Episode 43: Youth Mental Health Challenges during Covid-19

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Nearly three years ago, the first case of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) was confirmed in Hong Kong. We have since experienced dramatic shifts in the ways we work, live, and interact. Now, we are seeing a gradual emergence from social distancing and the start of a new normal of life with Covid-19.

Throughout it all, mental health has played a key role in individual and societal abilities to cope with unpredictable changes to daily life brought on by the pandemic. This is particularly true for young people dealing with extended school closures and isolation from their peers. How has Hong Kong’s population been affected by these forces, and what measures can we take to improve mental health in our community? What are the lessons learned from this experience to apply to future epidemics?

Asia Society Hong Kong Center brings you regular updates on the coronavirus story in Hong Kong that has reverberations elsewhere in the world. We are pleased to present on-the-ground public health experts, mental health professionals, and internationally renowned specialists with the latest facts and evidence-based findings regarding this pandemic. In the past three years, we have recorded 42 episodes and welcomed more than 250,000 online views for this groundbreaking series.

In our latest update, we are pleased to host Professor Paul S. F. Yip, Chair, Professor (Population Health) of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration of the University of Hong Kong. In this discussion, we will explore what can we do to help our most vulnerable citizens manage their anxiety and stress in light of ongoing restrictions and uncertainty. S. Alice Mong, Executive Director of Asia Society Hong Kong Center, will moderate the discussion.

Professor Paul S. F. Yip is Chair Professor (Population Health) at the Department of Social Work and Social Administration of the University of Hong Kong, Associate Dean (Research) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the Director of the University’s Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention. He is the principal investigator of the following: OPEN UP – a 24-hour online emotional support project, a community-based suicide prevention project for the Wong Tai Sin District, poverty alleviation programs, and the Quality Thematic Network on developing mental wellness for schools in Hong Kong. He is interested in identifying and developing good practices for promoting well-being in the community. His monograph on understanding poverty in Hong Kong won the 11th Hong Kong Book Prize. He is serving as the Chair of the Research Committee of the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong (2012-present) and was the interim chair of the ESEAOR of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (2017-2018), Secretary General of the Asian Population Association (2014-2017), the chairman of the committee of preventing students’ suicide (2016), a member of the Steering Committee on Population Policy (2012-2013), a vice-president of the International Association of Suicide Prevention (2009-2013), and an associate member of the Central Policy Unit of the Hong Kong SAR Government (2014-2016). He has received various awards and recognitions, including the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship in 2020, the Australia-China Alumni Award (Research) in 2019, a Medal of Honor from the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2017, the Stengel Research award in 2012, an outstanding supervisor and researcher of the University of Hong Kong in 2011 and 2009 respectively, and a distinguished alumnus of La Trobe University. He has published more than 500 research papers relating to population health and suicide prevention.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and participants and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, do not reflect the opinion, position or official policy of Asia Society Hong Kong, its members, or its committees. Asia Society Hong Kong does not endorse or approve, and assumes no responsibility for the content of the information presented.