Nearly 1 in 4 Hong Kong children, adolescents had mental disorder in past year, 8% of secondary school pupils thought of suicide, study finds

“But Hong Kong is densely populated, so that’s not surprising. Our society is a very complex and stressful one for children.”

Researchers interviewed 6,082 children and adolescents and their parents from 2019 to 2023, including non-ethnic Chinese students.

For elementary school students, researchers primarily conducted one-on-one assessments with parents and short surveys with children. Individual interviews were conducted with junior high school students and their parents. Each case took about two and a half to three and a half hours.

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They found that 3.9 percent, 1.9 percent, and 1.1 percent of all respondents had experienced suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempts, respectively. Among middle school students, 8.4%, 3.8%, and 2.3% had each experience.

One in ten respondents also had clinically significant sleep problems.

Approximately 10.2% of participants had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the most common clinical problem. Disruptive impulse control and conduct disorders affected 8.8%, 6.1% had anxiety disorders and 5.4% had depressive disorders.

However, almost half of caregivers do not seek professional help even though their child has a mental health problem, due to reasons such as underestimation of the severity of the problem, fear of stigma, or lack of knowledge about how to seek help. were reluctant to seek help.

Approximately 500 referrals were made to respondents found to have mental health issues following the survey.

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Professor Patrick Leung Wing-leung from the university’s psychology department said the research team found that the most significant factors influencing respondents’ mental health were parental psychological distress, school-related problems and clinically significant sleep disorders. He said he had identified the issue as a problem.

“Parents who suffer from psychological distress themselves can have a difficult time fulfilling their role as parents and nurturing the development of their children and adolescents,” he says.

“If the expectations for a child’s academic performance exceed the child’s ability, the child becomes very worried that he or she will not be able to meet the demands of society and parents, and may become anxious or actually fail. You may become depressed.”

He added: “When it comes to sleep problems, many field studies have shown that this is an early sign of mental health problems. In fact, it can help reduce the likelihood of lingering mental health problems. There are treatments that can help.”

Dr. Hoon Se-phon, clinical professor emeritus at the department, said student suicides are just the “tip of the iceberg” and that there are “multiple layers” of stress, interpersonal and family-related problems.

“We should not just look at the tip of the problem. This report tells us that our children and young people face further challenges,” he said.

“We should do more to address the underlying issues in terms of educational support, family support and youth services.”

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Wong Yanloun, chairman of the city’s mental health advisory committee, called on schools to give students space and prioritize their mental health.

“Schools should not place too much emphasis on other things, such as academic progress…Schools should give teachers and students space if they need special support,” he said.

“We must care about the mental health of our teachers…It is important that we provide sufficient resources to empower teachers to be on the front lines to protect the mental health of their students.”

Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, founding director of the Center for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong, said the proportion of children and adolescents with mental disorders in the city was similar to that overseas after the pandemic, but the numbers It was an added worry.

“Due to a lack of human resources, it is impossible for our health system to deal with all children and adolescents with mental disorders,” he said.

“That is why we argued that mental health issues should not be medicalized and lead to further labeling.

“We need to provide more resources to teachers and schools, help students and teachers build closer relationships, and foster resilience in students.”

Meanwhile, CUHK also announced the results of another government-commissioned study conducted between 2019 and 2023 among 4,368 people aged 60 and over and 503 people living at home and in residential care facilities.

They found that around 70 per cent of older people living in care homes had dementia.

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Approximately one-fifth of respondents living at home were found to have mild neurocognitive impairment, and 7.4% to have severe neurocognitive impairment.

Among those living at home, 8.6% had depression, anxiety, or both, and were more likely to be female, have a lower level of education, have a chronic illness, or have limited physical or social activities. It was a risk factor.

Researchers also interviewed 488 caregivers and found that less than half received community services and generally did not value their efforts.