Hong Kong is notorious for its high-pressure, competitive society. Overworked but still struggling to cover the costs of daily life, many people experience anxiety and stress. A lack of well-paying jobs creates a climate of scarcity where people compete with one another, judged by their qualifications and previous work experiences.
These social conditions are mirrored in the lives and mental health of young people. Children in Hong Kong enter a high-stress education system, completing hours of homework each day from the age of 6. They continue to experience pressure and huge workloads throughout their school years, driven by a collective understanding that high academic achievement is necessary for a stable future.
This pressure has a big impact on young people’s mental health. Many young people in Hong Kong have symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders, both in primary school and secondary school. Mental health disorders not only harm the well-being of children and adolescents but also their mental health in the future.
This blog explores the consequences of Hong Kong’s high-pressure society for young people’s mental health. It also looks into some of the factors that help to protect young people against the harmful consequences of stress and pressure.
Pressure and Overwork at Schools in Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, young people face exam pressure from an early age. Many children take exams before entering secondary school to try and claim a place in a class for high scorers.
They continue to complete exams throughout the following years, culminating in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education which dictates their place in university.
During their school years, many young people attend private lessons outside of school. Outside of lessons, they spend hours a day studying and completing homework assignments. To many parents, perfect grades are the only pathway to their child’s future success, an expectation internalised by many young people into a form of socially-prescribed perfectionism.
Socially Prescribed Perfectionism Among Hong Kong Students
Socially prescribed perfectionism is when someone believes that other people have high standards for themself and that they will only be accepted if they meet these standards. This might involve expectations of parents, teachers, and social and cultural norms in a society.
In the context of education, young people with socially prescribed perfectionist traits may feel like they have to get perfect grades or be the best in their class to satisfy the expectations of parents and teachers.
Perfectionism is often accompanied by a fear of failure. It can cause young people to become overly critical of themselves and their achievements and experience distress over small mistakes. Socially prescribed perfectionism is a public health concern that’s linked to distress, illness, dysfunction, and impairment.
What Is the Association Between Academic Pressure and Adolescent Mental Health?
Academic pressure can have a huge impact on young people’s mental health. In two large studies, adolescents reported academic pressure as one of the biggest influences on their well-being.
Research has found that academic pressure is linked to anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Studies have also found that suicides and non-suicidal self-injury are lowest among young people during times of school closure, although this may also be related to other aspects of school life, such as bullying.
In general, the risk of academic pressure and mental health problems both increase as children become older.
Connecting Academic Pressure, Perfectionism, and Mental Health
Socially-prescribed perfectionism constitutes one possible pathway between academic pressure and mental health disorders. Socially prescribed perfectionism caused by academic pressure can lead to a fear of failure accompanied by stress and anxiety about making small mistakes. This anxiety can sometimes prevent young people from engaging in tasks in the first place or cause them to delay certain assignments, often leading to even more anxiety.
Socially prescribed perfectionism is also linked to low self-esteem, a core symptom of depressive disorders. Perfectionist traits lead to chronic feelings of not being good enough or not meeting the high standards of others. Socially prescribed perfectionism also causes young people to value themselves only on certain achievements, as prescribed by others (such as grades in school or their place in a university). This can prevent children and adolescents from appreciating their diverse collection of strengths and talents.
Some young people also internalise social pressures and develop a self-orientated perfectionism. Self-orientated perfectionism usually involves having exceedingly high standards for achievements and being overly critical of mistakes. It’s also associated with a range of mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression.
Mental Health Concerns Among Young People in Hong Kong
Many students in Hong Kong describe intense pressures to perform well academically and struggle with feelings that they will never be good enough. These thoughts and feelings can cause or contribute to mental health symptoms and disorders.
In one survey, 60-90% of young people in Hong Kong said they experienced pressure resulting from themselves, family, society, studies, or work. The most common causes of stress were future prospects, examinations, self-expectations, and job expectations.
Research suggests that there are higher levels of depressive symptoms and poorer general mental health among adolescents in Hong Kong than in other regions. Studies have found that between 0.55% and 2.2% of adolescents may live with depression while 2.6% to 6.9% may have an anxiety disorder. Around half of local students described themselves as ‘distressed’.
Other research has found that about 1 in 10 primary school students in Hong Kong show symptoms of serious depression.
Anxiety symptoms among adolescents in Hong Kong are strongly connected to academic motivational goals and competition with peers. Research among primary school students aged 9-13 also found that academic stress was related to student anxiety.
What Factors Help to Protect Young People in Hong Kong From Mental Health Symptoms?
Academic pressure, socially prescribed perfectionism, and a competitive environment all make it more likely that young people will develop mental health disorders. But there are also certain factors that can go some way to preventing or protecting against them.
Research among adolescents in Hong Kong has identified several traits, environmental factors, and experiences that may help young people cope with stress and protect their mental health. These include:
- Cognitive competence – the ability to organise information, adapt thoughts, and manipulate personal experience
- Behavioural competence – such as moral and social knowledge, social skills, and problem-solving skills
- Emotional competence – including the ability to identify and handle emotions, self-awareness, and self-management
- Resilience – being able to successfully adapt to challenging circumstances
- Bonding and family relationships – positive relationships with parents and a supportive home environment
Young people living in Hong Kong need and deserve social and cultural change that prioritises mental health, eases academic pressures, and encourages self-confidence and acceptance of individuals’ many strengths. But they may also benefit from psychosocial interventions that teach skills like cognitive, behavioural, and emotional competence to help them deal with the pressures they currently face.
Equally, interventions that focus on building positive and supportive family environments may help young people cope with stress. Family and parenting interventions can also teach parents how to support and encourage their children without placing them under unrealistic expectations and pressure. These skills can go a long way to protecting and improving young people’s mental health.
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