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The present study aims to validate the 40-item and the brief 17-item Washoe County School District Social–Emotional Competency Assessment (WCSD-SECA), a self-report measure of social–emotional competencies, among Chinese school-aged children residing in Hong Kong. A total of 349 children (M = 9.86 years, SD = 1.22; 45.82% girls) and their parents (77.84% mothers) completed a set of questionnaires independently. The factor structure of both versions of the WCSD-SECA was assessed via confirmatory factor analyses. Structural equation models were then conducted to examine the predictive validity of the WCSD-SECA. The findings indicated that both the 40-item and the 17-item versions of the WCSD-SECA fit the data adequately. Both versions were also associated with self-reported positive and negative affect and parent-reported internalizing problems and externalizing problems. Additionally, social–emotional competencies as measured by the 40-item version were significantly associated with parent-reported prosocial behavior, whereas those as measured by the 17-item version were associated with prosocial behavior with a marginal significance. The findings demonstrated an adequate factor structure and predictive validity of the full version and the brief version of the WCSD-SECA in assessing social–emotional competencies. Hence, they serve as a useful tool for researchers, educators, and mental health practitioners to evaluate school-aged children's social–emotional competencies in the Chinese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents all over the world are vulnerable in facing developmental challenges. Recent studies have evidenced that the unexpected interruptions of school learning during the COVID-19 pandemic have raised concerns about the well-being of adolescents. This present study sought to investigate the relationship between mindfulness, stress, savoring beliefs, and satisfaction of life among adolescents in Hong Kong during COVID-19. A total of 240 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age (M = 15.60; SD = 0.70) from schools with different religious backgrounds completed an online survey. Findings from hierarchical linear regression indicated that statistically, mindfulness negatively predicted stress and positively predicted life satisfaction and savoring beliefs. Students with faiths did not show any significant differences in mindfulness and other variables in this study from students without faiths. In terms of implications, these findings provide positive evidence that mindfulness may be an important aspect for interventions designed to enhance life satisfaction and savoring beliefs, and reduce stress of adolescents over challenging times. Overall, this study suggests youth service providers to develop effective strategies in schools and communities for further promoting wellbeing and resilience of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grounded in emotional security theory and a dualistic model of harmony, the present study tested a moderated mediation model of disintegration avoidance, interparental conflict, and emotional security associated with child adjustment. A total of 70 Chinese parents completed a set of questionnaires on parents' disintegration avoidance (i.e., a dimension of harmony), constructive interparental conflict, and children's emotional security, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems (32 girls and 38 boys; Mage = 4.83 years old; SDage = 1.90). Multi-group path analysis was conducted to examine the mediating role of children's emotional security between constructive interparental conflict and child adjustment between parents with high vs. low disintegration avoidance. Significant pathways emerged to suggest emotional security as a mediator when parents reported a high level of disintegration avoidance. Supplementary analysis with disintegration avoidance as a continuous moderator suggested that disintegration avoidance and constructive conflict interactively predicted emotional security. Post-hoc simple slopes analysis further revealed that the relation between constructive interparental conflict and emotional security had a positive trend when disintegration avoidance was high. The findings enhanced our knowledge on the mediating role of emotional security in the context of Chinese culture. Evidence informs translational research in promoting constructive interparental conflict and emotional security as assets of child adjustment, particularly in families experiencing a high level of disintegration avoidance. Highlights: Emotional security mediated between constructive conflict and child adjustment when disintegration avoidance was high. Disintegration avoidance moderated the mediating role of emotional security. Mediation existed when parents' disintegration avoidance was high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Hong Kong Education Bureau, the number of students with special education needs (SEN) has been on the rise. In order to cope with an increasing demand for inclusive education, professional training programmes aiming for pre-service teachers to educate students with SEN have increased locally. Guided by the theory of planned behaviour, this study aims to investigate the relations between Chinese pre-service teachers' views and self-efficacy in implementing inclusive education in Hong Kong. A total of 94 Chinese pre-service teachers were recruited at a public university to complete an online questionnaire. Controlling for age, teaching experience, and relevant training, differential effects were found between pre-service teachers' views and self-efficacy. Specifically, teachers' positive attitudes towards inclusion were related to their greater self-efficacy in implementing inclusive instructions and managing students' behaviours. Teachers' fewer sentiments about inclusion were related to their greater self-efficacy in collaborating with parents and professionals. Teachers' fewer concerns about knowledge, workload, and overall feasibility were also related to their greater self-efficacy in collaboration and behavioural management. These