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This study aimed to evaluate a newly developed gamification-based intervention of serious play training (SPT). A randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of the new intervention program in comparison with a widely adopted cognitive-behavioral training (CBT) program. Real-life work teams were recruited to enhance the ecological validity of outcome evaluation. The participants comprised 250 Chinese working adults (68% men; median age = 25 years, range: 18–40) who took part voluntarily. They were randomly assigned to the SPT, CBT, and waitlist conditions. For outcome evaluation, team effectiveness was the primary outcome, whereas coping flexibility was the secondary outcome. For explanation of outcome changes, group cohesion and discriminative thinking were tested as the hypothesized learning mechanisms. The results revealed that the SPT group alone reported greater team effectiveness over time, with an increase in group cohesion found to explain the improvement. Both the SPT and CBT groups reported greater coping flexibility over time, with discriminative thinking found to account for the beneficial changes. These findings provide initial evidence indicating the efficacy of utilizing the gamification approach in corporate training for team-building and personal coping.

Objective: An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, with subsequent spread around the world. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region SAR (China) recorded its first confirmed cases on 23 January 2020. In this report, we describe a family cluster of 12 confirmed cases, with two additional confirmed cases from secondary transmission. Methods: We reported the epidemiological, clinical and laboratory findings of the family cluster, as well as the public health measures instituted. Results: All 12 confirmed COVID-19 cases were among the 19 attendees of a three-hour Chinese New Year family dinner consisting of hotpot and barbecue dishes. Environmental sampling of the gathering venue was negative. Two additional confirmed cases, who were co-workers of two confirmed cases, were later identified, indicating secondary transmission. Contact tracing, quarantine and environmental disinfection were instituted to contain further spread. Discussion: Our findings were highly suggestive of a superspreading event during the family gathering. The source was likely one of the cases during the pre-symptomatic phase. The event attested to the high infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 through human-to-human transmission from social activities and argued for the necessity of social distancing in curtailing the disease spread.

Objective An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, with subsequent spread around the world. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region SAR (China) recorded its first confirmed cases on 23 January 2020. In this report, we describe a family cluster of 12 confirmed cases, with two additional confirmed cases from secondary transmission. Methods We reported the epidemiological, clinical and laboratory findings of the family cluster, as well as the public health measures instituted. Results All 12 confirmed COVID-19 cases were among the 19 attendees of a three-hour Chinese New Year family dinner consisting of hotpot and barbecue dishes. Environmental sampling of the gathering venue was negative. Two additional confirmed cases, who were co-workers of two confirmed cases, were later identified, indicating secondary transmission. Contact tracing, quarantine and environmental disinfection were instituted to contain further spread. Discussion Our findings were highly suggestive of a superspreading event during the family gathering. The source was likely one of the cases during the pre-symptomatic phase. The event attested to the high infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 through human-to-human transmission from social activities and argued for the necessity of social distancing in curtailing the disease spread.

Introduction Hong Kong Special Administrative Region SAR (China) achieved measles elimination status in 2016, and the incidence of measles infection had been low over the past few years. However, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) at the Department of Health was notified on 22 March 2019 of an outbreak of three cases of measles infection among workers at the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region International Airport (HKIA). Methods We reviewed notifications of measles received by CHP from 1 January to 17 May 2019. We defined a confirmed case of measles as having laboratory evidence of measles infection. All confirmed cases among airport workers or those with epidemiological information suggesting they had been infected by contact with airport workers were included in the review. We described the epidemiological features and reviewed the control measures against the outbreak. Results We identified 33 cases, 29 of which were among airport workers. They comprised 22 men and 11 women, aged 20-49 years (median 25 years). The majority of people with confirmed measles presented with fever and rash. All required hospitalization. None developed complications. Control measures, including enhanced environmental hygiene and improved ventilation at HKIA and vaccinations for the airport community, were implemented. Vaccinations were provided to 8501 eligible airport workers, and the outbreak was declared over on 17 May 2019. Discussion Early recognition of the outbreak and prompt control measures, especially targeted vaccination of the exposed population, effectively controlled the outbreak in just two weeks.

In the target article, Scholer, Cornwell, and Higgins (this issue) put forward a dynamic, nuanced approach to the study of motivation. In explicating the complexities of motivation and strategies d...

