scholarly journals Facemask Wearing Among Chinese International Students From Hong Kong Studying in United Kingdom Universities During COVID-19: A Mixed Method Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Yuen-kwan Lai ◽  
Shirley Man-man Sit ◽  
Theresa Tze-kwan Lai ◽  
Man-ping Wang ◽  
Cecilia Hoi-mei Kong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
International Students ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
The Uk

Background: The mental health of international students studying abroad has been neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic.Objective: This mixed-method study examined perceived public attitudes, personal beliefs, practice and stress toward facemask wearing as a preventive measure against COVID-19 among international University students from Hong Kong studying in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early stage (January–March 2020) of the pandemic.Methods: Our study included 2 parts: (i) an exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling strategy was used to recruit 91 Chinese students studying in the UK to complete an online questionnaire survey, and (ii) online Zoom focus group interviews were conducted with 16 students who completed the online survey to gain an in-depth understanding of their experiences and coping methods during the pandemic.Results: Of the 91 students, 92.3% reported the UK public did not view facemask wearing as a preventive measure. 98.9% believed facemask wearing was an effective preventive measure, but 56% wore facemasks more than half of the time when out in public. 50.5% had internal conflicts of stress both when wearing and not wearing facemasks, which was more common in females than males [(62.5 vs. 31.5%), P = 0.004, Relative Risk (RR): 1.99 (1.17, 3.38)]. 61.5% reported public prejudiced attitudes against facemask wearing, also more common in females than males (71.4 vs. 45.7%), P = 0.02, RR: 1.56 (1.05, 2.32). The qualitative findings corroborated with the quantitative findings and reported that peer and family support were important for them to face such difficulties, and positive thinking and adaptability were effective methods on stress management.Conclusions: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Chinese international students have been faced with a difficult, confusing, and sensitive situation. Owing to the ongoing pandemic, rising xenophobia and racist behaviors and the resumption of students' studies studies in the U.K., support from global communities are needed in their pursuit of quality education overseas. Our findings have significant implications on the proactive roles that governments should have, and the need for clear and accurate public health messaging to change public attitudes and mitigate prejudice. Academic institutions and mental health professionals need to proactively provide additional support to Chinese international students.

Facemask wearing among Chinese international students from Hong Kong studying in United Kingdom Universities during COVID-19: A mixed method study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Yuen-Kwan Lai ◽  
Shirley Man-Man Sit ◽  
Theresa Tze-Kwan Lai ◽  
Man-Ping Wang ◽  
Cecilia Hoi-Mei Kong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
International Students ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Personal Beliefs ◽  
The Uk

BACKGROUND The mental health of international students studying abroad has been neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE This mixed-method study examined perceived public attitudes, personal beliefs, practice and stress toward facemask wearing as a preventive measure against COVID-19 among international university students from Hong Kong studying in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early stage (January – March 2020) of the pandemic. METHODS Our study included 2 parts: (i) an exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling strategy was used to recruit 91 Chinese students studying in the UK to complete an online questionnaire survey, and (ii) online Zoom focus group interviews were conducted with 16 students to gain an in-depth understanding on their experiences and coping methods during the pandemic. RESULTS Of the 91 students, 92.3% reported the UK public did not view facemask wearing as a preventive measure. 98.9% believed facemask wearing was an effective preventive measure, but 56% wore facemasks more than half of the time when out in public. 50.5% of them had internal conflicts of feeling stressed both when wearing facemasks and not wearing facemasks, which was more common in females than males [(62.5% versus 31.5%, P=0.004, Relative Risk (RR): 1.99 (1.17, 3.38)]. 61.5% reported public prejudiced attitudes against facemask wearing, also more females than males (71.4% versus 45.7%, P=0.02, RR: 1.56 (1.05, 2.32). Qualitative findings showed feeling of conflicts between personal beliefs and social norms, feeling stressed about wearing facemasks as a preventive measure, and experience of prejudice. Peer and family support helped students face such difficulties. Positive thinking and being adaptable were effective methods of stress management. Qualitative findings corroborated the quantitative results. CONCLUSIONS Prejudiced attitudes and behaviours from others, and differences in public attitudes toward facemask wearing resulted in much stress in students’ stress. Clear and accurate public health messaging regarding facemask wearing is needed to change public attitudes and mitigate prejudice. Owing to the ongoing pandemic and rising xenophobia, specifically Sinophobia, academic institutions and public health professionals should take initiative in reaching out to urgently address the needs of international students and provide support in managing their ongoing stress and enhance mental wellbeing. CLINICALTRIAL Ethics approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board of The University of Hong Kong / Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster (reference number: UW20-298). The study was registered with the National Institutes of Health (identifier number: NCT04365361).

