Triggered by the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 in Hong Kong (Extradition Bill), many protests have taken place in Hong Kong in ...2019–2020. Using a perspective based on quality of life and well-being in different ecological systems, it is argued that the process of introducing the Bill is the “heat” which has ignited the “fuels” represented by 12 pre-existing and new issues in quality of life and well-being. These issues included distrust in the Central Government, lack of national identity, political dissatisfaction, economic strains, mental health threats, drop in family quality of life, lack of life skills education, lack of evidence-based national education in the formal curriculum, slow response of the Government, and alleged excessive use of force by the police. The fire has been intensified by “four strong winds”, including disinformation and misinformation, anonymity of the protesters, public support for the students, and support given by parties outside Hong Kong. Possible solutions in terms of promotion of quality of life and well-being with reference to the fire triangle are discussed.
COVID-19 has severely affected the world since December 2020. Because of its sudden onset and highly contagious nature, the world has responded in a “crisis management” manner. With effective ...vaccines almost available, it is appropriate at this time to have some reflections about COVID-19 in relation to the quality of life issues. In this paper, we highlight twelve issues for reflection, which can help us better prepared for future pandemics. These include: digital divide, health inequality, gender inequality, economic disadvantage, family well-being, impact on holistic well-being, economic development versus saving lives, consumption versus environmental protection, individual rights versus collective rights, international collaboration versus conflict, prevention of negative well-being, and promotion of positive well-being.
This study examined the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among adolescents in mainland China under COVID-19. The direct effects of the perceived threat of COVID-19 and ...positive youth development (PYD) qualities, as well as the moderating effect of PYD qualities on PTSD symptoms, were studied.
Five schools in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, participated in this study. Two waves of data were collected before school lockdown (Wave 1, between December 2019 and January 2020) and after school resumption (Wave 2, between June 2020 and July 2020), respectively. A total of 4,981 adolescents aged above 11 years (Mean age = 13.15, SD = 1.32 at Wave 1, 51.5% girls) completed questionnaires at both waves. Students responded to measures of PYD qualities at both waves and perceived threat and PTSD symptoms at Wave 2.
A total of 517 adolescents (10.4%) could be regarded as having PTSD. Results indicated significant unique main effects of perceived threat (β = .13, p < .001) and Wave 1 PYD qualities (β = −.16, p < .001) on PTSD symptoms. Besides, results showed a significant moderating effect of PYD qualities in mitigating the negative impact of perceived threat on PTSD symptoms.
This study revealed the protective effect of PYD attributes in reducing the negative influence of traumatic situations such as COVID-19 on adolescent mental health. Results underscore the importance of promoting PYD qualities in adolescents in mainland China via effective PYD programs.
The burden of morbidity and mortality from non-communicable disease has risen worldwide and is accelerating in low-income and middle-income countries, whereas the burden from infectious diseases has ...declined. Since this transition, the prevention of non-communicable disease as well as communicable disease causes of adolescent mortality has risen in importance. Problem behaviours that increase the short-term or long-term likelihood of morbidity and mortality, including alcohol, tobacco, and other drug misuse, mental health problems, unsafe sex, risky and unsafe driving, and violence are largely preventable. In the past 30 years new discoveries have led to prevention science being established as a discipline designed to mitigate these problem behaviours. Longitudinal studies have provided an understanding of risk and protective factors across the life course for many of these problem behaviours. Risks cluster across development to produce early accumulation of risk in childhood and more pervasive risk in adolescence. This understanding has led to the construction of developmentally appropriate prevention policies and programmes that have shown short-term and long-term reductions in these adolescent problem behaviours. We describe the principles of prevention science, provide examples of efficacious preventive interventions, describe challenges and potential solutions to take efficacious prevention policies and programmes to scale, and conclude with recommendations to reduce the burden of adolescent mortality and morbidity worldwide through preventive intervention.
COVID-19 has created unprecedented consequences for adolescents and young adults in the contemporary world. Schools are suspended, cities are locked down, loved ones (such as grandpa and grandma) ...pass away, and there is not much certainty surrounding the pandemic, particularly regarding when it will be over. Obviously, there is a need to understand the health of adolescents and young adults under the shadow of COVID-19 as well as the factors affecting their well-being. Definitely, the articles based on Chinese adolescents enrich our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on the health of young people. Conceptually, we need well-articulated theories to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the well-being of adolescents and young adults. Based on the systems theory and ecological perspective, factors in different systems surrounding the "person" and the "environment" influence the well-being of young people.
