of emotions and behaviors", "relaxation and tension" and mental health. The enlightenment of this study lies in the suggestions that actions should be taken from the two levels of school education and home-school combination to strengthen the cultivation of positive affect of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan undergraduates in Chinese mainland universities, so as to improve their mental health level.

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. ii-iv
Author(s):  
Kelly Allen ◽  
Chris Boyle

School belonging is generally regarded as a student's sense of affiliation or connection to his or her school. Anyone who has personally navigated the sometimes torturous terrain of secondary school is able to have some level of direct understanding of the importance that belonging, fitting in, and identifying with a school holds for most people. Educators and practitioners often work with young people who feel that they do not belong to the school community, in which they attend. An absence of belonging can manifest itself in mental health concerns, school attrition, and risk taking behaviours. Opportunities for early intervention through fostering school belonging are born from a greater understanding and awareness of what school belonging is and how it is contextualised and fostered. This special issue aims to place a focus on school belonging and highlight it as a significant social issue of our time.


2002 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annabelle Bundle

Annabelle Bundle presents the results of a qualitative study, undertaken in a mixed residential children's home, which aimed to identify what looked after young people see as important in terms of health information. The young people wanted information particularly on mental health issues, keeping fit, substance use and sexual health. Many were reluctant to request appointments for personal matters and did not feel they were encouraged to ask about personal health concerns during medical examinations.


Author(s):  
Milica Mitrović ◽  
Jelena Opsenica Kostić ◽  
Damjana Panić

Infertility is a medical problem, but it can have significant consequences for mental health. Emotional problems caused by infertility are very common, so infertility can be called a life crisis. Therefore, it is very important to identify protective and risk factors that would determine the psychological adjustment to infertility. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in perceived social support, relationship satisfaction, and positive and negative affect between women undergoing IVF treatment and women who do not have fertility problems. The research also aims to examine whether perceived social support and relationship satisfaction were significant predictors of positive and negative affect in both groups. The study included 292 women – 163 who were undergoing the IVF treatment at the time of assessment and 129 without fertility problems who made up the control group. The following instruments were applied: the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Relationship Satisfaction Scale, and the Serbian Inventory of Affect based on PANAS. The results show statistically significant differences between the examined groups in the level of negative affect, which is more pronounced in the group of women undergoing IVF treatment. Regarding positive affect, there is a trend of a more frequent experience of positive emotions in the women from the control group. Perceived social support and relationship satisfaction are significant predictors of both positive and negative affect for the women undergoing IVF treatment. As for the control group, the results of the regression analysis show that perceived social support and relationship satisfaction are significant predictors of negative affect, while in the case of positive affect, relationship satisfaction stands out as a significant predictor. The results indicate that perceived social support and relationship satisfaction can be important protective factors when it comes to psychological adjustment to infertility, which can serve as a guideline for mental health professionals who work with infertile couples.


2020 ◽  
pp. 000494412098275
Author(s):  
Alison Willis ◽  
Peter Grainger ◽  
Stephanie Menzies ◽  
Rachael Dwyer ◽  
Sue Simon ◽  
...  

Many Australian young people experience mental health concerns, academic and study-related stresses, and socio-economic pressures. Phenomenological research conducted among primary and secondary schoolteachers in four Australian states investigated how teachers manage student wellbeing concerns and academic pressures and stresses. Findings identify key stresses that affect students’ performance and how teachers respond to these stresses to progress student learning. Creating space, finding margin, mitigating and reducing pressures and stresses, while upholding academic rigour, are the salient capabilities described by teachers in this study for simultaneously managing student wellbeing concerns and academic performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Brittanie Atteberry-Ash ◽  
Shanna K. Kattari ◽  
Vern Harner ◽  
Dana M. Prince ◽  
Anthony P. Verdino ◽  
...  