Evaluation of Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Chinese International Students in Hong Kong

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-109
Author(s):  
Qiuyuan Xie ◽  
Daniel Fu Keung Wong
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
International Students ◽  
Behavioral Intervention ◽  
Dysfunctional Attitudes ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Intervention ◽  
Continuous Increase

Objectives: This study aims to test the effectiveness of a culturally attuned cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) in promoting mental health and quality of life (QOL) among Chinese international students in Hong Kong. Method: A waitlist control designed was adopted. Sixty-five Chinese international students in a university in Hong Kong were assigned to experimental groups and control groups. The intervention consisted of eight weekly 3-hr sessions. All the participants were assessed preintervention, postintervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Results: Participants in the experimental group showed a significant and continuous increase in mental health and overall QOL compared to those in the control group. Changes of dysfunctional attitudes mediated the effect of CBI on mental health and QOL. Conclusion: The current culturally attuned CBI may be useful in improving mental health and QOL among Chinese international students in Hong Kong.

scholarly journals Factors Influencing Chinese International Students’ Strategic Language Learning at Ten Universities in the U.S.: A Mixed-Method Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1891-1913
Author(s):  
Yao Fu ◽  
Crystal Machado ◽  
Zhenjie Weng
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Interpretive Analysis ◽  
The U.S

This QUAL-QUAN mixed-method study employed a sociocultural interpretive framework to describe the Language Learning Strategies used by Chinese international students at ten universities in the U.S. During phase one, we used typological and interpretive analysis to identify nine factors that influenced 15 students’ strategy use at four universities. In phase two we employed regression analysis to study the influence of these factors and two others on 117 students’ strategy use at six U.S. universities. While participation and English proficiency level predicted direct strategies like memory, cognitive and compensatory strategies, participation was identified as the sole predictor of indirect strategies, like metacognitive, affective and social strategies. Findings have implications for college administrators, faculty and students.

scholarly journals Mental health in the pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional mixed-method study protocol to investigate the mental health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e046422
Author(s):  
Tine Van Bortel ◽  
Ann John ◽  
Susan Solomon ◽  
Chiara Lombardo ◽  
David Crepaz-Keay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Ethics Committee ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The World ◽  
Population Mental Health ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionThe WHO declared a global pandemic on 11 March 2020. Since then, the world has been firmly in the grip of the COVID-19. To date, more than 211 730 035 million confirmed cases and more than 4 430 697 million people have died. While controlling the virus and implementing vaccines are the main priorities, the population mental health impacts of the pandemic are expected to be longer term and are less obvious than the physical health ones. Lockdown restrictions, physical distancing, social isolation, as well as the loss of a loved one, working in a frontline capacity and loss of economic security may have negative effects on and increase the mental health challenges in populations around the world. There is a major demand for long-term research examining the mental health experiences and needs of people in order to design adequate policies and interventions for sustained action to respond to individual and population mental health needs both during and after the pandemic.Methods and analysisThis repeated cross-sectional mixed-method study conducts regular self-administered representative surveys, and targeted focus groups and semi-structured interviews with adults in the UK, as well as validation of gathered evidence through citizens’ juries for contextualisation (for the UK as a whole and for its four devolved nations) to ensure that emerging mental health problems are identified early on and are properly understood, and that appropriate policies and interventions are developed and implemented across the UK and within devolved contexts. STATA and NVIVO will be used to carry out quantitative and qualitative analysis, respectively.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval for this study has been granted by the Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee of the University of Cambridge, UK (PRE 2020.050) and by the Health and Life Sciences Research Ethics Committee of De Montfort University, UK (REF 422991). While unlikely, participants completing the self-administered surveys or participating in the virtual focus groups, semi-structured interviews and citizens’ juries might experience distress triggered by questions or conversations. However, appropriate mitigating measures have been adopted and signposting to services and helplines will be available at all times. Furthermore, a dedicated member of staff will also be at hand to debrief following participation in the research and personalised thank-you notes will be sent to everyone taking part in the qualitative research.Study findings will be disseminated in scientific journals, at research conferences, local research symposia and seminars. Evidence-based open access briefings, articles and reports will be available on our study website for everyone to access. Rapid policy briefings targeting issues emerging from the data will also be disseminated to inform policy and practice. These briefings will position the findings within UK public policy and devolved nations policy and socioeconomic contexts in order to develop specific, timely policy recommendations. Additional dissemination will be done through traditional and social media. Our data will be contextualised in view of existing policies, and changes over time as-and-when policies change.

scholarly journals ENgage YOung people earlY (ENYOY): a mixed-method study design for a digital transdiagnostic clinical – and peer- moderated treatment platform for youth with beginning mental health complaints in the Netherlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. van Doorn ◽  
A. Popma ◽  
T. van Amelsvoort ◽  
C. McEnery ◽  
J. F. Gleeson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Young People ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Health Complaints ◽  
Stress Biomarkers ◽  
Smart Watch

