More Hong Kong students taking their own lives, study by Jockey Club suicide research centre finds
An increase in the number of youngsters in full-time education choosing to end their lives highlights the competitive pressures many face, HKU professor says
The number of Hong Kong youngsters taking their own lives has grown in recent years, a research centre has found, with a marked increase in suicides among full-time students.
Some 75 Hongkongers aged between 15 and 24 chose to end their lives in 2016, of which 29 were in full-time education, according to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention.
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In 2012 the numbers were lower – there were 73 suicides, and 19 were full-time students. The centre compiled the figures using documents from the Coroner’s Court.
Researchers found that in 2016 more of these full-time students had “academic problems and a psychiatric history” compared to previous years, but the centre also warned against oversimplifying the causes of suicide.
Documents recording investigations into the deaths revealed the individuals faced a host of problems, including coping with studies and personal relationships and money issues.
The centre’s head, Paul Yip Siu-fai, chair professor of the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Social Work and Social Administration, pointed to a scarcity of community support and a rising divorce rate among parents.
