One in three young Hongkongers suffers from stress, anxiety or depression, Hong Kong Playground Association survey shows

Young people in Hong Kong need more sleep and exercise after a survey found at least a third suffered from stress, anxiety or depression, a social service organisation said on Tuesday.

The survey, conducted by the Hong Kong Playground Association last month, asked 3,177 young people, aged six to 24, questions about their mental health, sleep and exercise habits, and how much time they spent online.

“Young people’s lives in Hong Kong are not easy. They do not have comfortable lives in this affluent society, and they each bear their own pressure,” said Wan Lap-man, a social worker who conducted the survey, adding that heavy workloads faced by students and pupils often got in the way of exercise and sleep.

The survey used the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales, a psychological assessment tool developed by Australia’s University of New South Wales, to measure participants’ stress, anxiety and depression levels.

The survey showed that 31.6 per cent of participants suffered from mild to extremely severe stress, while 38.7 per cent had moderate to extreme anxiety.

Among those surveyed, 30 per cent had moderate to extreme depression.

The proportion of people suffering from severe and extremely severe levels of stress, anxiety and depression was larger in the 19-24 age group.