The benefits of using social network sites (SNS) have spurred heated debate in academia and popular culture alike. This study sought to address the debate by formulating a new, nuanced framework highlighting two conceptual distinctions: (a) preference for versus problem in one's interpersonal relations, and (b) SNS use versus the benefits of such use. Mixed-effects meta-analysis was performed in 178 independent samples from seven regions worldwide (n = 108,068; age range = 13-68). Eligible studies were those that examined an association between at least one common proxy measure of the socially rich (vs. poor; i.e., extraversion, social anxiety, or loneliness) and a criterion measure (i.e., SNS use or online social capital). The results revealed a complex picture. SNS use was positively correlated with both extraversion and social anxiety, although the social anxiety-SNS use correlation was significant for adult samples rather than adolescent samples. Online social capital was positively correlated with extraversion but inversely correlated with loneliness. Our conclusion is that extraverted individuals use SNS to enhance their opportunities for social interactions and can acquire more online social resources, whereas adults who are socially anxious use SNS to compensate for their social deficits but such effort is unrelated to online social resource accumulation. Individuals who feel lonely tend to obtain few such resources. However, most of the studies examined the leisure use of Facebook. We advocate more thorough testing of our hypotheses in future research on therapeutic SNS use and/or the use of SNS other than Facebook. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Introduction Hong Kong Special Administrative Region SAR (China) achieved measles elimination status in 2016, and the incidence of measles infection had been low over the past few years. However, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) at the Department of Health was notified on 22 March 2019 of an outbreak of three cases of measles infection among workers at the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region International Airport (HKIA). Methods We reviewed notifications of measles received by CHP from 1 January to 17 May 2019. We defined a confirmed case of measles as having laboratory evidence of measles infection. All confirmed cases among airport workers or those with epidemiological information suggesting they had been infected by contact with airport workers were included in the review. We described the epidemiological features and reviewed the control measures against the outbreak. Results We identified 33 cases, 29 of which were among airport workers. They comprised 22 men and 11 women, aged 20–49 years (median 25 years). The majority of people with confirmed measles presented with fever and rash. All required hospitalization. None developed complications. Control measures, including enhanced environmental hygiene and improved ventilation at HKIA and vaccinations for the airport community, were implemented. Vaccinations were provided to 8501 eligible airport workers, and the outbreak was declared over on 17 May 2019. Discussion Early recognition of the outbreak and prompt control measures, especially targeted vaccination of the exposed population, effectively controlled the outbreak in just two weeks.

Internet gaming disorder and risky online behavior (e.g., cyberbullying, exposure to online violent content) have emerged as serious problems in the digital age. Prevalence rates range from 4% to 40% across the globe, with Asia being one of the hardest-hit regions. To address these pressing problems, our team designed the Wise IT-use (WIT) program, a universal prevention program that (a) enhances students' awareness of Internet gaming disorder and an array of common risky online behaviors, and (b) equips them with sufficient knowledge to handle such problems. The WIT program design was based on gamification principles and flow theory to enhance users' motivation and learning experience. A program evaluation study was conducted to assess the social impact of this program in mitigating symptoms of Internet gaming disorder and risky online behavior, and in bolstering emotional well-being. The participants were 248 students aged 7 to 13 from four primary schools in various regions of Hong Kong. They completed validated questionnaires 1 month before and 2 months after participating in the program to evaluate changes in their symptoms of Internet gaming disorder, the frequency with which they displayed risky online behaviors, and their ratings of emotional well-being across the period. The results revealed that both the symptoms of Internet gaming disorder and the proportion of students at risk of the disorder were reduced after the program. The changes observed in students were related to higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative affect. Evidence from this study indicates that Internet gaming disorder and risky online behavior are detrimental to the emotional well-being of Hong Kong primary school students. More importantly, the findings demonstrate that our newly developed WIT program can have a social impact in successfully mitigating the symptoms of Internet gaming disorder and enhancing emotional well-being over time. The implications of these findings for the program's broader impact on society and culture are discussed.

Since the inclusion of gaming disorder in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a condition for further study, there has been an increasing consensus that problematic gaming can be detrimental to mental health, yet efforts in preventing such problems from emerging have been limited. To address this gap, we developed the Game Over Intervention (GOI), a parent-based program designed based on the frameworks of ecological systems theory and self-determination theory. This study aimed to test the efficacy of the new program using the method of a randomized controlled trial, with the control condition being a program for effective learning. Participants were the parents of upper primary school students, with 163 (77% women, Mage = 42.70) and 199 (83% women, Mage = 41.82) partaking in the intervention and the control conditions, respectively. Participants rated their children&rsquo, s gaming time, exposure to violent video games, and symptoms of gaming disorder at three time points: baseline, one week after intervention, and three months after intervention. The results indicate a general reduction in these three criteria across the three-month period. Our study provides tentative evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of the GOI in mitigating some gaming-related problems.

