Youth Suicide and Its Prevention in Hong Kong: Emerging Approaches to a Long-Standing Issue - Yik Wa LAW
Yik Wa LAW
Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong
Associate Director, Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention
【Abstract】Recent media reports on student suicides have led to a rethink of the effects of various types of intervention and prevention. The causes of suicide have changed little over the decades, but the underutilization of and non-contact with medical services remains common among people presenting suicidal behaviours, with or without psychiatric diagnoses. Suicide risk transcends the individual, personal level. This review paper highlights the emerging approaches to suicide prevention using an individual-in-context perspective and comprising collaborative efforts between professionals in multiple disciplines. Recent research suggests that these are promising strategies for delivering suicide interventions when contextual factors are taken into account. Placing a stronger emphasis on evaluating the impact and sustainability of various preventive measures and interventions is also a strategic way of addressing suicide and future prevention efforts, and of informing various types of practitioner in the field.
Keywords: youth suicide; multilayered intervention approach; community-based intervention; evaluation
Stress Management: Can Youth Stress Be Eased by Nurturing a Positive Attitude? - Siu Man HSU
Siu Man HSU
Supervisor (Student Counselling), The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups
【Abstract】The increasing number of student suicides reported by the media has aroused the public’s concern. These incidents urge us to think about the current difficulties and pressures facing the youth. Are the existing educational, welfare and medical systems comprehensive enough to support the youth? Can the family perform its traditional functions in guiding the youth? In the unruly virtual world, is it difficult for the youth to maintain normal human relationships and uphold life values? In this essay, I shall investigate the pressures faced by the new generation on social and individual levels. I shall also review different programmes aimed at developing youth well-being. Whether the programmes are able to fulfil the needs of youth development is examined. In addition, recommendations and suggestions are made to facilitate a better development of the youth in different areas of society.
Keywords: stress; emotional wellness; emotional management; positive psychology; youth development
Intergenerational Conflict between Parents and Adolescents in Hong Kong - Tabitha Yin Ling NG
Tabitha Yin Ling NG
Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Shue Yan University
【Abstract】Adolescence is the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood. Adolescents experience a dramatic change in physical, psychological, mental, social and spiritual areas. As adolescents are in the developmental stage of seeking independence and autonomy, intergenerational parent-adolescent conflict becomes more prominent. This article explores the causes of intergenerational conflict between parent and adolescent in Hong Kong, applying different theories of intergenerational conflict in the context of globalization and social structural change, the impact of parent-adolescent conflict on adolescents, and makes various recommendations.
Keywords: intergenerational conflict; globalization; social structural change; parent-adolescent tension; parenting
Adolescent Development and Mental Health: Challenges and Opportunities - Peysy Sin Yee CHOW
Petsy Sin Yee CHOW
Centre in Charge, Centre for Adolescent Mental Health Prevention and Intervention,
Christian Family Service Centre
【Abstract】This article aims to explore the features of adolescent development in which a contemporary sets of problems and risks confronting youth. Even more, those of such risk factors may influence the adolescent mental health. Therefore, how the adolescent respond to those challenges are important to their positive growth. There are two main types of coping strategies; they are approach and withdrawal strategies. For adolescents dealing with multiple changes in all domains of their lives, effective coping with sufficient protective factors are especially important. For dealing with adolescent mental health, strengths based perspective provides another way-out and offers a set of principles that shape the lens for viewing human being in a very different way. It stresses an ecological system, the wholeness, integrity and individual’s subjective narrative experiences in assessment and intervention. During the process of encounter, understanding the client’s holistic functioning, helping them in instilling hopes, exploring and recognizing their strengths and cultivating the community resources in fighting against the adversity, negative mood and cognition are the major concerns in intervention rather than focus on the problems.
