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For hundreds of years, Chinese societies have been living in extended family settings. However, the import of Western cultures and values are challenging the traditional Chinese practices in Hong Kong. This study assesses the community attitudes to living arrangements between elderly and their adult children in Hong Kong and to identify the factors which influence these attitudes. A random sample of 888 adult Hong Kong residents were telephone-interviewed. They were asked about their attitudes to living arrangements when they turned 60, if disabled and non-disabled. The relationship between these attitudes and the social and demographic characteristics of the respondents was also analyzed. Nearly 59% of the respondents preferred to live with their children if non-disabled. However, 43.5% of the respondents would be unlikely to want to live with their children if disabled. If non-disabled at 60, females, professionals or those who had lived overseas before preferred not to live with their children. Females also preferred not to live with their children if disabled at 60. Other factors, such as age, social class, education level and experience in living with elderly or looking after elderly had no effect on the respondents‘ preference. This study provides important information on the community attitudes to living arrangements between the elderly and their adult children in Hong Kong. These attitudes will shed light on the provision of housing and institutional care to elderly, as well as the family relationship and care pattern of the elderly in the future decades in Hong Kong and other communities which are undergoing rapid growth and ’Westernization‘. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The stepped care model for psychological distress has been promoted in recent years, leading to the enhancing roles of primary care professionals and alternative sources of help. However, most of the research findings come from Western countries. This study investigates help-seeking behaviours of Chinese patients among different types of professional and alternative sources for psychological distress in Hong Kong. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted with 1626 adult primary care attenders from 13 private and 6 public clinics, 650 (40.0%) reported that they had ever experienced psychological distress. Their help-seeking behaviours, demographic background and current distress level (measured by GHQ-12) were analysed. Results: Among the respondents with experience of psychological distress, 48.2% had sought help from professional and/or alternative sources for their distress [10.2% from professionals only, 12.6% from alternative sources only, and 25.4% from both]. Those who had sought help from professionals only were more likely to be less educated and with lower income. In contrast, those using alternative sources only were more likely to be younger, better educated, and have higher income. Allowing multiple responses, psychiatrists (22.3%) was reported to be the most popular professional source, followed by primary care physicians (17.5%), clinical psychologists (12.8%) and social workers/counsellors (12.0%). Family members/friends (28.6%) was the top alternative source, followed by exercise/sports (21.8%), religious/spiritual support (16.9%) and self-help websites/books/pamphlets (8.9%). Conclusion: While psychiatrists remain the most popular professional source of help to the Chinese patients in Hong Kong, primary care professionals and alternative sources also play significant roles. Distressed patients who are younger, better educated and have higher income are more likely to use alternative sources only. The outcomes need further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]