A new survey has found that one in seven Hong Kong students from poor or low-income families were overloaded with stress. The survey, which was conducted by the insurance company AXA and non-governmental charitable organization St James' Settlement, discovered that the majority of them are turning to foods or video games to find relief.
The survey involved 807 pupils coming from low-income families between Primary Three and Six in October, the South China Morning Post reported. On a scale from 1 to 10, about 14 percent rated their stress at the maximum level, 19 percent said their stress level was between 7 and 9, while 32 percent rated their stress level from 4 to 6, and another 32 percent had low levels of stress.
The finding raises a major concern, according to the St James' Settlement, with almost 44 percent of pupils turn to electronic games for solace. Connie Ng Man-yin, the senior manager of the NGO, said the figures show that most children didn't know what to do to alleviate their stress, so they think playing video games would help.
About 33 percent also said they eat their favorite snacks when they are stressed, and only 22 percent thinks exercise is the best option - meaning almost half of the pupils were not physically active. Although the survey did not cover the factors causing stress, Ng believed the three reasons for their stress include family finances, academic results, and interpersonal relationships.
The St James' Settlement also surveyed 791 parents and found that 78 percent think their kids would open up to them regarding stress. But, only 25 percent of the surveyed 807 pupils said they talk to their parents about stress. According to Ng, most children from low-income families are independent and believe they can handle stress.
Children might also feel stress because of the pressure in their home, thinking they need to perform well on their class to avoid punishments from their parents. But, parents need to also understand and listen to their children before judging or punishing them, said Chow Suk-ping, a teacher at St Edward's Catholic Primary School in Kwun Tong.
A pilot program organized by St James' Settlement and the AXA Foundation involved 80 underprivileged pupils from four primary schools, which aims to teach children how to cope with stress and emotion management skills. The NGO is planning to further expand the program, covering about 400 students in the next three years.
Meanwhile, a separate survey conducted by the Hong Kong Playground Association in May has found that a third of 3,177 Hongkongers aged six to 24 were suffering from depression, stress, and anxiety. Some 32,000 children and teenagers in the city have been diagnosed with mental problems between 2016 and 2017, wherein about 20,000 were below the age of 12.
