PolyU health science experts help promote mental health of different community groups
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PolyU researchers are devoted to creating solutions for the betterment of society with the integration of academic, scientific, and pragmatic expertise. To enhance the psychosocial well-being of different community groups, five PolyU projects have received funding support under Phase 2 of the Government’s Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme coordinated by the Advisory Committee on Mental Health. The projects will develop innovative social services programmes to enhance public mental health.
The five awarded projects are conducted by the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, covering periods of 15 to 24 months. They aim at devising sustainable solutions to address the mental health issues of different people, by applying new technology such as virtual reality and electronic platforms to meet the needs of various stakeholders including caregivers, secondary school students, adolescents with special educational needs (SEN), carers of attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) children, and persons with disabilities.
| Project Title: | Reducing Social Avoidance and Enhancing Prosocial Behaviour among Adolescents with SEN |
Principal | Professor Sylvia Chen Professor, Department of Applied Social Sciences | |
Summary: | The project implements social anxiety interventions based on a cognitivebehavioural approach. It involves the development of a virtual coach acting as a therapist and a gamified prosocial virtual reality intervention which can foster the prosocial behaviour of adolescents with SEN. |
| Project Title: | Healing Together – Building Positive School Mental Health in Post-COVID Hong Kong |
Principal | Dr Angel Lai | |
Summary: | The project adopts a train-the-trainer approach to help secondary students become mental health ambassadors, promoting the mental health awareness among students, teachers, administrative staff and management of secondary schools. |
| Project Title: | Enhancing the Mental Health of Carers of Persons with Disabilities with Support Services Delivered by Trained Carer Support Ambassadors |
Principal | Professor Hector Tsang Wing-hong | |
Summary: | The project implements a short-term certificate programme for frontline workers to become Carer Support Ambassadors to deliver mental health support to carers. |
| Project Title: | Increasing Mental Health Literacy and Peer Support among Caregivers: An Electronic Painting and Peer Supportive (EPPS) Platform |
Principal | Professor Angela Leung | |
Summary: | The project develops an EPPS Platform to enhance caregivers’ mental health literacy and peer support. |
| Project Title: | Peer Support Virtual Reality-based Intervention for AD/HD Carers - Stress Relieving and Empathy Improving Programme |
Principal | Dr Harry Qin | |
Summary: | The project develops a novel peer support virtual reality-based therapy for carers to reduce their stress and improve their empathy in handling children with AD/HD. |
