Dr Amanda Chu’s research revolutionises the early detection of psychosocial distress in the young population

Scholars at the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS) strive to address pressing social concerns through their research. A recent notable example is Dr Amanda Chu’s innovative project titled “Using an Automatic Speech Analytics Program (ASAP) to Perform Early Detection of Psychosocial Distress in Young People: Acoustic and Linguistic Analysis”. This project, which has been awarded HK$968,520 in funding from the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), aims to use an Automatic Speech Analytics Program (ASAP) to provide an accurate, efficient, and cost-effective method for the early detection of psychosocial distress in young people.

In recent years, there has been a rising number of young people suffering from psychosocial distress, manifesting in various emotional, behavioural and physiological symptoms. The prevalence of this phenomenon has made it an acute public health issue. While early detection is essential to prevent the worsening of the problem, traditional assessment methods, are often time-consuming and labour-intensive, which hampers the ability to provide timely evaluations.

“Based on our pilot study and implementation test (ASAP 1.0 and ASAP 2.0), our project will develop the latest version of the ASAP. The upgraded version, ASAP 3.0, will contain text and voice analytics. By employing advanced analytical tools leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP), ASAP 3.0 can better assess psychosocial distress levels through the speech of young people,” Dr Amanda Chu Man-ying, Assistant Professor from SSPS, said.

The project led by Dr Chu will recruit 400 young people, aged 18-35, to undergo standard assessments for their psychosocial distress levels, including professional judgment, validated measures such as Beck Depression Inventory-II, and answering some general open-ended questions about their feelings, family, and friends. The audio recordings will be analysed by ASAP 3.0. “We will analyse participants’ linguistic behaviour and their acoustic features from voice. Findings from the analysis will be compared with standard assessments to determine the accuracy and effectiveness of ASAP 3.0. Different combinations of the interview questions will also be analysed to optimise the efficiency and accuracy of ASAP 3.0,” Dr Chu explained.

Many studies show that young people are reluctant to seek help due to perceived negative attitudes towards reaching our for assistance. “As ASAP 3.0 provides a non-invasive, objective, and less formal method of assessment, young people will find ASAP 3.0 more approachable to sharing their feelings and finding support.

“In the current landscape of psychosocial support services, many charities or community service providers are the first points of contact for individuals with potential psychosocial problems, but these organisations are increasingly reliant on non-professional staff and volunteers to screen individuals through conversations. This trend underscores a growing demand for accessible and effective mental health screening tools that can be used by individuals without specialised clinical training. ASAP 3.0 could be a valuable tool for timely detection of psychosocial distress among young people,” Dr Chu remarked.

The global situation of mental disorders is increasingly serious, with significant implications for individuals and societies worldwide. According to WHO, in 2019, around 970 million people globally, or 1 in 8 people, were affected by mental health issues, with anxiety and depression being the most prevalent disorders. In 2020, there was a significant increase in the number of individuals experiencing anxiety and depressive disorders because of COVID-19 pandemic. Hong Kong’s situation is no better than the global picture. It is reported that around 1 in 7 people in the city has a mental health issue.

Professor Li Wai-keung, Dean of FLASS, extended his heartfelt congratulations to Dr Chu for receiving the funding and the much-deserved recognition. “Dr Chu's recent work enhances the early detection of psychosocial distress, hence the possibility of timely effective interventions. Her commitment to improving people’s lives exemplifies FLASS’ vision of serving our community through research. I wish her efforts will inspire us to strive for excellence and to remain steadfast in our mission to address the pressing challenges of our time, whether they be health, technological, social, economic or environmental challenges,” Professor Li said.

The HMRF-funded project will start in August 2025 and finish in July 2027. Besides Dr Amanda Chu being the project leader, the team also includes experts from Mind HK, a charity providing mental health care and support, and the School of Nursing of the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital. Other members of the team include Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho from the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology at EdUHK, along with academics from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the University of Hong Kong, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Established in 2011 by the Health Bureau of the HKSAR government, HMRF supports health and medical research and health promotion efforts. In addition to health promotion projects, HMRF also provides support for health and medical research, research infrastructure, and research capacity building initiatives. With added resources and a strengthened emphasis on evidence-based research, HMRF will be able to fund health promotion projects of larger scale and bigger capacity for community participation, and facilitate the translation of science into practice through collaboration and partnership between academics and community organisations.