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Schedule:
Friday, January 14, 2022
Independence BR G, ML 4 (Marriott Marquis Washington, DC)
* noted as presenting author
Background and Purpose:
Due to the wear-and-tear effects of acute and chronic stressors, and the sheer number of citizens involved in the 2019-20 social movement, mechanisms accounting for Hong Kong citizens’ post-political trauma responses demand investigation. The National Security Law that was passed on July 1, 2020, led to a dramatic drop in public protests, creating the appearance of silence in society. As a sizeable portion of protestors were youth, this study aimed to examine the psychological activity behind the perceived socio-political silence among youth and their parents in response to the series of social and political incidents. It explored meaning-based coping as a mechanism that accounted for Hong Kong citizens’ differential responses to trauma following the social movement.
Method:
A three-hour focus group was conducted with 14 adults (Mage = 49.36, 13 females) and 11 secondary or university students (Mage = 21.91, 4 females) in December 2020. Participants of different political stances were recruited [Pan-democratic, n = 11; Localism (a commitment to the preservation of Hong Kong’s unique identity and heritage), n = 7; Centrism, n = 1; Pro-establishment, n = 0; No political preference, n = 6] through social media and Hong Kong community networks. The interview was conducted based on a series of semi-structured questions that pertained to participants’ psychological experience after the social movement as well as their coping experience. The focus group discussion was transcribed verbatim and coded thematically, guided by an inductive approach of qualitative analysis. Data management was facilitated with NVivo 12.
Results:
The majority of participants (n=16) expressed that they perceived a societal-wide socio-political silence since the National Security Law was passed, and many reported feelings of helplessness and hopelessness and discouragement of opinion expressions in response to the mass arrest of protestors and democratic advocates. Based on the participants’ verbatims, four major themes that contributed to the phenomenon of ‘socio-political quietness’ were generated: (1) perceived futility of fight, (2) intended self-limitation of expressions, (3) preference of maintaining social stability, and (4) maintenance of interpersonal relationships. Data analysis suggested that the phenomenon of silence belied high levels of psychological activity. In trying to comprehend the socio-political events, participants engaged in meaning-based coping, for instance, actualizing spiritual purpose and understanding the self as an agent capable of effecting changes. Eighteen participants reported emotions and behaviors consistent with trauma reactions, such as avoidance of distressing cues and feelings of derealization towards the political events. Others exhibited precursors to post-traumatic growth, including reprioritization of values and self-expansion of knowledge and social networks.
Conclusions and Implications:
Our study sheds light on the psychological experience towards a significant change in political era in Hong Kong. Many people feel helpless and hopeless towards the establishment of the National Security Law. Our study puts forward meaning-based coping as a mechanism that has accounted for people’s gravitation towards either exhibiting trauma responses or demonstrating precursors to post-traumatic growth. The current study has implications for the development of interventions for those impacted by political trauma.
Due to the wear-and-tear effects of acute and chronic stressors, and the sheer number of citizens involved in the 2019-20 social movement, mechanisms accounting for Hong Kong citizens’ post-political trauma responses demand investigation. The National Security Law that was passed on July 1, 2020, led to a dramatic drop in public protests, creating the appearance of silence in society. As a sizeable portion of protestors were youth, this study aimed to examine the psychological activity behind the perceived socio-political silence among youth and their parents in response to the series of social and political incidents. It explored meaning-based coping as a mechanism that accounted for Hong Kong citizens’ differential responses to trauma following the social movement.
Method:
A three-hour focus group was conducted with 14 adults (Mage = 49.36, 13 females) and 11 secondary or university students (Mage = 21.91, 4 females) in December 2020. Participants of different political stances were recruited [Pan-democratic, n = 11; Localism (a commitment to the preservation of Hong Kong’s unique identity and heritage), n = 7; Centrism, n = 1; Pro-establishment, n = 0; No political preference, n = 6] through social media and Hong Kong community networks. The interview was conducted based on a series of semi-structured questions that pertained to participants’ psychological experience after the social movement as well as their coping experience. The focus group discussion was transcribed verbatim and coded thematically, guided by an inductive approach of qualitative analysis. Data management was facilitated with NVivo 12.
Results:
The majority of participants (n=16) expressed that they perceived a societal-wide socio-political silence since the National Security Law was passed, and many reported feelings of helplessness and hopelessness and discouragement of opinion expressions in response to the mass arrest of protestors and democratic advocates. Based on the participants’ verbatims, four major themes that contributed to the phenomenon of ‘socio-political quietness’ were generated: (1) perceived futility of fight, (2) intended self-limitation of expressions, (3) preference of maintaining social stability, and (4) maintenance of interpersonal relationships. Data analysis suggested that the phenomenon of silence belied high levels of psychological activity. In trying to comprehend the socio-political events, participants engaged in meaning-based coping, for instance, actualizing spiritual purpose and understanding the self as an agent capable of effecting changes. Eighteen participants reported emotions and behaviors consistent with trauma reactions, such as avoidance of distressing cues and feelings of derealization towards the political events. Others exhibited precursors to post-traumatic growth, including reprioritization of values and self-expansion of knowledge and social networks.
Conclusions and Implications:
Our study sheds light on the psychological experience towards a significant change in political era in Hong Kong. Many people feel helpless and hopeless towards the establishment of the National Security Law. Our study puts forward meaning-based coping as a mechanism that has accounted for people’s gravitation towards either exhibiting trauma responses or demonstrating precursors to post-traumatic growth. The current study has implications for the development of interventions for those impacted by political trauma.