Enhancing intergroup relationship between local and mainland college students in Hong Kong - an intensive contact-based intervention.

This study examined the efficacy of an intensive one-day intergroup contact intervention for two groups under tension: local and mainland Chinese college students in Hong Kong. The differential effects of contact intimacy at cognitive, interpersonal, and emotional levels in fostering changes in knowledge, attitude, and behavior were evaluated. Adopting a two-arm Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) design, participants (N = 72) were randomly assigned to the intervention group that facilitated progressively higher levels of contact intimacy, or the control group that had limited level of contact intimacy. The results support the short-term intervention efficacy in enhancing outgroup knowledge, attitude, and behavior, with Cohen's d of 0.97, 0.60 and 0.30, respectively. Specifically, cognitive-level intergroup contact enhanced outgroup knowledge only. Adding interpersonal-level intergroup contact further enhanced outgroup attitude. Notably, adding emotional-level intergroup contact enhanced changes in all three domains: knowledge, attitude, and behavior. One-month maintenance effect was found in outgroup knowledge, with Cohen's d increased to 1.33.

Survey of High Expressed Emotions Experienced By Community Mental Health Service Users in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: High expressed emotion (EE) experienced by people with mental illness is a known risk factor of relapse. With drastically increased time spent at home and limited health and social service provision during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients' experience of high EE warranted attention. Aims and Methods: The study aimed to investigate the experience of high EE among people with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed the service users of 2 community mental health centers, including participants with psychotic and nonpsychotic disorders. Results: Valid responses from 303 participants indicated an overall high EE prevalence of 71.62%, much higher than previous findings, which range between 30% and 40%. People with other psychotic and nonpsychotic disorders showed a higher probability of experiencing high EE than people with schizophrenia. Participants reported a higher probability of experiencing high EE as a result of caregiving by other family relatives and friends than by parents. Conclusion: Findings suggest a significantly elevated high EE prevalence among people suffering from mental illness in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is worth further evaluating the long-term effects of high EE beyond the pandemic.

Study protocol of guided mobile-based perinatal mindfulness intervention (GMBPMI) - a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Psychological distress is a common occurrence among women during the perinatal period. Maternal psychological distress (MPS) can also have a negative influence on neonatal outcomes such as infant health, child development or mother-child interaction. Hence, interventions to improve mental wellbeing during this period are vital. Mindfulness based intervention (MBI) has been found to be effective in reducing psychological distress. Delivery of MBI via the internet, making it accessible and inexpensive, is showing a promising positive effect in reducing psychological distress. A randomized control trial with sufficient power is required to confirm its positive effect among pregnant women. The positive effects of MBI have been found to be associated with heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback; however, the efficacy of MBI on HRV has been rarely studied among pregnant women. Also, the potential association of HRV with MBI and psychological wellbeing needs further examination. This research aims to test the effectiveness of guided mobile-based perinatal mindfulness intervention (GMBPMI) among pregnant women experiencing psychological distress during the pre- and post-natal period, as well as examining the efficacy of GMBPMI on HRV. METHOD: This study is a randomized controlled trial that follows a parallel design. Consenting pregnant women in their second trimester (between 12th and 20th week gestation) will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (GMBPMI) or a control group (psychoeducation). The intended sample size is 198, with 99 participants in each group. Three levels of outcomes will be measured at baseline, post intervention in both the intervention and control groups, and at 36-week gestation and five-week postpartum. The primary outcomes include maternal psychological stress, mindfulness and positive appraisal HRV. Secondary outcomes are psychological and physical wellbeing. Tertiary outcomes include obstetric and neonatal outcomes, and social support. Analyses will follow an intention-to-treat method and repeated measures MANOVA will be conducted to compare changes in primary and secondary outcomes. A series of mixed-effects models will be fitted to assess the mediation effects. DISCUSSION: This trial expects to increase understanding of GMBPMI on HRV and psychological wellbeing for pregnant women, with extended support in both pre-and post-natal periods. The study could also potentially provide evidence for delivery of cost-effective and accessible services to pregnant women. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04876014, registered on 30 March 2021. Protocol Version 1.0., 10 May 2021.

Study Protocol of Brief Daily Body-Mind-Spirit Practice for Sustainable Emotional Capacity and Work Engagement for Community Mental Health Workers: A Multi-Site Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Given the emotional demanding nature of social services, we developed a brief daily body-mind-spirit (BMS) program and successfully piloted it with workers at elderly services. The proposed study focuses on community mental health workers who are often under chronic stress and vulnerable to burnout. METHODS: The study aims to evaluate the program for fostering sustainable emotional capacity and work engagement for community mental health workers. A multi-site randomized controlled trial design is adopted. All the 24 the Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness (ICCMW of Hong Kong will be approached to join this program. Assuming conservatively, 60% ICCWM (14 centers) will respond and participate. At each site, a pair of intervention and control groups will be run. The targeted total sample size is 224. To investigate the course of changes in burnout and engagement, each group will last 6 months, including 3-month intervention and 3-month follow-up. Measures will be taken at monthly intervals. DISCUSSION: In light of literature and the pilot trial's findings, participants in the Brief Daily BMS intervention group are expected to have a reduced burnout level and a narrowing of range in work engagement during the 3 months intervention. And within the 3 months post-intervention period, a rebound of burnout level and a widening of range in work engagement are expected to be observed in the same group of participants. Hopefully, this study will contribute to the deeper understanding of burnout and work engagement, and shed light on sustainable intervention for emotionally demanding workplaces. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial has been registered in the Clinical Trials Centre of the University of Hong Kong. HKUCTR-2763 Registered 27 December 2019 - Retrospectively registered, http://www.hkuctr.com/Study/Show/eb930d24e2c647afb7a922055163f24b.