PITTSBUGH, PA – According to World Health Organization, an estimated 54 million Chinese citizens suffer from depression and another 41 million suffer from anxiety. One area of this phenomenon that is causing increasing concern is the mental health of adolescents living in China. The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbate this current trend. Efforts and initiatives are well on their way to strengthening adolescent mental health in China, but many challenges remain.
Mental health among Chinese adolescents
One of the factors contributing to the deteriorating mental health of Chinese adolescents is the increasing pressure from authoritative figures in their lives. Chinese culture maintains high standards and expectations for young people, both at home and at school.
The National Institute of Health reveals that about 28% of children in China are living with a mental health problem in 2021. Twenty-five percent of these children are living with depression and 22% with anxiety. Previous results show that the overall prevalence of mental health problems among Chinese adolescents in previous years was 17%. Furthermore, the prevalence of mental health problems among Chinese adolescents increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, when almost all schools in China were closed and students were confined to their homes, learning virtually, without interacting with their friends. .
Additionally, a study from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that the number of children aged 5 to 14 who committed suicide jumped nearly 10 percent over the past decade. These findings contrast with research that found a suicide death rate decline of 5.3% across all age groups over the same period. According to Chinese CDC Weeklyresearchers attribute this to the implementation of mental health programs and initiatives nationwide.
China also faces a shortage of licensed mental health professionals to adequately meet the needs of its population. About 5,000 clinical psychologists practice in China, compared with 200,000 in the United States, although the United States’ population is a quarter of China’s.
On this subject, the Borgen Project spoke with Xiaojie Qin, psychotherapist and director of CandleX, a China-based non-profit organization that works to promote the mental health of people in local and international communities.
“We are still at the stage where we need to fill the huge gap in terms of mental health needs and service providers,” Qin said. “There have been improvements over the last ten years, in talking about mental health in schools, in screening (although controversial, and I doubt the effectiveness of such monitoring). I think we have to start somewhere, and then we’ll have a huge learning curve.
Impact of societal, family and educational expectations
According to ParentingScience, some researchers have characterized traditional Chinese parenting methods as authoritarian in nature. Common practices emphasize high standards and controlling behaviors through punishments such as shaming or withdrawal of love and support.
One aspect of this is an idea known as filial piety, a Confucian concept derived from Chinese culture, deeply rooted in modern Chinese society. According to ScienceDirect, the concept “is demonstrated, in part, by the service provided to parents. It has shaped family care, intergenerational equity, income support for the elderly, living conditions, and other aspects of individual, family, social, political, and legal relationships in China, Japan, and Korea of the South for millennia. It has also been criticized by researchers and mental health professionals.
If not respected, children risk experiencing ostracism from friends and family, guilt, shame and limited support from family.
Family relationships are usually linked to a child’s academic performance. Chinese culture highly values academic excellence and expects students to reach their highest levels, and teachers are highly respected in Chinese culture. The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as the Gaokao, is a standard college admissions exam, and a student’s score carries significant weight when it comes to potential educational and career opportunities. A student’s future can be determined based on the Gaokao score they obtain.
Efforts to Strengthen Adolescent Mental Health in China
There are several government and non-profit organizations work to promote the general well-being of adolescents in China living with mental health problems. The “Opinions on Strengthening Mental Health Care Services”, published in 2016, clarify the responsibilities of government actors and other relevant sectors. It also requires educational institutions to strengthen their mental health education to promote positivity and well-being among students.
THE Chinese Fund for Children and Adolescents (CCTF) is a non-profit organization that works to promote the mental health and general well-being of adolescents living in China. The organization provides professional psychological support, counseling services, and educational programs and materials to adolescents experiencing mental health issues.
Throughout its duration, the Adolescent Health and Development Project, co-initiated by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the National Health Commission of China, has helped hundreds of thousands of adolescents struggling with mental health issues. The project provided packages to counselors and teachers to better equip them to meet the needs and promote the overall well-being of their respective students or clients.
With these existing initiatives, CandleX’s Xiaojie Qin still expresses concern about what the future holds for teens struggling with mental health issues.
“This era creates enormous challenges for young people today and will widen the gap I have seen in adolescent mental health (can I even call it mental health inequality).” Although efforts and initiatives are in place, strengthening adolescent mental health in China remains a significant challenge for the country as the population grows and the healthcare system struggles to meet patients’ needs.
– Nicolas DeLuca
Photo: Flickr
