Steven Sek-yum Ngai

Exploring the Validity of the Internet Addiction Test for Students in Grades 5–9 in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT This study seeks to test the validity and reliability of Youngs Internet Addiction Test (IAT) for use with Hong Kong students in grades 5 to 9 (i.e., young people aged 10–15 in primary or junior secondary education). The questionnaire used in the study consisted of the IAT and nine other items on relevant predictor variables—duration of Internet use, time spent online, and online activities. Participants were chosen randomly from schools in Hong Kong by a stratified multiple-stage cluster sampling method, yielding 988 valid responses, or a response rate of 99.8 percent. A factor analysis of the IAT revealed four factors—interference with family relationships, salience and withdrawal, overindulgence in online relationships, as well as tolerance and neglecting daily routines. Based on this fartor structure, findings related to internal consistency reliability and correlations with predictor variables provided support for the valid use of the IAT in measuring Internet addiction for Hong Kong students in grades 5–9. The implications of the current findings for future research and practice are discussed.

Social Exclusion and Neighborhood Support: A Case Study of Empty-Nest Elderly in Urban Shanghai

The phenomenon of empty-nest elderly (ENE) has become a significant social issue in China. In this research on ENEs in urban Shanghai, a coastal city in China, case studies were undertaken through in-depth semistructured interviews to examine the social exclusion risks ENEs may face and the influence of neighborhood support on such risks. The results show 5 aspects of social exclusion ENEs are experiencing. Moreover, the neighborhood has the potential for providing different forms of support to reduce social exclusion risks. The research and service implications of our findings for promoting the holistic well-being of ENEs in China are discussed.

The Effects of Parental Care and Parental Control on the Internal Assets of Adolescent Children in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT Drawing on Bowlbys attachment theory, much research has been conducted into the effects of parental care and parental control on internal assets that are key to the development of adolescent children, such as self-esteem, self- efficacy, resilience, and social competence. However, one question that remains unanswered concerns the applicability of this Western-based parental bonding theory to other socio-cultural contexts. The present study examines this question by surveying a community sample of 752 Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Of particular concern is the exploration of the ways in which parental care and parental control affect the internal assets of adolescents. The basic premise is that parental factors have independent main effects on the aforementioned youth development outcomes. The results support our hypotheses that parental care and parental control affect internal assets. The implications of the findings for future research and intervention services are discussed.

Youth leadership training in Hong Kong: current developments and the way ahead

This study explicates the intervention goals, domains and strategies of youth leadership training programmes in Hong Kong using data collected on the Internet. The results show that youth leadership training programmes in Hong Kong are designed and organised to achieve five goals: (1) helping young people to achieve positive development and cultivate their leadership potential, (2) enhancing the ability of young people to form interpersonal relationships and engage in team-building, (3) encouraging young people to participate in community affairs and social services, (4) fostering a national identity and a deeper understanding of the mother country and (5) equipping young people with an international outlook. These goals are achieved through five inter-related training domains, including the personal, interpersonal, community, national and international domains. The intervention strategies currently used in these programmes comprise experiential learning, adventure-based training, service learning, non-local exposure and project-based competition strategies. The characteristics of the leadership training programmes and their implications for the future development of policy and practice in Hong Kong are also discussed.

The Effects of Single Parenthood on Educational Aspiration: A Comparative Study of Children in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong

Using data collected by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Developments Program for International Student Assessment in 2003, this study examines the gap in the educational aspirations of children from single-parent families and two-parent families in the United Kingdom (UK) and Hong Kong. Consistent with previous research on the relationship between cultural orientation and academic motivation, our analysis shows that children in the UK have statistically significant lower levels of educational aspiration than those in Hong Kong. Moreover, children from single-parent families in the UK and Hong Kong are found to have statistically significant lower levels of educational aspiration than those from two-parent families. Further analyses indicate that family capital and school experience are important factors for understanding the negative effects of single parenthood. Finally, we observe that single parenthood has a less negative effect on educational aspiration in the UK than it does in Hong Kong, which can be explained by differences in government family policy and family capital between the two regions. Based on the outcomes from the current analysis, we put forward several policy and service recommendations for improving childrens educational aspiration and enhancing family well-being.