Abstract Background The onset of mental disorders typically occurs between the ages of 12 and 25, and the burden of mental health problems is the most consequential for this group. Indicated prevention interventions to target individuals with subclinical symptoms to prevent the transition to clinical levels of disorders, even leading to suicide, have shown to be effective. However, the threshold to seek help appears to be high. Digital interventions could offer a solution, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. This implementation study will investigate the digital indicated prevention intervention ENgage YOung people Early (ENYOY), the Dutch version of the original Moderated Online Social Therapy Platform (MOST+) from Australia. In addition, the relationship between stress biomarkers, symptoms and outcome measures of youth using the platform will be investigated in this study. Methods The MOST+ platform will be adapted, translated and developed for the situation in the Netherlands in collaboration with a Youth Panel. A prospective cohort of 125 young people (16–25 years) with beginning mental health complaints will be on the platform and followed for a year, of which 10 participants will have an additional smart watch and 10 participants will be asked to provide feedback about the platform. Data will be collected at baseline and after 3, 6 and 12 months. Outcome measures are Psychological Distress assessed with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Social and occupational functioning (measures by the SOFAS), positive mental health indicators measured by the Positive Health Instrument, stress biomarkers with a smart-watch, website journeys of visitors, and feedback of youth about the platform. It will be a mixed-method study design, containing qualitative and quantitative measures. Discussion This trial will specifically address young people with emerging mental health complaints, and offers a new approach for treatment in the Netherlands. Considering the waiting lists in (child and adolescent)-psychiatry and the increase in suicides among youth, early low-threshold and non-stigmatizing help to support young people with emerging psychiatric symptoms is of crucial importance. Moreover, this project aims to bridge the gap between child and adolescent and adult psychiatry. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register ID NL8966, retrospectively registered on the 19th of October 2020.

scholarly journals Challenging Media (Mis)Representation: An Exploration of Available Models

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-20
Author(s):  
Karla Perez Portilla
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Mental Health Stigma ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk

This article is a theoretical analysis aimed at articulating the harm caused by media (mis)representation, and at showing existing ways in which this harm can be contested. The approaches analysed are largely from the United Kingdom. However, the issues they raise are not unique and the models explored are potentially transferable. The examples cover a range of media, including British right-wing press, television and Facebook; and characteristics protected by equality legislation in the UK such as sex, sexual orientation, race, religion and mental health stigma. Crucially, all the initiatives presented demonstrate the group-based nature of media (mis)representations, which cannot be understood and, therefore, cannot be addressed through individualistic approaches. Therefore, the article concludes that the role of groups as the targets of media (mis)representation and as potential claimants should be fully acknowledged and enabled.

scholarly journals Supporting population mental health and wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: protocol for a sequential mixed-method study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. e052259
Author(s):  
Tracie Risling ◽  
Courtney Carlberg ◽  
Iman Kassam ◽  
Tyler Moss ◽  
Patricia Janssen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Advisory Committee ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Overall Acceptability

IntroductionThe global COVID-19 pandemic has reported to have a negative impact on the mental health and well-being of individuals around the world. Mental health system infrastructure, primarily developed to support individuals through in-person care, struggled to meet rising demand for services even prior to COVID-19. With public health guidelines requiring the use of physical distancing during the pandemic, digital mental health supports may be one way to address the needs of the population. Despite this, barriers exist in promoting and supporting access to existing and emerging digital resources. Text messaging may address some of these barriers, extending the potential reach of these digital interventions across divides that may separate some vulnerable or disadvantaged groups from essential mental health supports. Building on an existing knowledge synthesis project identifying key digital resources for improved mental health, this research will establish low-tech connections to assess need and better match access to services for those who need it most. The aim of this study is to codesign a customised two-way texting service to explore need and better align access to mental health supports for Canadians located in Saskatchewan during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods and analysisThis study will be completed in Saskatchewan, Canada. For this project, the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework will be used to support three phases of a sequential mixed-method study. An advisory committee of Saskatchewan residents will guide this work with the study team. A 10-week service will be launched to connect individuals with appropriately suited digital mental health interventions through the use of text messaging. In phase 1, implementation and prototyping will be conducted with collaborative codesign for key elements related to features of an enrolment survey and initial messaging content. Phase 2 will focus on advancing the effectiveness of the service using quantitative user data. In phase 3, an embedding approach will be used to integrate both qualitative and quantitative data collected to understand the overall acceptability, satisfaction and perceived benefit of the text messaging service. Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics will be used as analytic methods.Ethics and disseminationThis study has received approval from the Research Ethics Board at the University of Saskatchewan. A knowledge dissemination plan has been developed that includes traditional academic approaches such as conference presentations, and academic publications, as well as mainstream approaches such as social media, radio and dissemination through the advisory committee.

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