NGO Better Dads Malaysia rings alarm over rising suicide attempts among adolescents

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — The latest findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2022 don’t look good for parents with young children.

The report highlights a growing concern about adolescents as one in eight were reported having suicidal thoughts.

It also found one in 10 teenagers attempt suicide — a 40-per-cent jump over the past 10 years.

Citing NHMS 2022 report, Better Dads Malaysia advisor and co-founder Jason Leong said only 24.2 per cent of teenage respondents felt that their parents understand their problems and worries.

“This is down from 32 per cent and 31.5 per cent from previous NHMS 2017 and 2012 respectively.

“Prevalence of parental connectedness is dropping and that is also the same for prevalence of parental bonding which has dropped to 33.4 per cent in NHMS 2022 when compared to 42.6 per cent in 2017 and 43.1 per cent in 2021.”

As a result, Leong said the lack of parenting has led to concerning issues such as suicidal thoughts, attempts and depression among adolescents.

He said 25 per cent or one in four adolescents were found to have some degree of depression.

Leong believes the root of the problem goes back to the lack of parental attention and guidance.

He said many fathers nowadays are too occupied with work and tend to neglect their children or simply put the burden on the mother.

“We need to nurture more involved, committed and responsible fathers in Malaysia to address the pressing issues surrounding adolescents and children.”

Better Dads Malaysia advisor and co-founder Jason Leong highlights issues surrounding adolescents. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

Leong said he set up Better Dads Malaysia, a non-profit organisation, in 2019 to lead a national movement for fathers in Malaysia.

The organisation often conducts talks and workshops to advocate and teach good fathering habits to men.

“Fatherhood does not come with a manual, but reality teaches us that some fathers excel while others fall short.

“The good news is that despite our shortcomings, we can become better dads if we match our intention with action because effective fathers put in hard work or more accurately ‘heart work’ that comes from the depths of the passion of our heart.”

Leong said some fathers who don’t spend much time with their children hide behind the excuse that they have “quality time” instead.

“We want to dispel the myth that we can have quality time.

“You cannot have an appointment with your kids and say this is where we have quality time together.”

According to him, there is no quality time without quantity time.

“The teachable moments come at different times and depend on the situation and relationship between father and child.”

The organisation works closely with the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) as well as the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) to roll out various programmes namely, I Can fathering workshop, parent-child bonding activities and a shared parenting course.

“Addressing these complex issues requires a collaborative effort from all sectors of society.

“Schools, community organisations, government agencies and media outlets should join forces to raise awareness, implement prevention programmes and provide accessible resources,” said Leong.

The organisation’s counselling unit head See Tho Puk Lim said their programmes were designed to tackle parenting issues from an upstream approach.

“We target corporates and conduct our programmes for the fathers at the workplace.

“These programmes help them to better manage their family and eventually boost productivity when they have peace of mind.”

Better Dads Malaysia counselling unit head See Tho Puk Lim talks about the programmes that would help build resilient families. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

See Tho said the I Can fathering workshops and mental health forums help fathers to be more robust in raising and building resilient children and families.

I Can workshop — an acronym for involvement, consistency, awareness and nurturance — was designed based on research by author and scholar Ken Canfield.

See Tho said through the workshops they aim to build stronger families which in turn build stronger communities and eventually a strong nation.

The organisation will be hosting the Father’s Day celebration luncheon on June 17 in collaboration with Pertubuhan Ikram, KPWKM and LPPKN.

There will also be a Shoot with Dad photography workshop by Kid Chan for 40 father and son/daughter pairs learning how to take the perfect photo using smartphones.

The event will be held on June 18 at Hotel Olympic Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur from 2pm until 6pm.

For more information about the organisation and its programmes, head over to www.betterdadsmalaysia.my

* If you are lonely, distressed, or having negative thoughts, Befrienders offers free and confidential support 24 hours a day. A full list of Befrienders contact numbers and state operating hours is available here: www.befrienders.org.my/centre-in-malaysia. There are also free hotlines for young people. Talian Kasih at 15999 (24/7); and Talian BuddyBear at 1800-18-2327(BEAR)(daily 12pm-12am).