Cheong Un Si, vice director of the Social Service Office under the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau (UGAMM), told reporters yesterday that a recent survey shows that residents think that school is more stressful than work.
Cheong made the remarks on the sidelines of the press conference at the UGAMM headquarters in Avenida do General Castelo Branco on the findings of UGAMM’s recent survey about residents’ pressure and emotional assessment.
The union is generally known as Kai Fong, its name in Cantonese.
According to a statement given out during the press conference, the survey was conducted online. The statement noted that there were 721 respondents aged at least 15.
The statement said that 47 percent of the respondents showed middle to high levels of anxiety, adding that most of the stress was attributed to economic reasons, work, school and the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement said that the survey asked respondents to scale from 1-10 how much stress they are under, and students scored on average 7.54, while workers and the unemployed scored 6.33 and 6.2 respectively.
Cheong said that the reason for students experiencing more stress than workers and the unemployed is because the former are burdened by competition at school, the need to join extra-curricular activities, and the unpredictability of COVID-19. She also noted that her association’s kindergartens and primary and secondary schools had 307 students seeking emotional help during the 2020-2021 academic year, while in 2019-2020 they had a total of around 140 students asking for emotional help. She pointed out that civil society should be more aware of students and residents’ emotional problems, urging the public to provide more emotional support to the people around them.
Cheong also said that as almost half of the respondents felt mid-to-high levels of anxiety, she suggested that if residents find themselves having serious mood swings, they should pay attention to their mental state. She pointed out that less than 10 percent of the respondents sought help when feeling stressed, adding that most of them only sought comfort from friends and family. Therefore, she added, the government should promote emotional support measures and provide classes and training for mental health assistance.
According to Cheong, the respondents who work out to destress said that it is “very effective”. Cheong urged residents to join sports classes or sports activities to alleviate their pressure.
Cheong Un Si, vice director of the Social Service Office under the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau (UGAMM), talks to reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s press conference on the findings of the union’s recent survey about residents’ pressure and emotional assessment at the UGAMM headquarters in Avenida do General Castelo Branco.
Photo courtesy of TDM
