Applicants take an essay test at Konkuk University in Seoul on Dec. 5, 2020, in a follow-up college entrance exam after the state-administrated College Scholastic Ability Test on Dec. 3. They sit apart as a precaution against the coronavirus. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Amid the raging coronavirus pandemic, teenagers have turned out to receive most stress from ‘anger towards others’.
The state-run Korea Youth Counseling and Welfare Institute conducted an online survey of 862 teenagers and young adults between 9 and 24 years of age, in which ‘anger towards others’ scored 3.76 out of 5 points to become the largest source of stress.
‘Anger towards people failing to wear protective masks in public’ was one of the instances of anger among survey participants.
“Female teenagers were more susceptible to stress than their male counterparts in all sectors,” the report said.
At 53.2 percent, more than half of the respondents picked ‘anxiety and fear’ as the most felt sentiment in the pandemic era, followed by ‘irritation’ (39.3 percent) and ‘depression’ (30.3 percent).
Compared with a previous survey conducted in April, the share of respondents feeling anxiety and fear dropped by 6.6 percentage points, while those feeling irritated rose by 2.7 percentage points.
The share of respondents feeling more wary of the surrounding public (3.6 percent) dropped by 12.3 percent points from last year.
A majority of teenagers and young adults were most exposed to ‘fear of not knowing when the pandemic will end’ (17.9 percent), replacing last year’s top responses including ‘irregular living patterns’ (74.6 percent) and ‘not being able to meet with friends’ (72 percent).
“With the pandemic persisting for more than a year, teenagers seem to be facing restlessness and a sense of lethargy towards a crisis which they cannot control,” said Dr. Seo Mi, who spearheaded the research.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
