In this study, researchers examined the effectiveness of integrating Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Mindfulness Training into a counseling program for parents of children with special education needs (SEN) in Hong Kong. The goal was to reduce parenting stress and improve parent-child interactions. The study involved 30 parents of children aged 10-15 years who participated in an eight-session online group program that incorporated solution-focused brief therapy and mindfulness techniques. The researchers collected qualitative data through pre and post interviews, as well as video or audio recordings, and analyzed it using content analysis. The results of the study demonstrated positive outcomes of the intervention program. It effectively reduced controlling and aggressive behaviors in parents while promoting empathy and improved interactions with their children. The integrative counseling program provided parents with practical skills and strategies such as positive imagery, focus meditations, and magic words to effectively cope with stress, enhance acceptance, and improve empathy towards their children. The researchers also developed training materials to support professionals, such as counselors, social workers, and teachers, in their work with parents. To expand the program's impact, the study recommended training more helping professionals and adapting the program to different contexts. Furthermore, it called for future research to explore the program's effectiveness among diverse populations and improvements in the quality of life for parents and families, and identify any factors that may contribute to these changes. All rights reserved.

Previous research has suggested that psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, and somatization) is associated with student victimization by teachers. The direction and causality of this relationship have not yet been empirically supported. This study examined longitudinal associations between adolescent psychological distress (anxiety, depression, and somatization) and student victimization by teachers among 419 adolescents in grades 7–9 of secondary schools in Hong Kong. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted to collect student self-reported information about their experiences of victimization by teachers and their psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and somatization, at two time points separated by a 9-month interval. A cross-lagged panel analysis provided evidence for the contribution of depression, anxiety, and somatization to later victimization by teachers. These findings were also relevant for male and female adolescents. The findings suggest that psychological distress, such as depression, anxiety, and somatization, is a risk factor predicting student victimization by teachers rather than the consequences of exposure to teacher violence. The results support the importance of reducing adolescent depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms in future intervention programs to prevent them from being victimized by teachers. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s).

This study aimed to elaborate and make clear the correlations and cause-and-effect relationships among the variables: depression, suicide cognitions, positive perfectionism, and negative perfectionism. The participants comprised 412 Chinese university students at two Hong Kong universities, who completed the 18-item Suicide Cognitions Scale, the depression subscale of the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, and the 12-item Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale. The results of regression analysis indicated that depression is negatively predicted by positive perfectionism and positively predicted by negative perfectionism. Positive and negative perfectionism and depression were all found to be significant predictors of suicide cognitions. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that positive perfectionism and negative perfectionism have significant effects on suicide cognitions, and that suicide cognitions significantly affect depression. Individuals who exhibit healthy perfectionism may experience positive outcomes. It is critical for educators and parents to recognize the differences between positive perfectionism and negative perfectionism. When educators and parents convey negative perfectionist ideas to children, the outcomes can be extremely harmful. Copyright by Special Education Society of Hong Kong Limited. All Rights Reserved.

A pilot study explored the effectiveness of art therapy in improving the self-motivation and emotional and behavioral adjustment of children with special educational needs in Hong Kong. Six children aged between 6 and 10 participated in an art therapy group for 14 weekly sessions. Results from a range of standardized tests administered before and after the session block indicated that the art therapy group had little impact on the children's sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in their learning. However, in-session observations showed that the art therapy facilitated the fulfilment of these three areas, and parental reports via interview indicated that art therapy had improved the emotional and behavioral adjustment of their children. Issues in facilitating art therapy groups for children with special education needs are discussed.

Although on-campus residence allows easier access to campus facilities, existing studies showed mixed results regarding the relationship between college residence and students' well-being indicators, such as sleep behaviors and mood. There was also a lack of studies investigating the role of chronotype in the relationship between on-campus residence and well-being. In particular, the temporal relationships among these factors were unclear. Hence, this longitudinal study aims to fill in these gaps by first reporting the well-being (measured in terms of mood, sleep, and quality of life) among students living on and off campus across two academic semesters. We explored factors predicting students' dropout in university residences. Although students living on campus differ in their chronotypes, activities in campus residence (if any) are mostly scheduled in the nighttime. We therefore tested if individual differences in chronotype interact with campus residence in affecting well-being. Our final sample consisted of 215 campus residents and 924 off-campus-living students from 10 different universities or colleges in Hong Kong or Macau. Their mean age was 20.2 years (SD = 2.3); 6.5% of the participants are female. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires online on their sleep duration, sleep quality, chronotype, mood, and physical and psychological quality of life. Across two academic semesters, we assessed if students living on and off campus differed in our well-being measures after we partialed out the effects of demographic information (including age, sex, family income, and parents' education) and the well-being measures at baseline (T1). The results showed that, campus residents exhibited longer sleep duration, greater sleep efficiency, better sleep quality, and less feeling of stress than off-campus-living students. From one semester to the next, around 10% of campus residents did not continue to live on campus. Logistic regression showed that a morning type

Background: Sleep is an important physiological process for humans. University students in most resource limited countries often report poor sleep quality due to changing social opportunities and increasing academic demands. However, sleep quality among university students has not been studied in Ethiopia. Thus, this study assessed sleep quality and its demographic and psychological correlates among university students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two universities in Ethiopia. Multistage sampling procedures were used to enroll 2,817 students into the study. A self-administered structured questionnaire including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and selected modules of the World Health Organization STEPS instrument was used for the study. This research included 2,551 students. Frequency, median, mean with standard deviation and 95% confidence interval were used to characterize sleep quality and other variables. Analysis of variance and binary logistic regression procedures were also used. Result: The prevalence of poor sleep quality (total PSQI score > 5) was 55.8% (1,424). Female students (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.23; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.57), second year (AOR 2.91; 95% CI: 2.1, 4.02) and third year students (AOR 2.25; 95% CI 1.62, 3.12) had statistically significant higher odds of poor sleep quality. Perceived stress level and symptoms of depression and anxiety were strongly associated with sleep quality. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of university students are affected by poor sleep quality. If our results are confirmed in prospective studies, health promotion and educational programs for students should emphasize the importance of sleep and mental health.
[Copyright of BioMed Central Ltd. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-12-237]

Background: Research suggests that an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program may be effective in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorders. Our objective is to compare the clinical effectiveness of the MBCT program with a psycho-education programme and usual care in reducing anxiety symptoms in people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder.
Methods: A three armed randomized, controlled clinical trial including 9-month post-treatment follow-up is proposed. Participants screened positive using the Structure Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) for general anxiety disorder will be recruited from community-based clinics. 228 participants will be randomly allocated to the MBCT program plus usual care, psycho-education program plus usual care or the usual care group. Validated Chinese version of instruments measuring anxiety and worry symptoms, depression, quality of life and health service utilization will be used. Our primary end point is the change of anxiety and worry score (Beck Anxiety Inventory and Penn State Worry Scale) from baseline to the end of intervention. For primary analyses, treatment outcomes will be assessed by ANCOVA, with change in anxiety score as the baseline variable, while the baseline anxiety score and other baseline characteristics that significantly differ between groups will serve as covariates.
Conclusions: This is a first randomized controlled trial that compare the effectiveness of MBCT with an active control, findings will advance current knowledge in the management of GAD and the way that group intervention can be delivered and inform future research.
[Copyright of BioMed Central Ltd. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-11-187]