ArticleSocial science & medicine (1982)2023
Shifts in patterns of help-seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Hong Kong's younger generation.
Article in Social science & medicine (1982), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- The mediating role of self-compassion and growth mindset in the relationships between multifaceted factors and youth suicidality in Hong Kong.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Development and evaluation of a mental health and suicide prevention student leadership training programme for secondary school students in Hong Kong.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Change in psychological distress and associated factors among Hong Kong young adults in post-COVID-19 era: a latent transition analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
- Can headwind, an online clinician-led mental health advisory platform, improve the engagement of distressed young people in community services? A multicohort analysis.BMJ public health · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
rationaleHelp-seeking can convert an individual's bonding social capital into social support, which has been shown to buffer the impact of psychological distress. The younger generation (individuals aged 15-35 years) have been the least likely to actively seek help despite facing a rising burden of mental health problems. COVID-19 pandemic restrictions may have altered their help-seeking behaviors, but the extent of such shift remains little understood, particularly in Asian contexts.
objectiveTo understand how the younger generation's patterns of help-seeking (activation of different combinations of support sources) have shifted in pandemic times, who have experienced the shift, and what explanatory factors are involved.
methodsData were obtained from two waves (2019, 2020) of online survey responses by 438 community-dwelling younger generation people in Hong Kong, recruited through the authors' affiliated institutions and territory-wide community outreach organizations. Latent class analysis was conducted on participants' self-reported help-seeking behaviors in each survey wave. Constituents' characteristics in each latent class were examined, and between-wave changes in individuals' class membership were identified. Logistic regressions identified explanatory factors that significantly explained the changes.
resultsThree consistent patterns of help-seeking were identified in both survey waves. A major shift was observed for individuals with poorer mental health histories who faced moderate distress. They relied on their family, friends, and partner pre-pandemic, but no longer activated these supports during the pandemic. Posting status updates on social media, along with various communication habits and sociodemographic factors that differed by age group, were associated with this shift.
conclusionsShifts in the younger generation's patterns of help-seeking may be an early warning signal to invest additional resources in facilitating help-seeking among the younger generation. Findings also serve as a reminder that public health restrictions may have inadvertent mental health implications that should be considered in future scenarios.
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