Interaction Effects Between Exposure to Sexually Explicit Online Materials and Individual, Family, and Extrafamilial Factors on Hong Kong High School Students’ Beliefs About Gender Role Equality and Body-Centered Sexuality

This study examined the interaction effects between Hong Kong adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit online materials (SEOM) and individual, family, peer, and cultural factors on their beliefs about gender role equality and body-centered sexuality. Based on a survey design with a sample of 503 high school students in Hong Kong, the results indicated that adolescents’ frequency of accessing SEOM, their intrapersonal reactions to SEOM, their communication with parents about sexuality, their susceptibility to peer pressure, and their acceptance of cultural values regarding sex roles work jointly to affect their conceptions of gender and sexuality, although the main and interaction effects differ across variables. The results partially supported the hypotheses that individual responses to SEOM and relationships with parents and peers with regard to sexuality interact with SEOM exposure in affecting the outcomes. The study provided evidence for the adoption of an ecological perspective to guide the provision of sexuality education.

Mutual Aid among Young People with Emotional and Behavioral Problems: A Proposed Theoretical Framework

ABSTRACT Among young people with emotional and behavioral problems, mutual aid is likely to be of valuable assistance in their rehabilitation, and be deserving of social work support. The benefits of mutual aid stem from the possibility that it prolongs the effect of the contribution of social work services. Given the potential benefits of mutual aid, it is imperative to clarify ways for social work services to maximize these benefits. This paper reviews the existing literature on mutual aid among young people with emotional and behavioral problems. In so doing, we seek to develop a theoretical framework that encompasses key factors conducive to the mutual aid and rehabilitation of this population. These factors include the type of aid, specificity of aid, and balanced coordination in social work input to young peoples mutual aid. In particular, balanced coordination requires the social worker not to make excessive intervention in the mutual aid group and thus encourages an optimal use of resources.

Service Participation, Hardiness and Developmental Outcomes among Low-Income Young People in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT This study examines the ways in which service participation and hardiness interact to affect youth development in such areas as academic success, work achievement, mental health, behavioral adjustment and overall accomplishment. The basic premise is that these two factors may have main effects and an interaction effect on the outcomes. To test this, the present study employed survey data collected from 405 low-income young people recruited from 13 secondary schools and 18 community-based youth-service centers in Hong Kong. The results support the hypothesis that service participation and hardiness work jointly in affecting outcomes, although the individual effects differ across variables. On the other hand, no support is found for the possibility that hardiness might moderate the effect of services participation on the outcomes. Implications of the findings for further research and servicer provision are discussed.

Work commitment among unemployed youth in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tianjin

Work commitment is a way for unemployed youth to engage in employment. In turn, factors leading to work commitment are unclear, particularly in view of the possible variability of the factors across cities. Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tianjin are three Chinese cities for the present study to address the variability. Surveys of 676 unemployed youths in the three cities supplied data for the study. Results unfolded that although the experience of powerlessness and persistent unemployment seemed to discourage work commitment generally, they were less detrimental in Shanghai. Similarly, while education and work skill appeared to contribute to work commitment generally, they were significant only in Tianjin. The results imply that promotion of unemployed youths work commitment needs to be adaptive to the conditions of the city. For one, human capital development would be an effective means to promote work commitment in Tianjin but not in Shanghai. For the other, reducing social exclusion against the unemployed youths underclass status would be helpful particularly in Hong Kong.

Effects of service use, family social capital and school social capital on psychosocial development among economically disadvantaged secondary school students in Hong Kong

This study investigates factors conducive to the success of young people growing up with economic disadvantage. Previous studies often focused on the risks and difficulties experienced by this cohort of young people; however, little attempt has been made to examine factors that help them thrive or escape from adversity. It is with this consideration in mind that this study examines the ways in which service use, family social capital and school social capital affect psychosocial development in such areas as mental health, positive identity, behavioural adjustment, resilience, academic success and overall accomplishment. The basic premise is that these three factors may have differential effects on youth outcomes. To test this conjecture, the study employs survey data collected from a territory-wide sample of 862 students from low-income families recruited from 14 secondary schools located in different districts of Hong Kong. The results support our hypotheses that service use, family social capital and school social capital have significantly positive effects on psychosocial development, although their individual effects differ across indicators of development. In addition, the two background characteristics of gender and public assistance reception have significant effects on developmental outcomes. The implications of the findings for further research and service provision are discussed.