By UCA News reporter
SIXTEEN-year-old Anna Le feels miserable every time her classmates label her as a “factory chicken” because she never joins them for extracurricular activities such as beach trips or summer camps.
The student from Huong Tra High School in Thua Thien Hue province, in north-central Vietnam hails from an affluent Catholic family, uses an iPhone and wears expensive clothes and shoes.
Her mechanical engineer father and grocery store owner mother never allow her to do other activities except study because they might expose her to “dangers” and spoil her.
As her parents have little time to spend with their only child, she remains confined at home most of the day. She feels lonely, depressed and harbors suicidal thoughts.
“I stay at home after school because they’re afraid of me encountering danger outside. Sometimes I feel so frustrated, I contemplate suicide,” she told UCA News.
When she is not studying, Anna usually passes her time surfing social media sites on her smart phone.
“I feel lonely at home because my parents rarely engage in conversation with me, and I cannot share my personal worries and concerns with them,” she said.
A rising phenomenon
Thousands of young Generation Z Vietnamese boys and girls like Anna face similar challenges and many attempt suicide out of depression, studies have found.
In 2021, a joint survey of 7,800 students by the World Health Organization and the ministries of Health and Education found 12.6 percent of children aged 13-17 suffer from loneliness.
About 16.8 percent struggled to concentrate on their homework, 15.6 percent had contemplated suicide and 3 percent had attempted suicide one or more times.
In 2022, ActionAid International Vietnam, released a mental healthcare survey conducted among 1,000 students, parents, and teachers.
The study found nearly 50 percent of respondents identified strict parenting and academic pressure as significant factors negatively impacting their mental health.
A Health Ministry report in 2023 revealed that more than three million children in Vietnam grappled with mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, loneliness, and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders.
The number of youths seeking treatment for stress and prolonged fatigue surges by 15-25% annually, the report said.
Psychologists assert that many parents are reluctant to confront their children’s mental health issues. Instead, they blame their children’s perceived slackness, and believe that only working adults suffer mental stress.
Psychologists point out that attending school is, in essence, a job for children. Their experiences — interacting with peers, adhering to schedules, completing assignments, and managing relationships with teachers — mirror the responsibilities and pressures faced by adults in the workplace.
Consequently, children are equally susceptible to difficulties and stressors like social isolation, bullying, a tense home environment, and the expectations or criticism from parents, psychologists say.
Psychologists also warn that prolonged sadness and fatigue can lead children to a state of deep despair, characterized by a sense of emotional stagnation and a perception of life as meaningless. Over time, these negative emotions can foster harmful thoughts and suicidal tendencies.
Youths are more vulnerable
Psychologist and Catholic nun Sister Mary Anna Hoang Yen asserts that modern families, often with only one or two children, tend to excessively pamper their kids and provide optimal conditions for their education.
Yen, a member of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate congregation, offers counseling to young people in Hue, in north-central Vietnam. She said parents set unrealistic expectations for their children that far exceed their abilities.
“When those expectations are not met, children are frequently compared to others, which can lead to severe psychological stress, feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and dissatisfaction,” she said.
The nun cited two recent cases of extreme depression among students.
Two students developed mental health issues after failing their high school graduation exams, and another committed suicide by jumping from a building due to overwhelming pressure to gain admission into a renowned local school.
Experts argue that Generation Z people are often viewed as a fragile, “snowflake” generation, navigating a world filled with intense pressure, constant internet connectivity, information overload, and frequent distractions.
They say this generation benefits from extensive parental investment and care, which has fostered an expectation that failure is unacceptable. Consequently, they face heightened stress and anxiety when confronted with challenges.
Dr Tran Thanh Nam, deputy director of the Association of Educational Psychology, noted that social media is a significant cause of anxiety for youths.
They constantly compare themselves with peers worldwide, and the pressure of comparison greatly heightens their vulnerability to mental health issues, he said.
Academic education over faith formation
Anna dropped out of catechism classes in her local parish four years ago as her parents prioritized academic achievements over religion.
She is now frightened by her parents demands that she must do well in studies so they can send her abroad for higher education.
“There are many talented people around, and many things that make me feel scared and inferior,” she said.
Anna said she suffers from an “inferiority complex” as she keeps comparing herself with others. Spending too much time on social media distracts and disorients her from real life, so she panics easily when any problem confronts her.
“I don’t have a clue as to what to do.”
Mary Tran Thi Tram, a catechist from Ke Van Parish, said students need to study catechism to balance their lives, discern right from wrong, and manage themselves in a fast-changing society.
“Faith education is crucial in a society where people chase material needs, indulgence, and fame,” Tram said.
She said many students who drop out of catechism classes often end up leaving school. They leave home, get involved in drugs and computer games, and even become intermediaries for prostitution.
Tram said that most local students stop attending catechism after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. Of 70 students who received Confirmation in 2023, only 17 continue weekly Bible classes.
“Parents prioritize academic education over faith education. Their children spend a lot of time on schoolwork to get into top schools or study abroad. Some parents are too busy to take children to catechism classes,” she said.
Doan Viet Thieu, 49, who runs a garage in Hue, said his two children gave up their studies at school and became addicted to alcohol and drugs after he and his wife divorced in 2022.
“I feel guilty for focusing too much on making money and not spending enough time caring for my children. I lost all,” Thieu said.
Sister Yen emphasized that children could lead more balanced lives only when their physical and mental well-being is ensured.
“They should be taught how to appreciate nature, be willing to help others, and integrate into the community so they are valued and loved,” she said. – UCA News
