Expressive suppression in the 2019 anti-government social unrest in Hong Kong: its association with psychological distress

Abstract

Abstract Hong Kong experienced a large-scale anti-government social unrest in 2019. High levels of violence and severe vandalism were common during the unrest, which have seriously affected the psychological wellbeing of Hong Kong people. Research has shown that, during the unrest, Hong Kong people exhibited an elevated level of psychological and mental disturbances, and these disturbances are still observed after the unrest has subsided. To further illuminate how large-scale social unrests affect people’s psychological functioning, in this study we examined the association of expressive suppression, which is defined as consciously hiding and withholding one’s emotions, with psychological distress in the context of the unrest in Hong Kong. The mediating role of rumination was also explored. The study was conducted in early 2021. A sample of 84 participants who had experienced the unrest in 2019 were recruited. They completed an online questionnaire for this study. Results from path analyses revealed that expressive suppression related to the unrest was positively associated with anxiety, stress, and depressed mood, and these associations were significantly mediated by rumination. Our findings suggest expressive suppression may play an important role in accounting for the effect of socio-political turmoil on psychological disturbances, and future research should pay more attention to this variable for understanding how large-scale political and social unrests, especially those that involve serious political divides, leave their marks on civilians.