Mental health in the young has become a growing concern in recent years. To improve the psychological well-being of university students in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), the Department of Psychology at Lingnan University has conducted a five-year longitudinal study through a series of mental health education courses.
The program aims to enhance students' resilience, psychological knowledge, and basic counseling skills. Using questionnaires, the study seeks to find out the effect of such interventional mental health programs on their psychological well-being. Results show that participants' resilience, prosocial behavior, and growth mindset have improved significantly, and their negative mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety have diminished.
The research team from the Wofoo Joseph Lee Consulting and Counselling Psychology Research Centre in the Department of Psychology at Lingnan University launched the Wellness Ambassador Programme (WAP) in early 2020. Over the past five years, it has successfully expanded from Hong Kong to multiple GBA institutions including Sun Yat-sen University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), the Southern University of Science and Technology, and internationally to the University of Management and Technology in Pakistan. The program has engaged 598 university students with an average age of 22.9 years. Participants completed eight sessions totaling 12 hours of online and offline mental health education courses covering six major themes: stress coping strategies, growth mindset, psychological resilience, gratitude, basic counseling skills, and physiology.
Using rigorous, evidence-based methodology, the research team circulated pre- and post-test questionnaires comparing changes between trained participants and non-participating students (the control group). Research data showed that compared to the control group, trained students demonstrated considerable improvements across several mental health indicators: psychological resilience increased by 11-15%, indicating better stress management; growth mindset improved by 9-19%, reflecting stronger self-acceptance and development potential; prosocial behavior increased by 6-8%, showing greater willingness to help others; and civic engagement rose by 6-15%, demonstrating more active community participation. The latest training round completed in December 2024 showed that participants also achieved substantial improvements in overall health status, counseling self-efficacy, and life management abilities. The research noted improvements in sleep quality and emotional regulation, further confirming the program's comprehensive benefits for students' physical and mental well-being.
The research team said, most encouragingly, that these positive changes have led to sustained community benefits. Follow-up studies found that six months after completing the training, 93% of participants reported continuing to help others in their communities, with 31% helping 6-15 people and 12% helping more than 15 people. Directly and indirectly, the program has benefited over 2,200 people.
Prof Siu Oi-ling, Head of the Department of Psychology, Lam Woo & Co Ltd Chair Professor of Applied Psychology and Director of the Wofoo Joseph Lee Consulting and Counselling Psychology Research Centre at Lingnan University, who led the research, emphasized the program's important role in promoting holistic youth development in the GBA, noting "Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, young people experienced limited interpersonal interactions due to online classes and reliance on social media communication, leading to social adaptation stress and anxiety in the post-pandemic period. Our research findings show comprehensive improvements in participants' mental health: enhanced prosocial behavior fosters community awareness, empathy, and compassion; strengthened resilience serves as a protective factor against stress and adversity; and improved growth mindset increases students' confidence and adaptability to change. These capabilities enable young people to help themselves while helping others, effectively supporting peers in adapting to changes and building resilience, creating a positive ripple effect that further promotes community mental health improvement."
The Department of Psychology at Lingnan University has established fruitful collaborations with many institutions. Three hundred and twenty participants in the program have become Wellness Ambassadors, who promote mental health awareness on campus and apply what they have learned in community service through peer counseling and community outreach activities, contributing to mental health development in the GBA.
The program will expand to other GBA and overseas higher education institutions this year, and interested universities are cordially invited to contact the research team to develop closer cross-regional collaboration networks.
Related News:
Kai Tak Sports Park rehearsal tonight: Traffic & transportation arrangements to watch out for
Govt initiatives aim to combat rising cancer rates, improve public health
Comment