Adolescence is a stressful time for young people. Hong Kong’s highly competitive society and individual factors such as the environment, personality and family background means young people react differently to stress.  It is obvious that those who cope better with the stresses of adolescence will also better overcome future challenges.  Those who are less able sometimes find their emotional and mental health affected, which in turn may hamper later growth and development.

How young people cope with stress is therefore worthy of investigation.  What are the stressful points in a young person’s life? What mechanisms to young people adopt to cope with stress and what are the factors that affect their coping strategies?  What are their support networks and how can society play a more pro-active role in helping young people cope with stress? This Study has been conducted through (1) an Opinion Survey of Hong Kong young people aged between 15 and 29; and (2) in depth interviews with young people.  It is hoped that this Study will provide a clearer picture of the issues related to stress and will result in recommendations that might assist authorities concerned with the healthy development of young people.

The Survey was conducted between 10 and 23 August 2004.  By random sampling, 1014 Hong Kong young people aged 15 to 29, were successfully polled, yielding a response rate of 43%, with a standard error of ± 2.2%.  Meanwhile, a total of 20 youth aged 16 to 26 were interviewed, 9 males and 11 females.

The major findings are as follows:

1.       Young people face various kinds of pressure nowadays.  We should act    before stress problems damage their mental health.

2.       The “top ten” problems young people face are: future prospects, examinations, self-expectation, job expectation, unemployment, individual finances, time management, parental expectation, poor economy, relationship with boss.  Markedly, four of these, young people derive from themselves.  This shows that the “self ” can also be a source of stress.

3.       Young people in Hong Kong generally have a positive and optimistic response towards stress, although some respond more negatively and pessimistically.  Our study shows that attention and encouragement from family and friends helps young people face stress with more confidence.  On the other hand, those who do not tell others of their problems are relatively powerless in dealing with stress.

 4.     Statistics show that an individual’s background, including gender, age and financial status, affects the way one deals with stress. This offers an indication for resolving stress problems among young people.

 5.     The HKSAR government currently provides comprehensive mental health care services to young people.  It is advisable to set up long-term policies with an emphasis on coordination.

 6.      Drawing upon overseas experiences in making long term strategies in developing mental health services to young people

       a.  Clear policy objectives

       b.  The need to build up partnerships in promoting mental health

       c.   It all starts with the young people themselves

 In view of the above discussions, the Federation recommends that:

 (1)         To keep track of the problem: we recommend the Government to adopt a systematic approach in understanding the extent of the problem and keeping up-to-date data information so as to identify the young people suffering from stress and render timely and necessary help.

 (2)    To consider a long-term strategy with an emphasis on cross-departmental coordination: we recommend the Government to draw on overseas experiences in the ways other countries formulate clear policy goals with long-term strategies and are successful in educating the public on the importance of mental health.

 (3)   To encourage coordination from all dimensions to make deeper impact: we recommend the Government should call upon families, schools, private enterprises, community groups and individuals to work together, in addition to the efforts of governmental departments and professional bodies.  Such coordination fosters discussions and cooperation across the board on all matters concerning stress relief, stress management, positive thinking and utilization of professional resources.

 (4)   To encourage youth participation in promoting mental health: we recommend the Government and community service organizations to encourage young people to take part in activities on promoting mental health, for example, by asking young people to host promotional programmes and disseminating positive messages concerning stress problems in the “youth” way.  The Government should also provide training opportunities to young people so that they can not only handle their own emotional problems better, but also know how to help their peers.

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