A review on longitudinal studies of adolescents in Hong Kong

A literature review based on PsycINFO and MEDLINE was conducted to understand longitudinal adolescent studies in Hong Kong. Based on a review of 23 studies, several observations can be highlighted. First, there are very few positive youth development programs. Second, many intervention studies have not been rigorously evaluated. Third, many survey studies focused primarily on the negative aspects of youth development, neglecting the positive dimensions. Fourth, while the sample size of most studies is respectable, very few studies used random sampling. Fifth, most studies used quantitative research methods, with very few studies using qualitative or mixed methods research. Sixth, only two waves of data were collected in most studies. Seventh, advanced statistical data analysis techniques were seldom employed. Finally, assessment tools in some of the studies were not validated.