‘Leftover’ Chinese singles are in the grip of depression
By ANISaturday, February 12, 2011
NEW DELHI - China’s first mental health survey has revealed that more than 70 percent of urban Chinese singles getting nearer to their “expiry date” for marriage are in the grip of depression.
These “leftover” men and women, as they are called in Chinese, are defined by the All-China Women’s Federation as single women above the age of 27 and single men older than 30.
The survey, which gathered information from more than 160,000 questionnaires, said only 25 percent of those women and men are satisfied with their current single lives. About 22 percent of them frequently feel lonely and 30 percent suffer from negative emotions like anxiety, weariness and frustration, reports the China Daily.
It also attributes the poor psychological and physical health of leftover men and women to sexual repression, misunderstandings of marriage, an excessive nightlife, delaying childbirth and pressures from parents and society.
Leftover women and men face greater risks of mental and physical problems, said Han Xiaohong, president of Beijing-based Ciming Health Checkup Management Group, which carried out the survey with the Chinese Medical Doctor Association.(ANI)
