Exam culture fuels teen mental health problem

By Kim Tae-gyu

Breadwinners in domestic households typically in their 40s or 50s echo a common refrain that to study and be a student is the easiest job in the world especially supported by their parents.

Korean teenagers may beg to differ as they are the most stressed-out demographic bracket compared to all other age groups, according to the LG Economic Research Institute (LGERI) on Sunday.

The Seoul-based think-tank questioned 1,800 Koreans aged between 16 and 59 and learned that 52 percent of teenagers feel stressed. Much worse, 27 percent of the age bracket acknowledged that they need psychiatric help.

In comparison, the proportion of those indicating high levels of stress was 44 percent for 20 something and 49 percent for 30 something. Those respondents in their 40s and 50s were 47 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

``We are surprised to learn that teenagers are under such massive pressure. Understandably, a majority of them pinpointed studies and a lack of sleep as the main sources of stress,’’ LGERI senior economist Park Jung-hyun said in his recent report.

``This reveals the flip side of a country dominated by the so-called winner-takes-all competition. Pupils themselves cannot address the problem. Society must step up and come up with a solution.’’

Separately, the private institute affiliated with the LG Group chose seven trends in Asia’s fourth-largest economy based on the survey _ body, meaning, individualism, realism, home, e-socializing and mobility.

Teenagers and 20 something young adults demonstrated strong individualism while people in their 40s and 50s pick well-being and home as their top priorities.

Broken down by gender, women are more open to twilight divorce, which refers to later-life separation usually in their 50s, 60s and even 70s. This is likely to generate future hitches in the fast-aging Korean society.

The proportion of senior citizens has rocketed here as the number of people aged 65 or older surpassed the 10 percent mark in 2009 and the figure is expected to double in some 15 years.

``Up to 43.1 percent of respondents said that they would split with their partner in case they face any troubles that cannot be overcome and 50.6 percent approved of twilight divorce,’’ Park said.

``Women much more readily accepted divorce in their later years at 54.6 percent compared to men at 46.7 percent.’’

Also of note is that men in their 30s are a unique age group with the highest 70.3 percent of them claiming that they are happy, by far higher than the average of 58 percent. The reason: their children.

Asked about the usage of smartphones, 79.3 percent said that the devices made their life more convenient ― the rates were highest for people in their 50s at 85.7 percent and lowest for teenagers at 54.5 percent.

Meanwhile, 44.8 percent of respondents expected smartphones to eventually cause a digital divide.

The full-fledged advent of smartphones took place in late 2009 when the Apple iPhone was released. Currently, more than 10 million people out of a population of some 50 million subscribe to smartphones and the number is projected to soon double.