This file photo shows high school seniors taking an exam at a school near Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 30 (Korea Bizwire) — A considerable number of teenagers are facing depression and anxiety following the coronavirus outbreak, with 1 in 10 South Korean teenagers saying they have considered self-harm or even suicide, a survey showed Tuesday.
The Korea Society for Traumatic Stress Studies conducted an online survey of 570 teenagers between 13 and 18 years of age across the country, which revealed that they were generally less depressed or anxious than adults.
However, 17.5 percent were found to be exposed to severe anxiety or depression. Among the respondents, 14.2 percent were facing severe depression, while 11.2 percent were facing severe anxiety.
Another 10.2 percent of all respondents said they had considered inflicting self-harm or committing suicide in the previous two weeks. Sorted by gender, 11.44 percent of male respondents and 8.96 percent of female respondents answered as such.
Sorted by age, 13.81 percent of high school students said they had considered inflicting self-harm or committing suicide in the previous two weeks, surpassing middle school students (7.45 percent).
At 36 percent, more than one third of all respondents showed high demand for psychological assessment and treatment.
Compared to the pre-coronavirus era, 53.2 percent of respondents have become more involved with computer and smartphone activities not related to schoolwork, while 67.5 percent engaged less in physical activities.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
