Covid leading to more arguments, self-harm: survey

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to more arguments between parents and their children, with some confessing they had thought of hurting themselves to deal with pressure, a survey has found.

One expert described the situation as “shocking”.

The Hong Kong Family Mediation Association and the Junior Chamber International Lion Rock polled about 300 parents and 300 primary school pupils between April and May.

They found nearly half of those polled said they had gotten into arguments at least once a day and almost six out of 10 children said they had hurt themselves or others to deal with pressure.

The executive director of the association, Fish Leung, said she hadn’t expected so many children to harm themselves, and it showed they could not find a channel to release their stress.

She pointed out that traditional stress relievers, such as sport or chatting with classmates, were not available because of social distancing measures imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“Children’s verbal language is not good enough – that’s why they don’t know how to express themselves or mention their emotions,” she said.

“If they tear their [hair] or hurt themselves, this pain will make them happier; happier than communicating with their parents. This is so sad.”

She said that since the pandemic started, parents and pupils have not actively been seeking help and schools have referred fewer cases to social workers, as school opening hours have been slashed.

Leung appealed to the public to seek help at the earliest opportunity, as a buildup of pressure and stress could lead to suicidal thoughts.