As reported by the World Health Organization in 2017, there are 2 million+ young people living with HIV worldwide. The World Health Organization also reported that a third of all new HIV infections ...around the world are estimated to occur among youths (aged 15⁻25). and teen pregnancy rates are on the rise in many places. These worrying trends suggest that existing sexuality education programs and interventions may be inadequate and/or ineffective. Although the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development's (ICPD) Programme of Action highlighted the roles of Governments to offer sex education to young people to promote teenage reproductive health, yet inconsistency exists in the related initiatives in the global context. The present article aims to provide a comprehensive literature review of the existing sexuality programs in selected places in both English-speaking (i.e., the United States of America, the United Kingdom) and Chinese-speaking contexts (i.e., Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Taiwan). Based on the review, observations and implications for sexuality education policy and practice, as well as recommendations for future research for youths are outlined.
The use of online teaching mode has grown rapidly in recent years, particularly under the COVID-19 pandemic. To promote the learning motivation of students and teaching effectiveness, development of ...attractive online teaching material such as videos is important. In the present study, we developed 15 theory-related videos and 9 case-based videos in the context of a leadership course focusing on psychological well-being and psychosocial competence. Using a qualitative research methodology via focus groups (N = 48 students) to evaluate these videos, six themes emerged from the data, including video arrangement, design of videos, content of videos, benefits to students’ pre-lesson self-learning, benefits to students’ learning of course content, and contribution to students’ class participation. The findings suggest that the videos can elicit positive perceptions of the students in a flipped classroom arrangement. Students also benefit from the videos in terms of their understanding of course content and their participation in class discussion. Besides, the study suggests that the videos promote the learning efficiency of the students. The present qualitative findings concurred with the previous quantitative findings, suggesting the value of using virtual teaching and learning to promote psychosocial competence in university students.
This 4-year longitudinal study examined the perceived school performance, life satisfaction, and hopelessness of Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Over the period of the study, perceived school ...performance and life satisfaction decreased, whereas adolescent hopelessness increased. Consistent with our predictions, a positive relationship between perceived school performance and life satisfaction, a negative relationship between life satisfaction and hopelessness, and a negative relationship between perceived school performance and hopelessness were found. Structural equation modeling further showed that life satisfaction functioned as a mediator in the relationship between perceived school performance and hopelessness. The findings underscore the role of perceived school performance in adolescent well-being and suggest that promoting life satisfaction is a possible way of reducing adolescent hopelessness.
There are several limitations of the scientific literature on the linkage between positive youth development (PYD) attributes and adolescent psychological morbidity. First, longitudinal studies in ...the field are limited. Second, few studies have used validated PYD measures to explore the related issues. Third, few studies have used large samples. Fourth, limited studies have been conducted in mainland China. In this study, we conducted a longitudinal study using two waves of data collected from 2648 junior high school students in mainland China. In each wave, participants responded to a validated PYD scale (Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale: CPYDS) and other measures of well-being, including the 20-item Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). After controlling for the background demographic variables, different measures of CPYDS (cognitive–behavioral competence, prosocial attributes, general positive youth development qualities, positive identity, and overall PYD qualities) were negatively associated with CES-D scores in Wave 1 and Wave 2. Longitudinal analyses also revealed that PYD measures in Wave 1 negatively predicted Wave 2 depression scores and the changes over time. The present findings highlight the protective role of PYD attributes in protecting adolescents from depression.
Empathy is commonly conceived as the ability to comprehend, share, and show concerns about the emotions of others through "wearing their shoes." Empathy is a precursor of pro-social behavior, such as ...following rules and doing good things that benefit others. Based on a short-term longitudinal study, Qu et al showed that empathy positively predicted preventive health behavior under COVID-19, such as maintaining social distancing and wearing a mask when going out, which highlights the importance of prosocial motivation in promoting health behavior to prevent COVID infection. While perspective taking and concern for personal health were not related to preventive behavior for COVID infection, empathic concern positively predicted preventive health behavior and COV1D-19 worries. Finally, Qu et al highlighted the importance of understanding the role of altruistic motives in preventive health behavior under COVID-19. Meanwhile, Christner et al's study found that social-oriented factors (empathy and moral judgment) actually predicted preventive health behavior under COVID-19 beyond self-oriented factors, such as the fear of being infected and punished. Such findings underscore the importance of including prosocial and moral judgment factors on top of egoistic motives in understanding behavior aiming to prevent COVID infection.
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