Young people experience a variety of mental health concerns, including depression, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicidal ideation. These issues are at even higher rates among transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) young people, due to the additional burden of having to navigate a world in which transphobia impacts them at the individual, organizational, and policy levels. However, much of the extant research focuses only on comparing TGD youth to cisgender counterparts. This study explores the nuance within the TDG youth population regarding mental health, examining how gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation change the likelihood of experiencing each of these mental health concerns. Among a sample of over 400 young people, findings indicate that those TGD young people who do not identify themselves within the masculine/feminine binary and those with marginalized sexual orientations were two to three times more likely to experience adverse mental health outcomes, as compared to their peers who are questioning their gender, and who are heterosexual. The implications for mental health professionals and others who work with young people are to recognize that mental health is not a one-size-fits all model for young TGD people, and that the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, must be addressed in order to improve the mental health of this group of young people. Findings can also be used to better understand issues of stigma, discrimination, and victimization in education, health care, and beyond.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimin Zhu ◽  
Yanqiong Zhuang ◽  
Paul Lee ◽  
Jessica Li ◽  
Paul Wai-Ching Wong

BACKGROUND School closures during COVID-19 may have exacerbated students’ loneliness, addictive behaviour, and poor mental health. These mental health issues confronting young people are of public concern. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to examine the association between loneliness and gaming addiction among young people in Hong Kong and to investigate how familial factors, psychological distress, and gender differences moderate the relationships. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2020 when school reopened after 6 months of school suspension. Participants were 2,863 children and adolescents in primary (grades 4-6) and secondary (grades 7-8) schools (female: 52.5%). Chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, and independent-samples t-tests were performed to compare the difference of distribution in gaming addictions across gender, age, and other socio-demographic characteristics. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors that relate to excessive or pathological gaming, separately, in comparison with leisure gaming. RESULTS Approximately 88% of the participants played video games during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of excessive and pathological game addiction was 20.9% and 5.3%, respectively. More male students had gaming addiction symptoms than females. The multinomial logistic regressions showed that feeling lonely was associated with more problematic gaming behaviours, and the association was stronger for older female students. Low socioeconomic status, less parental support and supervision, and poor mental health were risk factors for gaming addiction, especially among primary school students. After being adjusted for depressive symptoms, loneliness was negatively associated with gaming addiction. CONCLUSIONS Loneliness was associated with gaming addiction and the finding of this study suggested that the association was similar across gender and age among young people. Familial support and supervision during school closures can protect young people from developing problematic gaming behaviour. Results of the study have implications for prevention and early intervention for policy makers and game developers.


Author(s):  
Patti Ranahan

This chapter explores practice implications for youth workers attempting to support the mental health and well-being of young people as they leave care and transition to the adult system. Young people in care are more likely to experience suicidality and mental health concerns, with the transition out of care accentuating such concerns. Access to youth mental health services may also reach an expiration date, at which time young people are expected to transition to the adult mental health system at a predetermined chronological age. Specifically, this chapter examines the current research regarding mental health issues and suicidality within the youth-in-care population and the impact of transitioning out of care on the well-being of young people, and it discusses practical strategies for youth workers to enhance young people’s literacies in mental health that can lead to more positive outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimin ZHU ◽  
Yanqiong Zhuang ◽  
Paul Lee ◽  
Wong Wai Ching

Background: Pandemics affect the physical and mental well-being of all potentially at-risk individuals. The secondary consequences of measures to prevent the outbreak (i.e., school closures) have extensive impact on young people globally. This longitudinal study examines changes of suicidal ideation status among adolescents during COVID-19.Method: A follow-up after nine-months of a school-based survey among 1,491 secondary students was conducted during COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Psychological well-being, psychological factors, family support, and COVID-19-related experiences were examined.Findings: The prevalence of suicidal ideation were 24% and 21% among the participants before and during COVID-19, respectively. In particular, 897 (65.0%) remained non-suicidal, 193 (14.0%) recovered from being suicidal, 148 (10.7%) newly reported being suicidal, and 143 (10.4%) remained suicidal. Respondents who remained suicidal were found to have significantly higher depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, and social anxiety; fixed mindset; lower meaning of life and self-control; and lower parental support and supervision than the other groups. Participants with suicidal ideation reported more negative perceptions about the pandemic than non-suicidal participants. Logistic regression showed that participants with higher trait anxiety and higher stress from self-expectations in the baseline survey predicted higher likelihood of having suicidal ideation than the non-suicidal students at follow-up.Conclusion: Poor psychological well-being, lower level of family support, and negative impacts of the pandemic were consistently associated with students’ presence of suicidal ideation during the pandemic. Further intervention studies are needed to examine the effects of the mental health consequences of COVID-19 on youth mental health and to promote positive youth well-being.


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