- I am interested in human beings' behaviours. I am especially interested in children and adolescents' development, whi... moreI am interested in human beings' behaviours. I am especially interested in children and adolescents' development, which is my main research interest of my PhD project. My project is looking at the influences of developmental factors and of cultural factors on young people's self-concept and how this linked with their mental health. To thoroughly understand this process, I would like to combine surveys, cognitive tasks and neuroimaging techniques in my project. My eternal career plan is to open other opportunities to connect with the society and further contribute myself to make it more young-person friendly.edit
COVID-19 has significant impacts on young peoples’ lives and emotions. Understanding how young people maintain well-being in the face of challenges can inform future mental health intervention development. Here we applied network analysis... more
COVID-19 has significant impacts on young peoples’ lives and emotions. Understanding how young people maintain well-being in the face of challenges can inform future mental health intervention development. Here we applied network analysis to well-being data gathered from 2532 young people (12-25 years) residing in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify the structure across well-being and crucially, its central defining features. Gender and age differences in networks were also investigated. Across all participants, items emerged in two clusters: 1) optimism, positive self-perception, and social connectedness, and 2) processing problems and ideas. The two central features of well-being were: “I’ve been dealing with problems well” and “I’ve been thinking clearly”. There were minimal age and gender differences. Our findings suggest that the perception of being able to process problems and ideas efficiently could be a hallmark of well-being, particularly in the face of challeng...
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BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has inequitably impacted the experiences of people living with ill health/impairments or from minoritized ethnic groups across all areas of life. Given possible parallels in inequities for disabled people... more
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has inequitably impacted the experiences of people living with ill health/impairments or from minoritized ethnic groups across all areas of life. Given possible parallels in inequities for disabled people and people from minoritized ethnic backgrounds, their existence before the pandemic and increase since, and the discriminations that each group faces, our interest is in understanding the interplay between being disabled AND being from a minoritized ethnic group. OBJECTIVE The overarching aim of the Coronavirus Chronic Conditions and Disabilities Awareness (CICADA) project, building on this understanding, is to improve pandemic and longer-term support networks, and access to and experiences of care, services, and resources for these underserved groups, both during the pandemic and longer term, thereby reducing inequities and enhancing social, health, and well-being outcomes. METHODS This mixed methods study involves three “sweeps” of a new UK survey...
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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose unprecedented threat globally. Adolescents and youth may be especially susceptible to the long-term impact of these stressors, thus intervening early is an important priority. However, it is also... more
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose unprecedented threat globally. Adolescents and youth may be especially susceptible to the long-term impact of these stressors, thus intervening early is an important priority. However, it is also crucial to understand how young people maintain psychological well-being in the face of adversity, particularly given that many nations are experiencing further waves of the pandemic. The understanding of such resilient outcomes could inform the development of programs to encourage positive mental health.We explored adolescents' resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic stress by examining core aspects of well-being across countries using network analysis. Using the short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, cross-sectional data was collected online from adolescents from India (N = 310; Males = 159, Females = 151, aged 12–18), Israel (N = 306; Males = 154, Females = 152, aged 12–18) and the United Kingdom (UK; N = 1666; Males = 598, Females = 1068, aged 12–25). Two highly similar network clusters were identified for UK and Israel, with three clusters emerging for India. UK and Israeli networks centred on “dealing with problems well” while Indian centred on “feeling useful”. As central items highlight aspects of well-being that influence or are influenced by other aspects, these findings may inform interventions to safeguard adolescent mental health during future phases of the pandemic.
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Abstract Pathological social withdrawal (PSW) refers to a set of socially-avoidant behaviours including low social engagement. Because social disconnectedness is associated with loneliness, which in turn is linked with psychiatric... more
Abstract Pathological social withdrawal (PSW) refers to a set of socially-avoidant behaviours including low social engagement. Because social disconnectedness is associated with loneliness, which in turn is linked with psychiatric conditions, investigating loneliness in PSW is important for understanding the societal burden of PSW. Here, we investigated relationships between PSW, disconnectedness from other social groups, loneliness and psychiatric disturbances in Taiwan. Individuals with PSW showed greater perceived disconnection with their peers and more loneliness than those without PSW. Duration of being socially-withdrawn and the degree of disconnection with peers were each associated with loneliness. A positive correlation between loneliness and psychiatric disturbances also emerged. As poorer perceived closeness with friends may explain loneliness and psychiatric symptoms amongst individuals with PSW, future treatment should focus on social skills or nurturing social interactions with peers, beyond family members.
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Objectives: Pathological social withdrawal (PSW) has become a public health concern, especially in Asia. However, few studies have investigated the presence of PSW and its characteristics in Taiwan. In this study, we aimed to discover... more
Objectives: Pathological social withdrawal (PSW) has become a public health concern, especially in Asia. However, few studies have investigated the presence of PSW and its characteristics in Taiwan. In this study, we aimed to discover whether individuals in Taiwan display PSW behaviours, the demographic characteristics and psychiatric history of those meeting criteria for PSW and the associated psychological risks. Methods: An online self-report survey collected participants’ demographic characteristics, social behaviours and their psychiatric history, along with information on adherence to cultural norms and mental health. Results: Among 1,046 valid respondents, 9% reported behaviours consistent with PSW for at least 6 months, commensurate with other online surveys in Asian countries. Around 20% of these also reported current or past psychiatric disorders, although this was lower than previous findings (50%–80%). Participants with PSW reported poorer mental health and lower confide...
