Cultivating resilience among Hong Kong’s underprivileged ethnic minority groups in the face of a pandemic : a qualitative study

Like many settings worldwide, Hong Kong has recently been combatting the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with steadily increasing numbers since the beginning of January 2022. Through media, it is observed that perceived discrimination appears to be reported by many ethnic minorities, and they are stereotyped as virus spreaders due to the increasing number of confirmed cases and untraceable COVID-19 clusters in Hong Kong. In this study, we investigated ways to cultivate resilience among ethnic minorities against COVID-19 in Hong Kong. A qualitative methodology was adopted to interview 15 social service providers from diverse ethnic backgrounds serving disadvantaged ethnic minority groups (South and Southeast Asian groups from low-income households, foreign domestic workers, and asylum seekers/refugees). Two major protective factors were identified as contributing to the development of resilience among diverse ethnic groups: individual-based resilience (being optimistic) and socio-environmental factors (e.g., ongoing support from consulates, strong family, peer, and religious settings’ support) using the integration of resilience and social justice frameworks. This study showed that the nature of protective factors is not clear cut. The present study recommends additional culturally sensitive service and policy implications for preventing the long-term impact of mass crises among Hong Kong’s marginalized ethnic minorities.