Tested to the limit: quarter of Hong Kong primary pupils so anxious they need professional help, study finds
Amid debate over city-wide exams, study shows how school stress can affect primary pupils
More than a quarter of the city's primary school children are showing symptoms of anxiety serious enough for them to need professional help, a new survey shows, with controlling parents and stressful studies the main culprits.
The results come amid intense debate over city-wide testing for primary school pupils which parents and educators say puts excessive pressure on children too young to cope.
Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service, the organisation that conducted the study of the mental health of local children, said the results were "worrying".
"We urge parents and teachers to care about the emotional health of the children as soon as possible," said Dr Chan Siu-mui, an assistant professor of psychological studies at the Hong Kong Institute of Education.
"Parents sometimes are too controlling over their children and treat them like babies, which has increased their levels of anxiety," she added. "They should spend more time listening to them and understanding their needs."
The survey, released yesterday, showed that 27.8 per cent of the children questioned displayed symptoms of anxiety sufficiently serious that the organisation said their parents should seek help from medical professionals.