In-depth
Survey reveals widespread depression among Vietnamese youth
  • | VNA, dtinews | December 02, 2011 08:13 AM
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A survey released on November 30 seems to have revealed increasing evidence of depression among the nation’s youth.
 
 
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The survey was conducted in 2010 by Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Hong Tung from the Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

It revealed that during the past five years, the number of young people who have pessimistic attitudes about the future has remarkably risen. Up to 73.1% of those interviewed admitted to feeling depressed; 27.6% said they were often depressed and felt useless, 21.3% were completely depressed about their future prospects and 4.1% of them had considered committing suicide.

Up to 75% of respondents aged 14-17 and 18-21 said they had experienced depression, with the rate standing at 65% among the 22-25 age group.

According to another survey conducted by Tung, among the 2,000 young people interviewed, 84.5% said they had never considered suicide; 10.6% said they rarely thought of it and 3.5% said they had thought of it sometimes, while 1.4% admitted that the thought had crossed their minds on several occasions.

Associate Prof. Dr. Tung added that most young people had tried to overcome their depression on their own or with family support. However, a number of them said they had turned to excessive lifestyles or violent behaviour to resolve their feelings of helplessness.

Colonel Nguyen Duc Chung, Vice Director of the Hanoi Police Department, said since 2008, the local police detected and dealt with 968 juveniles criminal violations, including 110 so far this year.

Before 2000, the most common crimes among juvenile age-groups were theft, public disorder or assault, but in recent years there had been an escalation in more serious offences including robbery and criminal gang membership.

Family education is essential

Dr. Trinh Hoa Binh from the Institute of Sociology, said, family education is one of the most important measures to help mitigate anti-social behaviour. The doctor suggested parents should spend more time with their children.

"Parents should set a good example through their behaviour as it is the most influential education way to educate their children,” he added.

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