Finding Strength Online: A Qualitative Examination of Mental Health Narratives of Foreign Filipino Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong SAR

How is the mental health of foreign Filipino domestic helpers (FFDHs), as represented and expressed in their online narratives, shaped by intersecting power structures on various scales, and how do they utilize online peer support groups to address their mental health needs? Employing a transnational feminist sociological lens, I aim to answer these research questions through qualitative analysis of 48 Facebook posts published between July 2023 and August 2024 in two online peer support groups for FFDHs in Hong Kong SAR. Through reflexive thematic analysis, two interconnected themes were identified: (transnational) households as sites of convergence, and (virtual) bodies as sites of resistance. The first theme reveals how households in the Philippines and Hong Kong SAR function as spaces where power structures intersect and materialize in FFDHs’ mental health. The second theme demonstrates how FFDHs strategically utilize digital platforms to exercise agency and address their mental health needs. This paper, a part of a broader dissertation project, contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship by integrating perspectives and methods from sociology, psychology, feminist studies, and digital studies to understand the complex and nuanced relationship between transnational migration, mental health, and digital agency among FFDHs in Hong Kong SAR.