KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian youth scored a moderate-level 71.91 in a mental health index, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said the score in the Malaysian Youth Mental Health Index 2023 served as an important early indicator to understand the tendency of youth to face mental health issues.
"This shows that there is pressure, particularly related to the domains of environment, social support and mental well-being.
"If not addressed, it could lead to more serious mental health issues among Malaysian youth," said Zahid after chairing the Youth Development Cabinet Committee meeting in Parliament today.
Also present were Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, her deputy Adam Adli Abd Halim, and ministry secretary-general Dr Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu.
The Malaysian Youth Mental Health Index 2023 Study is a collaboration between the Institute for Youth Research Malaysia (IYRES) and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) Malaysia.
Accrding to the Unicef website, it provides a helpful snapshot for policymakers, healthcare practitioners, and relevant stakeholders to understand the mental health landscape of Malaysian youth.
A score of 0-25 is very unsatisfactory, 26-50 is graded as unsatisfactory, while moderate levels are scored between 51 and 75. Anything from 76 to 100 is deemed satisfactory.
Referring to domain achievements, Zahid said the life experience domain recorded the highest score of 88.51, while the lower score was in the environment domain, at 65.45.
Other domains in this index include lifestyle (71.44), personality (71.65), social support (68.29), stress management (71.92) and mental well-being (66.10).
He said overall, the majority of youth in the country were not exposed to negative experiences such as abuse and bullying throughout their lives.
"Mental well-being is the foundation of self stability and social well-being. Therefore, among the recommendations agreed upon in this meeting include the comprehensive involvement of 12 ministries and agencies in implementing more effective mental health interventions, especially for the youth.
"Additionally, guidelines to provide support and assistance to families or close friends affected by suicide attempts or incidents were also discussed seriously.
"This step reflects the government's commitment to addressing the mental health challenges of youth as an important issue that requires immediate action and comprehensive support from all parties."
Zahid said the issue of mental health among youth cannot be put on the shoulders of the Youth and Sports Ministry alone, and required the cooperation of 12 other ministries, particularly the Education, Higher Education, Digital and Communications ministries.
"This coordination needs to be done immediately," he added.
After the meeting, Zahid also launched the Youth Socioeconomic Empowerment Plan 2030, which aimed to strengthen the well-being and quality of life of youth through the expansion of job opportunities, skills development, digitalisation, sustainability as well as financial literacy and credit management.
Among the 2030 targets set include the reduction of youth unemployment to 6.5 per cent, decreasing the percentage of NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) youth to 8.9 per cent, and the increase in the average youth salary to RM3,152.
This plan, he said, was based on the 12th Malaysia Plan and would also support the visions under the 13th Malaysia Plan.