Invited Professional Regular Training Seminars at the Government Departments (HKPF, EDB, SWD, & CSD)

As a renowned expert in the research area of reactive and proactive aggression, aggressive and pure victimisation of school bullying as well as murder and homicide, Dr. Annis Fung has been continuously invited to offer regular training and sharing.

• Currently, the number of practitioners has been trained as follows:
  • Hong Kong Police Force: Over 3,300
  • Social Welfare Department: Over 850
  • Education Bureau: Over 7,000
  • Correctional Service Department: Over 60 (The Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioners, & Superintendents)

The Innovative Well-developed Assessment Tools for the Hong Kong Police Force

A validated assessment tool has been well-developed for police officers to make an accurate and efficient assessment of reactive and proactive aggression for each suspect across different kinds of crimes, including murder, assault, and family violence. It could be useful for them to distinguish the uniqueness of cognition, emotion, and behaviour of suspects; hence aid in gathering evidence for criminal investigation and suspect apprehension.

Appointment of Child Fatality Review Panel Member

Aiming at reviewing the child protection policy and facilitating the enhancement of social service systems, pertaining to child and youth welfare with a focus on inter-sectoral collaboration and multi-disciplinary, including Education Bureau, Police Force, Social Welfare Department, cooperation for the prevention of occurrence of avoidable child death cases.

Child Fatality Review Reports

Theoretical Paradigm Shift

Adopting the two-factor model, based on the functions and underlying goals of the actions of differentiating reactive and proactive aggression as well as aggressive and pure victimisation of school bullying.

Currently, possessing the most extensive dataset, over 100,000 sample size, for the Two-factor model in the world.

Pioneering Worldwide Innovative Interventions

Developing evidence-based outcome effectiveness of specific pioneering interventions for each subtype of aggressive behaviour and victimisation globally, including:

• Psychotherapeutic approach (Cognitive-behavioural Therapy)
• Physio-moral approach (Chinese Martial Arts & Ethics)
• Neurobiological approach (Omega-3 Supplementation)
• Social-information-processing approach (Group Storytelling Intervention)
• Constructivist approach (Film-making Intervention)

Academic Collaboration (Local & International)

Developed a pioneering Chinese version assessments tool for distinguishing reactive and proactive aggression and well-validated among Chinese population internationally.

Collaborating with scholars at different universities globally, including the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Singapore, Australia, and so forth.

Future Study – Parenting Efficacy

The effectiveness of parenting is believed not only to have a more continued and in-depth improvement on children's anger control and empathy competency as well as the reduction in children’s narcissism, but it is also beneficial to the parents and their marriage satisfaction.

One-factor Model (Bullies vs Victims)

When talking about bullying, people instantly associate the one with aggressive behaviour is the bully that is oversimplified and misleading.

A precise definition of bullying is any well-planned action intended to harm a victim to gain "benefits", which is not limited to something tangible but also something intangible.

Two-factor Model

In 1987, three decades ago, Dodge and Coie first categorised aggression into two subtypes: Reactive Aggression and Proactive Aggression.

• Continuous studies have well-documented that:
• Reactive aggression is correlated with hot-bloodedness, impulsivity, hostile attributional bias, attention problems, anger arousal and deficits in social-skills (Raine et al., 2006; Cima & Raine, 2009).
• Proactive Aggression is associated with cold-bloodedness, goal-orientation, callous-unemotional traits, narcissism, delinquency and anti-social personality traits (Brendgen et al., 2006; Fontaine, 2006).

Two-factor Model (Cont.)

Reactive and proactive aggression can be developed as early 4.4 and 6.8-year-old, respectively (Dodge et al., 1997).

Without any early intervention for these children, negative short-term and long-term impacts would be generated in schools, families and societies, for instance, school bullying, peer victimisation, family violence, or even killing and homicide.

Cognitive-behavioural Approach

Served 52 secondary school and 25 primary schools in Hong Kong.

Aimed at identifying and disputing irrational beliefs of cognitive distortions among children and youth with high-risk in reactive and proactive aggression.

Physio-moral Approach

Redefined the meaning of aggressive behaviour after enhancing their moral standard.

Students’ reactively aggressive behaviour, proactively aggressive behaviour, delinquency and attention problems had been reduced by 42%, 65%, 55% and 40%, sequentially.

Project Overview

CityU researchers reveal Chinese martial arts can reduce children’s aggressive behaviour

Neurobiological Approach

Aimed at enhancing the brain executive functioning and then to reduce aggressive behaviour.

By boosting synaptic functioning, reducing cell death and regulating neurotransmitter functioning and expression, removing the brain dysfunctions that predispose one to aggression.

Project Overview

Social Information Processing Approach

Strengthening children’s responsiveness to social cues, empathy competence, problem-solving ability and prosocial skills.

Modelling the characters in storybooks to imitate their social skills, anger management skills, and emotion regulation.

Project Overview