title: The Occupy Central (Umbrella) movement and mental health distress in the Hong Kong general public: political movements and concerns as potential structural risk factors of population mental health.
abstract: Political tension, as expressed by mass movements such as the Occupy Central movement (2014) in Hong Kong, is a potential but understudied structural factor of population mental health.
  
  
  
  A random population-based telephone survey anonymously interviewed 344 Hong Kong Chinese adults aged 18-65 years during the 2 weeks since the termination date of the 2-month-long Occupy Central movement (15/12/2014). Linear regression models were fit using mental distress (depression, anxiety and negative mood) and self-perceived changes in mood/sleeping quality as dependent variables.
  
  
  
  Prevalence of participation in the movement was 10.5% (self), 17.7% (family members/relatives), and 34.0% (peers); 8.5% had participated for ≥2 days. Young age, but not participation, was associated with mental distress. In adjusted analysis, three types of responses to the movement (worry about safety, negative emotional responses to media reports, and conflicts with peers about the movement) and emotional responses to local political situations were significantly associated with all/some of the dependent variables related to mental distress. The variable on emotions toward local political situations was correlated with the three responses to the movement; it fully mediated the associations between such responses and mental distress.
  
  
  
  Many citizens participated in the movement, which was led by youths and might have increased the general public's mental distress. Negative personal responses to the movement and emotions toward political situations were potential risk factors. As the political tension would last and political pessimism is globally found, politics may have become a regular and persistent structural risk factor negatively affecting population mental health.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Behaviours Research, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary, Prince Wales Hospital Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. jlau@cuhk.edu.hk.|The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China. jlau@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Joseph T F
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2344-7107
authors.initials: JTF
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Behaviours Research, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary, Prince Wales Hospital Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yoona
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China.
authors.forename: Anise M S
authors.initials: AMS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Behaviours Research, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary, Prince Wales Hospital Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Zixin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, USA.
authors.forename: Bishan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Behaviours Research, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary, Prince Wales Hospital Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Phoenix K H
authors.initials: PKH
authors.lastname: Mo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000074439:Political Activism; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013689:Telephone; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chinese; Depression; Mental health; Political movement; Public health