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Pathological social withdrawal (PSW), an extreme form of socially avoidant behaviour, is emerging as a global public health issue. Prior PSW theories implicate personal values that deviate from sociocultural norms resulting in inner... more
Pathological social withdrawal (PSW), an extreme form of socially avoidant behaviour, is emerging as a global public health issue. Prior PSW theories implicate personal values that deviate from sociocultural norms resulting in inner conflict and mental health problems. Speculatively, this conflict could manifest or be embedded within a person's cognitive and affective selfconcepts (self-construal and self-esteem respectively). In this study, we tested the hypotheses that compared to those without PSW, individuals with PSW would have lower personal and collective self-esteem, and endorse independent and/or interdependent self-construals to differing degrees. 343 Taiwanese adults completed a two-step online survey, which consisted measuring their social withdrawal condition, sociocultural deviance, personal/collective self-esteem, independent/interdependent selfconstrual and mental health problems. As expected, data showed that the affected group had lower self-esteem than the unaffected group, but no group difference emerged in either self-construal dimension. We also found that personal self-esteem in the PSW group was (concurrently) associated with sociocultural deviance and symptoms of poor mental health. Our results tentatively supported theories of PSW, suggesting that the influences individuals' personal self-esteem and sociocultural deviance should be considered in future studies or treatments/preventions.
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Objectives: Pathological social withdrawal (PSW) has become a public health concern, especially in Asia. However, few studies have investigated the presence of PSW and its characteristics in Taiwan. In this study, we aimed to discover... more
Objectives: Pathological social withdrawal (PSW) has become a public health concern, especially in Asia. However, few studies have investigated the presence of PSW and its characteristics in Taiwan. In this study, we aimed to discover whether individuals in Taiwan display PSW behaviours, the demographic characteristics and psychiatric history of those meeting criteria for PSW and the associated psychological risks.
Methods: An online self-report survey collected participants’ demographic characteristics, social behaviours and their psychiatric history, along with information on adherence to cultural norms and mental health.
Results: Among 1,046 valid respondents, 9% reported behaviours consistent with PSW for at least 6 months, commensurate with other online surveys in Asian countries. Around 20% of these also reported current or past psychiatric disorders, although this was lower than previous findings (50%–80%). Participants with PSW reported poorer mental health and lower confidence in social/academic/work skills than unaffected participants.
Conclusion: This study identified for the first time the presence of PSW in Taiwan. Except the lower rates of psychiatric comorbidity (which could be explained by sociocultural factors and sampling methods), data were consistent with previous findings. We also extended our understanding of possible psychological risk factors associated with this pathological condition.
Methods: An online self-report survey collected participants’ demographic characteristics, social behaviours and their psychiatric history, along with information on adherence to cultural norms and mental health.
Results: Among 1,046 valid respondents, 9% reported behaviours consistent with PSW for at least 6 months, commensurate with other online surveys in Asian countries. Around 20% of these also reported current or past psychiatric disorders, although this was lower than previous findings (50%–80%). Participants with PSW reported poorer mental health and lower confidence in social/academic/work skills than unaffected participants.
Conclusion: This study identified for the first time the presence of PSW in Taiwan. Except the lower rates of psychiatric comorbidity (which could be explained by sociocultural factors and sampling methods), data were consistent with previous findings. We also extended our understanding of possible psychological risk factors associated with this pathological condition.
Research Interests:
Pathological social withdrawal (PSW) refers to a set of socially-avoidant behaviours including low social engagement. Because social disconnectedness is associated with loneliness, which in turn is linked with psychiatric conditions,... more
Pathological social withdrawal (PSW) refers to a set of socially-avoidant behaviours including low social engagement. Because social disconnectedness is associated with loneliness, which in turn is linked with psychiatric conditions, investigating loneliness in PSW is important for understanding the societal burden of PSW. Here, we investigated relationships between PSW, disconnectedness from other social groups, loneliness and psychiatric disturbances in Taiwan. Individuals with PSW showed greater perceived disconnection with their peers and more loneliness than those without PSW. Duration of being socially-withdrawn and the degree of disconnection with peers were each associated with loneliness. A positive correlation between loneliness and psychiatric disturbances also emerged. As poorer perceived closeness with friends may explain loneliness and psychiatric symptoms amongst individuals with PSW, future treatment should focus on social skills or nurturing social interactions with peers, beyond family members.
Research Interests:
The multi-dimensional nature of pain renders difficult a holistic understanding of it. The conceptual framework of pain is said to be cognitive-evaluative, in addition to being sensory-discriminative and affective-motivational. To compare... more
The multi-dimensional nature of pain renders difficult a holistic understanding of it. The conceptual framework of pain is said to be cognitive-evaluative, in addition to being sensory-discriminative and affective-motivational. To compare participants' brain-behavior response before and after a 6-week mindfulness-based stress reduction training course on mindfulness in relation to pain modulation, three questionnaires (the Dallas Pain Questionnaire, Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-SFMPQ, and Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness) as well as resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were administered to participants, divided into a pain-afflicted group (N = 18) and a control group (N = 16). Our results showed that the pain-afflicted group experienced significantly less pain after the mindfulness treatment than before, as measured by the SFMPQ. In conjunction, an increased connection from the anterior insular cortex (AIC) to the dorsal anterior midcingulate cortex (daMCC) was observed in the post-training pain-afflicted group and a significant correlation was found between AIC-daMCC connectivity and SFMPQ scores. The results suggest that mindfulness training can modulate the brain network dynamics underlying the subjective experience of pain.