Nearly a third of Hong Kong adults have shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since the start of the pro-democracy mobilization in June, which resulted in severe violence on the streets of the former British colony , according to a study published Friday in The Lancet . And more than 10% of the adult population presented symptoms of probable depression, a proportion comparable to that which is observed during armed conflicts or following attacks, according to this study conducted for ten years by researchers from the University of Hong Kong.
The prevalence of PTSD symptoms observed since the start of the political crisis is six times higher than that observed after the previous large-scale social movement, the “Umbrella Movement” of 2014, which did not give rise to to the serious street violence observed for seven months. In March 2015, 5% of adults had symptoms of PTSD, compared to almost 32% of those observed between September and November 2019.
11% depression
In addition, 11% of adults show symptoms of depression, whereas they were only 2% before the “Umbrella movement” and 6.5% in 2017, according to the study. The researchers also observed that the massive consultation of social networks to follow political news seemed to contribute to the risk of depression or PTSD.
For the purpose of this work, the researchers conducted a number of surveys of 18,000 people between 2009 and 2019. They claim that it is the largest and the longest study ever carried out in the world on the impact of social unrest on residents' mental health. They further observe that this work could, in the case of Hong Kong, underestimate the impact of psychic problems because they did not look at the under 18s, who form an important part of the contingent which manifests in the 'former British colony.
A major public health issue
Hong Kong has been going through its worst political crisis since its retrocession in 1997 with very regular demonstrations, which often degenerate into violence, to demand democratic reforms or denounce China's interference in the affairs of its semi-autonomous region.
“At a time when social unrest is increasing all over the world, and especially in big cities like Barcelona, Delhi, Paris or Santiago in 2019, the question of the impact of social unrest on the mental health of populations has become a very big public health issue, "said the other co-director of the study, Michael Ni, of the University of Hong Kong.
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