Keywords: Adolescent development; coping strategies; adolescent mental health; strengths based perspective; strengths
Mobility, Discipline, and Insecurity: Career Experiences of Youth in Hong Kong - Hon Chu LEUNG King Keung LAW Chi Kit KWAN
Hon Chu LEUNG
Department of Sociology, Hong Kong Baptist University
King Keung LAW
Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Baptist University
Chi Kit KWAN
School of Professional and Continuing Education, University of Hong Kong
【Abstract】Young people in Hong Kong can face low-income employment and a high risk of unemployment even with a higher education. Obtaining a job and income security is a more urgent concern than mobility. Young people must live with hard self-discipline to cope with the problems they experience in their careers, but still hold aspirations of entering occupations with good prospects and opportunities to demonstrate their abilities. They are also willing to expend money and effort to obtain better qualifications. They are anxious that they cannot know for certain what they need to do at school and in their career to ensure that their résumés fit employers’ requirements. What must be considered is not only how to multiply high-status positions, but also how to improve the rewards for and security of lower-ranking positions, and how to offer young people clear career paths.
Keywords: mobility; employment insecurity; school-to-work transition; occupational career
Social Change and the New Generation - Victor ZHENG Po-san WAN
Victor ZHENG
Assistant Director, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Po-san WAN
Research Officer, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
【Abstract】The older generation appears to have had little problem adjusting to life in post-handover Hong Kong. It has been surprising, therefore, to observe that the new generation, who should feel at ease in this new era since they are not weighed down with the historical burden of living under colonial rule, are comparatively less satisfied with issues like government performance, social problems, economic development and environmental conservation – to the point that they even express nostalgia for the “good old days” of colonial rule. Why do they feel so strongly that life has got worse? Why do they show such a high level of concern for the society in which they live and about political development? Why have they developed such negative feelings towards the concept of national pride and about the integration of Hong Kong and Mainland China? Drawing on subjective and objective indicators, this paper shows how Hong Kong society has been transformed since the 1980s through improved living conditions, economic restructuring, a growing sense of belonging to Hong Kong, smaller families, more years of compulsory education, escalation of political conflict and technological developments, and how these factors have influenced the new generation’s lives, education and careers, and their attitude towards life.
Keywords: social change; social values; social attitudes; youth and society; public opinion
Cyberbullying Behaviour among Adolescents in Hong Kong: Preventing and Tacking Strategies - Dennis S. W. WONG Connie T. Y. AU YEUNG Sindy S. T. YEUNG Doris K. Y. YEUNG
Dennis S. W. WONG
Professor, Department of Applied Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong
Connie T. Y. AU YEUNG
Research Assistant, Department of Applied Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong
Sindy S. T. LEE
Executive Director, Centre for Restoration of Human Relationships
Doris K. Y. YEUNG
Senior Project Officer, Centre for Restoration of Human Relationships
【Abstract】The paper utilizes a survey research approach to examine the prevalence, nature and characteristics of cyberbullying among adolescents in Hong Kong. Data from a sample of 2,314 adolescents were collected from ten secondary schools. A few psychometric measures, including feelings about a harmonious school, self-efficacy, empathy level and psychosocial well-being, were found to be associated with adolescents’ cyberbullying experiences. This paper further discusses effective strategies for preventing and tackling cyberbullying, and ways to construct a healthy culture for young people’s online behaviour.
Keywords: bullying; new media; adolescent; online behavior
The Growth of Migrant Youth in Hong Kong - Lai Shan SZE
Lai Shan SZE
Community Organizer, Society for Community Organization (SoCO)
【Abstract】Young people are seldom in the spotlight during discussion of new arrivals from the mainland. The public usually focuses on newly arrived children and women. Indeed, children and women represent the majority of immigrants from Mainland China. In the meantime, youngsters aged 15 or above comprise only one tenth of new immigrants. Although young people who migrated from China less than seven years ago account for less than 10% of youngsters in Hong Kong, the total numbers of migrant youth are far higher. Research and experiences on the front line show that new migrant youth encounter various difficulties. In this article, I shall investigate the trends and general situation of migrant youth in Hong Kong. Also, I shall discuss their difficulties and the kind of support they need.
Keywords: migrant youth from Mainland China; one-way permit
~Sharing Column~ Youth Mental Health: A Global Concern - Chun Pan TANG
Chun Pan TANG
Chairman, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Community Support Project Management Committee