Third of Hong Kong pupils aged 10 to 14 identified as potential suicide risk
- City University researchers find children who feel hopeless, isolated or see themselves as a burden are more likely to harm themselves
- Staff polled about 1,500 youngsters in October last year
Almost a third of pupils aged between 10 and 14 in Hong Kong have been identified as a potential suicide risk in a study by City University.
Researchers at the department of social and behavioural sciences polled about 1,500 children in October last year. Almost 700 were in Primary Five and Six, while 830 were in the first two years of secondary school.
Some 456 youngsters were classified as cases with a possibility of suicide.
The survey, commissioned by Caritas and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, also found 40 per cent of primary pupils suffering from emotional problems said they had thought about taking their own life. The figure for secondary school pupils was 32 per cent.
Associate professor Sylvia Kwok Lai Yuk-ching, who led the research, said the numbers were alarming.
She said Primary Six pupils, aged 11 or 12, were at greatest risk compared with the other three age groups.
“[Primary Six] schoolchildren face the pressure of enrolling in secondary schools and may worry about adapting to a new environment,” Kwok said. “These problems may lead them to suffer from more emotional disturbances.”
