Perceived Benefits and Harms of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Well-Being and Their Sociodemographic Disparities in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study

Bonny Yee-Man Wong, Tai-Hing Lam, Agnes Yuen-Kwan Lai, Man Ping Wang and Sai-Yin Ho
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Bonny Yee-Man Wong: School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Tai-Hing Lam: School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Agnes Yuen-Kwan Lai: School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Man Ping Wang: School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Sai-Yin Ho: School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: We assessed the perceived benefits and harms of COVID-19 on family and their associations with sociodemographic factors in Chinese adults in Hong Kong. We conducted an online population-based survey and collected 4891 responses in 6 days. Prevalence estimates were weighted by sex, age, and education of the general population, and associations were analyzed using logistic regression. Our results showed both perceived benefits: 19.0% for family physical health, 7.2% family mental health, and 13.5% family relationships; and harms: 2.3% for family physical health, 37.9% family mental health, 18.6% family relationships, and 37.8% decreased family income. More female or older respondents reported perceived benefits but fewer of them reported perceived harms. More respondents with higher than lower socioeconomic scores (SES) reported perceived benefits on family physical and mental health and family relationships, but more respondents with lower than higher SES reported perceived harm on family income. As the pandemic continues with uncertainties, further studies on the dynamics of benefits and harms are needed. Urgent and additional assistance to underprivileged families and at-risk individuals are needed to reduce the inequities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; perceived harms; perceived benefits; family well-being; sociodemographic disparities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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