these findings highlight both a cultural and a familial dimension in the construct of dignity, underline the paramount importance of cultural awareness and competence for working with ethnically diverse groups, and call for a culturally sensitive and family oriented approach to palliative care interventions with older Chinese terminal patients.

This study critically examines the evolving nature of filial piety and the role that it plays in the contemporary experience of "living and dying with dignity" among Hong Kong Chinese families facing the end of life. Meaning-oriented interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 15 adult-children caregivers, ages 30 to 62, to elicit their narratives and stories in caring for a dying elderly parent. Qualitative content analysis reveals that although traditional filial beliefs provided motivation for family caregiving, the regrets of unfulfilled filial responsibilities create emotional distance 277 278 C. L. W. Chan et al. (versus authority relationship), mutual support (versus complete obedience), compassionate duty (versus obligatory duty), emotional connection (versus task fulfillment), and appreciation and forgiveness (versus guilt and shame) in the promotion of dignity at the end of life. Policy and clinical implications are discussed. between parents and adult children, which acts as a cultural barrier for reconciliation and contentment at life's final margin. These findings underscore the importance of intergenerational dynamics and interactions in the transformation of filial attitudes and behaviors, highlighting the importance of reciprocal relationships

BackgroundChronic fatigue is common in the general population. Complementary therapies are often used by patients with chronic fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome to manage their symptoms.PurposeThis study aimed to assess the effect of a 4-month qigong intervention program among patients with chronic fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome.MethodsSixty-four participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a wait list control group. Outcome measures included fatigue symptoms, physical functioning, mental functioning, and telomerase activity.ResultsFatigue symptoms and mental functioning were significantly improved in the qigong group compared to controls. Telomerase activity increased in the qigong group from 0.102 to 0.178 arbitrary units (p < 0.05). The change was statistically significant when compared to the control group (p < 0.05).ConclusionQigong exercise may be used as an alternative and complementary therapy or rehabilitative program for chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the world has likened COVID-19 to SARS which devastated Hong Kong in 2003. Based on the results of a survey conducted between March and April 2020 with 761 Hong Kong adult residents, we summarised three lessons on the coping of Hong Kong people: (i) Establish adequate personal vigilance, (ii) Brace for a mental health crisis and (iii) Find strengths in social and community support. Social workers' roles in health education, identifying service gaps, resource mapping and orchestrating community actions are vital for empowering flexible and adaptive community responses.

This study presented preliminary results on the efficacy of a novel group debriefing model called Strength-Focused and Meaning-Oriented Approach for Resilience and Transformation (SMART). The SMART debriefing (1) aimed at boosting resilience and catalyzing transformation among persons undergoing stressful events, (2) adopted a growth-oriented and holistic approach of health promotion, and (3) employed methods drawn from various indigenous sources (e.g. Asian philosophies and Traditional Chinese Medicine). Participants (N=51) were people with chronic diseases recruited about 1 month (August 2003) after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak was eventually under control, after causing widespread panic in Hong Kong. After the one-day group debriefing, participants showed significant decrease in depression level, as measured by Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis & Melisaratos, 1983, Psychological Medicine, 13(3), 595-605) and changes in cognitive appraisal towards SARS. Such changes were sustained in a 1-month follow-up. Clinical implications and directions for further study were discussed.

Background. Anxiety/depressive symptoms are common in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome- (CFS-) like illness. Qigong as a modality of complementary and alternative therapy has been increasingly applied by patients with chronic illnesses, but little is known about the effect of Qigong on anxiety/depressive symptoms of the patients with CFS-like illness. Purpose. To investigate the effects of Qigong on fatigue, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in patients with CFS-illness. Methods. One hundred and thirty-seven participants who met the diagnostic criteria for CFS-like illness were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a waitlist control group. Participants in the intervention group received 10 sessions of Qigong training twice a week for 5 consecutive weeks, followed by home-based practice for 12 weeks. Fatigue, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and postintervention. Results. Total fatigue score [F(1,135) = 13.888, P < 0.001], physical fatigue score [F(1,135) = 20.852, P < 0.001] and depression score [F(1,135) = 9.918, P = 0.002] were significantly improved and mental fatigue score [F(1,135) = 3.902, P = 0.050] was marginally significantly improved in the Qigong group compared to controls. The anxiety score was not significantly improved in the Qigong group. Conclusion. Qigong may not only reduce the fatigue symptoms, but also has antidepressive effect for patients with CFS-like illness. Trial registration HKCTR-1200.

COVID-19 has brought tremendous and abrupt threats to various aspects of our daily lives, from school and work to interpersonal relationships. Self-compassion is put forth as a salutogenic perspective on oneself that buffers the adverse mental health impacts of these threats. During the peak of a local outbreak in Hong Kong in Spring 2020, 761 participants completed questionnaires on self-compassion, perceived threats, as well as perceived benefits and psychological distress. Controlling for demographic variables, negative indicators of self-compassion (aka self-coldness) was found to intensify the impacts of threats on psychological distress. The positive indicators of self-compassion also moderated the link between threats and perceived benefits, such that perceived benefits tend to be less related to threats in participants with higher self-compassion. Our findings highlight the impacts of both positive and negative indicators of self-compassion on the adjustment to such unprecedented challenges, and point to the possibility of enhancing people's resilience through fostering self-compassion and alleviating self-coldness.

Our recent study demonstrates that adiponectin signaling plays a significant role in mediating physical exerciseexerted effects on hippocampal neurogenesis and antidepression in mice. Whether the findings can be translated to humans remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Baduanjin Qigong exercise on adiponectin and to evaluate whether adiponectin is involved in the antidepressive effects of Qigong exercise on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)-like illness. This is a randomized, waitlist-controlled trial. One hundred eight female participants were randomly assigned to either Qigong exercise or waitlist groups. Sixteen 1.5-h Qigong lessons were conducted. Outcome measures were taken at three time points. Baseline adiponectin levels were negatively associated with body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist/ hip ratio in women with CFS-like illness. Compared with the waitlist control, Qigong exercise significantly reduced anxiety and depression symptoms and significantly raised plasma adiponectin levels (median = 0.8 vs. −0.1, p < 0.05). More interestingly, increases in adiponectin levels following Qigong exercise were associated with decreases in depression scores for the Qigong group (r = −0.38, p = 0.04). Moreover, adjusted linear regression analysis further identified Qigong exercise and change in adiponectin levels as the significant factors accounting for reduction of depression symptoms. Baduanjin Qigong significantly increased adiponectin levels in females with CFS-like illness. Decreases in depression symptoms were associated with increases in adiponectin levels following Qigong exercise, indicating that the potential contribution of adiponectin to Qigong exercise elicited antidepressive effects in human subjects.