Chinese students stressed, sexed and silent: survey

Chinese students stressed, sexed and silent: survey

• Source: Global Times
• [10:07 March 15 2011]
• Comments

By Fang Yunyu

Education authorities propose to provide more counseling services in communities after survey results released by the China Population Communication Center (CPCC) on Sunday revealed that students have early sexual awareness, a reluctance to communicate with parents and are experiencing heavy stress.

"On the one hand, they stress out about school and feel they can't talk with their parents," Shi Zhanbiao, deputy researcher of the Institute of Psychology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "On the other, they have a more open mind about sex compared to those born in the 1980s.

"That's not a bad thing," Shi added, "But it means schools and parents have to do a better job in teaching children about sex in order to prevent teenage pregnancy and abortion, for example."

Over 90 percent of college students said "yes" to co-habitating before marriage, and nearly 40 percent of middle school students admit to having "feelings for someone," according to the 2010 survey.

The study, which surveyed 3,446 students hailing from elementary schools to colleges in six major cities, also revealed that 75 percent of high schoolers admitted to having trouble communicating with their parents.

Educators need to adjust to these new trends, say experts. "This survey is a warning, reminding us that parents and teachers really need to listen to our children, otherwise they may do harm to themselves," Shi added.

Tian Yinghong, a counselor at Beijing No. 2 Experimental Primary School, said that students who are pressured to study while young often become rebellious during puberty.

"We should provide children with proper sex education from primary school," she said, "In the meantime, patience and deliberate communication with parents can also help students alleviate stress."