Schoolkids More Stressed Than Adults

Some 43.4 percent of middle- and high-schoolers in Seoul feel intense stress, 1.4 times more than adults. Of those students, more than half named their studies as the main source of stress.

The survey results of 11,355 students came from analysis of data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Statistics Korea by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

A considerable proportion of respondents, or 34.4 percent, replied they felt so sad or desperate that they were unable to carry out day-to-day life for more than two consecutive weeks over the last year. Girls tended to be more stressed than boys, with 50.3 percent against 37.2 percent.

Some 57.6 percent picked stress from studies as the most stressful factor, followed by conflict with parents at 16.2 percent, appearance with 9.9 percent, and friendship with 7.6 percent.

The gender difference was more pronounced when it comes to coping with stress. While 47.7 percent of boys said they relieve stress by playing games, 42.5 percent of girls named watching films or TV.

The survey also revealed that they sleep on average only 6.2 hours a day, more than two hours than the 8.5 to 9.25 hours recommended for youngsters aged 10 to 17 by the National Sleep Foundation in the U.S. Only 30.2 percent said they slept enough to relieve stress in the previous week.

Also, 24.3 percent of respondents replied that they skip breakfasts for five or more days in a week.