Parents could support their children more by active communication and being aware of their children’s status of anxiety.
Main ConteThe School of Nursing of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Christian Family Service Centre (CFSC) have jointly conducted a large-scale study on the family life, physical and emotional health of high school students. The study, spanning over three years from 2011, found that 12% out of the 11,335 students interviewed have experienced moderate level of anxiety in the two weeks prior to the survey, and 5.7% experienced frequent severe anxiety in the same period of time.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health problems. To understand better anxiety among adolescents, the joint study mainly examined Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) which is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders. Everyone experiences anxiety in their everyday life. Mild or short periods of anxiety can be released by resolving the cause of anxiety. However, high levels of chronic anxiety can lead to co-existing problem of depression. Current research found that individuals who suffer from GAD are at higher risk of engaging in health risk behaviours such as smoking, drinking alcohol and using drug. Dependence on these substances might lead to increased levels of anxiety, and the individual is caught in a vicious circle.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health problems. To understand better anxiety among adolescents, the joint study mainly examined Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) which is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders. Everyone experiences anxiety in their everyday life. Mild or short periods of anxiety can be released by resolving the cause of anxiety. However, high levels of chronic anxiety can lead to co-existing problem of depression. Current research found that individuals who suffer from GAD are at higher risk of engaging in health risk behaviours such as smoking, drinking alcohol and using drug. Dependence on these substances might lead to increased levels of anxiety, and the individual is caught in a vicious circle.
The research results showed that students have experienced mild (30.2%) to moderate (12%) levels of anxiety in the two weeks prior to the survey while 5.7% students experienced severe levels of anxiety in the same period of time. Students who suffered from severe levels of anxiety in the two weeks prior to the survey were worse off in terms of physical health and mental health. Of the 614 students who reported experiencing severe levels of anxiety, 86.3% of them further reported feeling pressure of homework, compared to the 61.5% of 10,295 students who reported not having severe levels of anxiety.
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Category(s):Child and/or Adolescent Issues, Depression
Source material from The Almagest
