Body dissatisfaction, depressive symptoms, and pubertal timing in Hong Kong Chinese

This study explored the relationships among resilience, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents. We selected a stratified random sample of 1816 Form 1 students from all 18 districts of Hong Kong. This study revealed that about 21 percent adolescents are experiencing some depressive symptoms. Our results contribute novel findings to the literature showing that resilience is a strong indicator of adolescents at a higher risk of depression and increasing adolescents’ resilience to psychological distress is crucial to enhance their mental well-being. It is crucial to develop interventions that can enhance resilience and promote positive mental well-being among adolescents.

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Cross-sectional associations of objectively assessed neighbourhood attributes with depressive symptoms in older adults of an ultra-dense urban environment: the Hong Kong ALECS study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020480 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. e020480 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Casper J P Zhang ◽

Anthony Barnett ◽

Cindy H P Sit ◽

Poh-chin Lai ◽

Janice M Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Public Transport ◽

Living Arrangements ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Living Alone ◽

Hong Kong Chinese ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Environmental Attributes

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the associations between objectively assessed neighbourhood environmental attributes and depressive symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese older adults and the moderating effects of neighbourhood environmental attributes on the associations between living arrangements and depressive symptoms.DesignCross-sectional observational study.SettingHong Kong.Participants909 Hong Kong Chinese community dwellers aged 65+ years residing in preselected areas stratified by walkability and socioeconomic status.Exposure and outcome measuresAttributes of participants’ neighbourhood environment were objectively assessed using geographic information systems and environmental audits. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale.ResultsOverall, pedestrian infrastructure (OR=1.025; P=0.008), connectivity (OR=1.039; P=0.002) and prevalence of public transport stops (OR=1.056; P=0.012) were positively associated with the odds of reporting depressive symptoms. Older adults living alone were at higher risk of reporting any depressive symptoms than those living with others (OR=1.497; P=0.039). This association was moderated by neighbourhood crowdedness, perceptible pollution, access to destinations and presence of people. Residing in neighbourhoods with lower levels of these attributes was associated with increased deleterious effects of living alone. Living in neighbourhoods with lower public transport density also increased the deleterious effects of living alone on the number of depressive symptoms. Those living alone and residing in neighbourhoods with higher levels of connectivity tended to report more depressive symptoms than their counterparts.ConclusionsThe level of access to destinations and social networks across Hong Kong may be sufficiently high to reduce the risk of depressive symptoms in older adults. Yet, exposure to extreme levels of public transport density and associated traffic volumes may increase the risk of depressive symptoms. The provision of good access to a variety of destinations, public transport and public open spaces for socialising in the neighbourhood may help reduce the risk of depressive symptoms in older adults who live alone.

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