The changes of suicidal ideation status among young people in Hong Kong during COVID-19: A longitudinal survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimin ZHU ◽  
Yanqiong Zhuang ◽  
Paul Lee ◽  
Wong Wai Ching
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Young People ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Psychological Well Being

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.

A Study of Family Support, Friendship, and Psychological Well-Being among Older Women in Hong Kong

2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 299-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oi-Ling Siu ◽  
David R. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Measures ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Support Provision ◽  
Dual Channel ◽  
Perceived Importance

The “dual-channel” hypothesis (Lawton, 1996), which suggests the dual-antecedent pattern for positive and negative aspects of psychological well-being, was tested by examining the differential relationships between objective and subjective measures of family support (family contact, family quality, perceived importance of family) and friendship (friends support, friends quality, perceived importance of friendship) to two facets of psychological well-being (positive and negative affect). Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a sample of 60 older women aged 60 to 85 in one district of Hong Kong. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses, controlling for age and marital status, demonstrated that two subjective measures (family quality and perceived importance of friendship) were significant predictors of positive affect; and one subjective measure (family quality) was a significant predictor of negative affect. The “dual-channel” hypothesis was partially supported. Recommendations regarding informal support provision for older women are discussed.

scholarly journals Leisure and problem gaming behaviour among children and adolescents during school closures caused by COVID-19 in Hong Kong: A school-based quantitative survey (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimin Zhu ◽  
Yanqiong Zhuang ◽  
Paul Lee ◽  
Jessica Li ◽  
Paul Wai-Ching Wong
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Young People ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Gaming Addiction ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Problematic Gaming

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.

scholarly journals The impact of care-related factors on the language and communication needs of looked after and adopted children/young people

2021 ◽  
pp. 251610322110214
Author(s):  
Darren Maguire ◽  
David McCormack ◽  
Ciara Downes ◽  
Tom Teggart ◽  
Tim Fosker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Language And Communication ◽  
The Impact

It is established that the development of psychological well-being and cognitive skills for Looked After and Adopted Children/Young People (LAACYP) is impacted by their experiences before and after entry into care. Language and communication skills are typically considered to have a reciprocal relationship with cognitive development, but the language skills of the LAACYP population are currently underspecified. The current study explores the severity and specificity of language and communication difficulty in a LAACYP population and the association between these difficulties and several care-related factors, including mental health and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Fifty-seven children aged 4–16 either in foster care or an adoptive placement were sampled via carer-report, using the Children’s Communication Checklist 2. Forty-two of these children’s mental health needs were also sampled using the Assessment Checklist for Children. The child’s social worker completed information regarding ACEs and care-related factors. Based on UK norms, the performance of 68% of the children sampled was consistent with the lowest 10% of the general population for language and communication ability. Similar levels of severity were found for both structural and pragmatic abilities. Language and communication difficulties were associated with older children, later age of entry into care and placement type (foster care vs. adoption) but not placement disruption. A significant relationship was found between mental health and language difficulty, but no link was established with ACEs. This study highlights the severity and pervasiveness of language and communication impairment among many of the LAACYP population and its association with psychological well-being.

scholarly journals The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being of Young People Living in Austria and Turkey: A Multicenter Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 9111
Author(s):  
Türkan Akkaya-Kalayci ◽  
Oswald D. Kothgassner ◽  
Thomas Wenzel ◽  
Andreas Goreis ◽  
Anthony Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Young People ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Status ◽  
Health State ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The Impact

Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and psychological well-being of young people. The aim of this study is to investigate the psychological well-being and changes in the mental-health state of young people living in Austria and Turkey. By using an anonymous online survey, we recruited 1240 people aged 15–25 years from these two countries. We used the “Psychological General Well-being” and a self-created questionnaire to capture individual experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine period. The native Turks indicated higher “anxiety” (ps < 0.010), lower “vitality” (ps < 0.011), and lower “general health” (ps < 0.011) than native Austrians or Austrian migrants and increased “depression” (p = 0.005) and lower “self-control” (p = 0.022), than Austrian migrants. Moreover, 50.9% of native Turks reported a decrease in their mental health status, compared to 31.1% of native Austrians and 23.7% of Austrian migrants. Participants with financial problems (OR = 1.68) and prior mental health problems (i.e., already in treatment by the time of COVID-19, OR = 5.83) reported a higher probability for a worsening in their mental health status. Our results show that the COVID-19 pandemic impaired the psychological well-being and mental health of young people. Especially people in Turkey were most affected, probably due to the stringent policies to fight COVID-19.

scholarly journals Relationships between Physical and Social Behavioural Changes and the Mental Status of Homebound Residents in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6653
Author(s):  
Ben Y. F. Fong ◽  
Martin C. S. Wong ◽  
Vincent T. S. Law ◽  
Man Fung Lo ◽  
Tommy K. C. Ng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Physical Strain

In Hong Kong, social distancing has been adopted in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19. This study aims to examine the changes in physical health, mental health, and social well-being experienced by local residents who were homebound during the pandemic. An online questionnaire in both Chinese and English versions was completed by 590 eligible participants from 24 April to 13 May 2020. The questionnaire found that individuals aged 18 to 25 years spent more time resting and relaxing but experienced more physical strain. Working status was associated with social contact, with participants working full-time jobs scoring higher in “maintaining social communication via electronic means” and “avoiding social activities outside the home”. Additionally, approximately one third of the participants (29.7%) had moderate to severe depression, and participants aged 18 to 25 were found to have higher scores in PHQ-9. Changes in physical health and social contact were significantly associated with developing depressive symptoms. From the results, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to exert a negative impact on the mental health status of individuals.

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