While it is well-established that mutual aid groups are effective in the psychological rehabilitation of vulnerable individuals, few studies have thoroughly investigated the dynamic mechanism of how psychological well-being improves through mutual aid groups of young patients with chronic health conditions. In connection with several existing theories (i.e., the helper therapy principle, equity theory, the norm of reciprocity, and the concept of communal relationships), this study aims to: (1) evaluate whether emotional support exchanges (i.e., emotional support reception and provision) mediate the relationship between group interaction and psychological well-being; and (2) compare three potential underlying mechanisms—the mediating role of emotional support provision, equitable reciprocity (i.e., a balance of receiving and providing emotional support, where no party over-benefits or under-benefits), and sequential reciprocity (i.e., repaying the helper or a third party in the future after receiving help)—through a path analysis model. A stratified random sampling procedure with chronic health conditions as the stratifying criterion was used to recruit 391 individuals aged 12–45 years from mutual aid groups in Hong Kong, who completed both the baseline and follow-up surveys over a 12-month interval. The results of the path model revealed significant mediating roles of emotional support provision and sequential reciprocity, not equitable reciprocity. The present study offers theoretical and practical implications for promoting the psychological well-being of young patients with chronic health conditions.

Increasing career and life development hope (CLDH) is critical for the career and life pursuits of non-engaged youths (NEY) who face various disadvantages in the school-to-work transition, especially considering current challenging labor market conditions and the impacts of the pandemic. Nevertheless, research that explores the assessment of CLDH among NEY is scarce. To address this gap, this study aimed to develop and validate a CLDH measurement instrument. A total of 1998 NEY aged 13–29 years in Hong Kong participated in our study. Exploratory factor analysis of the 20-item CLDH scale suggested a two-factor structure—career and life development pathways (CLDP) and career and life development agency (CLDA)—which accounted for 63.08% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis results show a good model fit (CFI = 0.934, TLI = 0.926, RMSEA = 0.060, 90% CI [0.055, 0.065], SRMR = 0.042) and all the items significantly represented the corresponding sub-constructs. The results also demonstrate a satisfactory internal consistency for all subscales and the full scale (0.89–0.95). Sub-group consistency across subsamples categorized by gender, age, and years of residence in Hong Kong was indicated. Correlations between the CLDH scale and subscales with other career-related and social well-being outcomes (i.e., youth career development competency, career adaptability, civic engagement, social contribution, and social integration) showed good concurrent validity. Our results support that the CLDH scale is a valid and reliable tool for measuring NEY’s hope for career and life development in the Hong Kong context. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are also discussed.

Although it has been widely acknowledged that hope, career competency, and outcomes of social well-being (i.e., social integration, social contribution, and civic engagement) are key components of youth’s career and life development (CLD), those interrelationships, their predictive relationships, and the relative importance of the variables in the relationships remain poorly understood. To fill that gap, we conducted two network analyses on three waves of data collected in the CLAP@JC Community Intervention Project. A total of 4,220 non-engaged youth (NEY) from Hong Kong participated in the project, all of whom were 13–29 years old (M = 18.66, SD = 3.20) and 53.3% of whom were boys and young men. The first network analysis, conducted on the data at baseline, revealed a moderate correlation between career competency and hope and a strong correlation between civic engagement and social contribution. The second network analysis, conducted on the aggregated three-wave data, showed that career competency could predict all other variables and that only hope could positively impact career competency over time. We also observed that social contribution can positively influence hope. Overall, our findings highlight the central role of career competency in networks while also revealing the different roles of the examined variables within the networks. Our new findings on the functions of and the relationships among those variables provide insights for further theorizing CLD, while the information obtained can also help practitioners to develop effective intervention strategies for promoting CLD among NEY.

In today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, it is vital to nurture explorer qualities, including courage, learning, appreciation, and perseverance, in students from an early stage of education. The present study aimed to develop a holistic Explorer Qualities Scale (EQS) to measure these qualities in primary school students, a topic rarely investigated in prior research. The sample consisted of 475 students in Grades 4–6 aged 8–14 years (52.4% boys; mean age = 10.62 years) in Hong Kong. The results indicated that the EQS is a valid and reliable measure. The CFA confirmed the hypothesized four-factor structure of explorer qualities, indicating a good model fit (CFI = 0.932, RMSEA = 0.063, SRMR = 0.042) and high factor loadings (0.617–0.858). Additionally, satisfactory internal consistency was observed for the subscales (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.879–0.950, McDonald’s omega = 0.881–0.950), as well as measurement invariance across subgroups defined by gender, age, and grade. Moreover, correlations between the EQS and its subscales with psychosocial outcomes, including positive identity, social connectedness, and life satisfaction, showed good concurrent validity. The development of the EQS sheds light on how educators and practitioners can effectively assess and nurture students’ explorer qualities, helping them develop the competencies needed to thrive in an unpredictable future within the VUCA era.