This study explicated individual differences in susceptibility to cybercrime victimization by predicting that frequent use of information technology (IT) devices is related to greater likelihood of cybercrime victimization (exposure hypothesis), and testing whether individuals more vulnerable to cybercrimes are characterized by higher (overconfidence hypothesis) or lower (negligence hypothesis) levels of IT self-efficacy. Our study also investigated whether cybercrime victimization would influence one's perception of interpersonal relations and subjective well-being. Data were drawn from a representative sample of 1018 Hong Kong participants (46% men; mean age = 42.18). The results from correlation analysis supported the exposure hypothesis by revealing a positive association between IT use and cybercrime victimization. Consistent with both the exposure and overconfidence hypotheses, the mediation analysis showed that IT self-efficacy was positively related to IT use, which in turn was positively related to cybercrime victimization. The correlation analysis further revealed that cybercrime victimization was inversely associated with trusting people online, perceived control, perceived fairness, life satisfaction, and happiness. Our novel findings imply escalating risks of cybercrime victimization as both the amount of IT use and users' IT proficiency are growing, and evidence-based programs are needed to increase users' awareness of the prevalence of cybercrimes and build resilience to combat cyber-attacks.

Self-help is a respectable Chinese value. The rapid growth of self-help groups in the field of social welfare in Hong Kong however, is only a recent phenomenon (Chau, 1996; Chow, 1996). Self-help groups for vulnerable populations such as patients with chronic illnesses, the physically disabled, the mentally disabled, single parents, drug abusers, and other client groups mushroomed in the late 1980s. The recognition and support given to self-help groups in the 1990 Social Welfare White Paper and the 1992 Green Paper on Rehabilitation Policies and Services have in part accelerated the development of self-help groups in the last few years. In spite of the rapid growth of self-help groups in Hong Kong, the full potential of utilising self-help groups remains untapped. One of the reasons may be attributed to the lack of systematic research and solid methodological foundations. Little was known about how helpful self-help groups are to members, and what kind of social impact they have brought about. The research component of the selfhelp phenomenon has clearly been left behind by the self-help movement itself. On the other hand, research on self-help groups has been flourishing in Western countries, particularly the United States and Canada (Borkman, 1976; Gartner & Riessman, 1977; Gottlieb, 1982; Kurtz, 1988; Humphreys, 1997; Roberts et al., 1999). There is definitely a need to systematically study the self-help phenomenon in the local context. Against this background and supported by a grant from RGC, this study was carried out from 1 October 1998 to 31 August 2001 with the following objectives.

This article points to the simple fact that modern welfare systems are neither welfare states nor are they welfare societies. In reality, they are a combination of both. The current interpretation of the supposed dichotomy of these two institutions has inhibited our understanding of reality. Consequently, this has obscured the complicated ways in which the state and the society have worked together to harmonize the needs for social protection and active citizenship. In the present article, the example of a Chinese welfare system has been used to illustrate that even a welfare system usually not regarded as a welfare state can develop strong universal welfare state programmes. In order to demonstrate the significance of this situation, findings related to public attitudes have been cited to reflect the support of both policy assumptions underlying social protection and active citizenship in the welfare system that is under review.

Quality of education remains a problem in higher education in Vietnam and can be considered one of the most crucial and greatest challenges that institutions are now facing and which they need to make great efforts to resolve. Among the various factors that influence this is the quality of the teaching staff in higher education institutions. Due to the shortage of highly qualified academic staff, higher education institutions of both public and private are competing both with each other, and with organisations outside the educational sector, in recruiting academic staff. The thesis explores current issues of staffing and academic staff development in private universities in Vietnam, the policies implemented by them to promote academic staff development, and the extent to which these policies have proved to be effective in raising teaching quality. A comparative and qualitative method with multiple case studies was used for the research. Six higher education institutions in Vietnam, three public and three private, were chosen as case studies. Standards of staffing in public institutions were used as the bench mark for the comparative study, as public higher institutions in Vietnam have a longer history of establishment and operation, which have helped them build up cadres of highly qualified and experienced teaching staff. Data on higher education policies and issues relating to academic staff development and the quality of education in these institutions were gathered using a mixed methods approach. The results of the study showed that institutions of both sectors were facing similar issues in recruiting and developing their academic staff. With financial support from government, public universities are more advantageous than private ones in recruiting and retaining academic staff, thus whilst private universities used economic benefits as their core policies, public institutions attracted and retained academic staff by providing them opportunities for professional development. The research shows that there are still many decisions to be made in the establishment of an effective policy on academic staff development to overcome challenges facing institutions of both the public and the private higher education sector in Vietnam.