findings broaden the literature and inform policy makers the need to strengthen teachers' efficacy by reducing practical barriers and increasing their positive attitudes towards inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grounded in Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory, this study examined the relation between dispositional mindfulness and life satisfaction through mediating mechanisms including savoring positive experiences and gratitude. A total of 133 Chinese mindfulness practitioners at 20–72 years old were recruited from a 3-day transnational meditation event in Hong Kong. Findings based on structural equation modeling indicated that controlling for sex, age, education, family income, number of hours of mindfulness practice per week, and type of administration, dispositional mindfulness was associated with satisfaction with life through savoring positive experiences and gratitude as mediators. The findings provided initial evidence for these processes between mindfulness and life satisfaction in the Chinese context. To promote life satisfaction, researchers and mental health practitioners should recognize the chain of mechanisms related to mindfulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tested the mediating role of perceived capability of savoring positive experiences in the associations between family functioning and emerging adults' psychological outcomes, namely, depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. A sample of 167 Chinese emerging adults (112 female) were recruited from two major universities in Hong Kong. Participants were asked to complete a set of self-reported questionnaires. Findings based on structural equation modeling indicated that family functioning and savoring positive experiences were associated with emerging adults' depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Results from bootstrapping further suggested savoring positive experiences as a partial mediator between family functioning and depressive symptoms. These findings enriched the literature by suggesting family dynamics and savoring positive experiences as important correlates of psychological outcomes in the Chinese context. Contributions of these findings to the understanding of psychological functioning in emerging adulthood are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tested the mediating role of adolescents’ emotional intelligence for the effects of family risks on adolescent adjustment in two Chinese settings, namely Hong Kong and Macau. A total of 804 Chinese adolescents (36.3% female) in Hong Kong (n = 441) and Macau (n = 363) completed a set of self-reported questionnaires. Findings based on path analysis suggested that economic stress was positively associated with family conflict. In addition, family risks including economic stress and family conflict were inversely associated with adolescents’ emotional intelligence and prosocial behaviors, and positively associated with both internalizing and externalizing problems. Bootstrapping supported emotional intelligence as a mediating mechanism between family risks and adolescent adjustment, as indexed by their prosocial behaviors, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. Multi-group path analysis further demonstrated gender similarities in the risk and protective processes underlying adolescent adjustment. Extending the findings based on studies conducted in Western contexts, the present research indicated the detrimental effects of family stressors, including economic stress and family conflict, on adolescent functioning in Hong Kong and Macau. Findings contributed to the growing literature that delineates risk and protective processes underlying adjustment outcomes in Chinese adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-stigma refers to the internalized stigma that individuals may have toward themselves as a result of their minority status. Not only can self-stigma dampen the mental health of individuals, it can deter them from seeking professional help lest disclosing their minority status lead to being shunned by service providers. No unified instrument has been developed to measure consistently self-stigma that could be applied to different concealable minority groups. The present study presented findings based on 4 studies on the development and validation of the Self-Stigma Scale, conducted in Hong Kong with community samples of mental health consumers, recent immigrants from Mainland China, and sexual minorities. Upon a series of validation procedures, a 9-item Self-Stigma Scale–Short Form was developed. Initial support on its reliability and construct validity (convergent and criterion validities) were found among 3 stigmatized groups. Utility of this unified measure was to establish an empirical basis upon which self-stigma of different concealable minority groups could be assessed under the same dimensions. Health-care professionals could make use of this short scale to assess potential self-stigmatization among concealable minorities, which may hamper their treatment process as well as their overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sense of community (SOC) has been one of the most studied topics in community psychology. However, no empirical study to date has investigated SOC in Hong Kong and its relations with community characteristics and residents’ psychological well-being. A representative sample of 941 Hong Kong Chinese based on a randomized household survey was conducted in all 18 districts in Hong Kong. Results of hierarchical linear modeling indicated that SOC was not associated with sociodemographic indicators on both the individual-level (i.e., gender, age, family income, education level, type of residence, and area-to-capita ratio of residence) and the community-level (i.e., proportion of individuals with tertiary education, median family income, ownership of residence, population density, and resident stability). SOC was negatively related to daily hassles and positively with social support and quality of life. Conceptualization of SOC in Hong Kong was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]