Interview December 2020∣Youth Hong Kong
Family and impulsivity • Dr Cheung Wai-him, a psychiatrist, helps arrested youth referred by social workers.
• 精 神科醫生張偉謙跟社工合作，為被捕 青年提供協助。
• Drug abuse, shoplifting and sexual assault are some of their offences.zz
• 部 分青年干犯與毒品、偷竊及性相關的 罪行。
• He emphasizes the significant role of both nature and nurture in their development.
• 他 強調先天和後天因素對青年發展同樣 重要。
Trying to understand youth crime begins with understanding what causes it. The roots lie in the complex interaction of several factors, according to Dr Cheung who mentions personality traits, the home environment and vulnerable mental health status. “There are many factors that act together to predispose young people to commit crime. They include mental health issues, family background and school environment, as well as peer pressure, but none can be singled out as the root cause.” While a combination of these underlying factors may help to explain why young people get into trouble with the law, a gender factor is also at play. There are many more male than female young offenders. “The reasons may be a function of the way in which girls and women tend to internalize negative emotions and develop anxiety and mood disorders. Males tend to externalize negative emotions and act out impulsively and aggressively,” Dr Cheung says.
Girls and women tend to internalize negative emotions and develop anxiety and mood disorders. Males tend to externalize negative emotions and act out impulsively and aggressively.
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Nevertheless, both male and female youth can be impulsive enough to break the law. Understandably, they become very emotional after arrest and during all the legal proceedings that follow. Such vulnerable youth need sensitive treatment if they are to recover successfully. Dr Cheung describes a couple of typical cases he has seen that involve impulse control. “First, I make a detailed assessment to see if there is a need for medical treatment. Depending on the diagnosis, sometimes we advocate psychotherapy.” Once his clients have become more emotionally stable, the key to rehabilitation is motivation and the empowerment and confidence to not revert to crime. In both of the cases he describes, families play a significant role. Indeed, some young people’s problems stem from family issues. If these can be discussed openly and all the family is committed to change, progress is easier to make. “A 16-year-old boy with family issues was sent to me for treatment. He lived at home with his mother, a single parent. They often argued and he would storm out late at night after a fight with her and wander round the streets. He was found twice, in quick succession, molesting underage
