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Fathers under stress, poll shows

Eight out of 10 Taiwanese fathers feel they are under constant pressure, while more than 60 percent feel the pressure has given rise to family issues, an online poll conducted by the Modern Women’s Foundation showed.

“It’s quite scary that, among more than 2,600 fathers who took part in our online poll, 83 percent said that they’re always under stress, while one-third told us that they’re living under tremendous pressure,” foundation executive director Yao Shu-wen (姚淑文) said at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Looking into sources of the stress, 82 percent said it was the result of work and economic issues, while 22 percent identified their children’s education and health as the source.

Respondents could pick more than one source of stress from a list

What was more worrying, Yao said, was the number of fathers who said that stress had caused problems in their families.

“Forty-three percent of the respondents said they’ve had verbal clashes with their wives when they’re stressed out, 13 percent said they’ve beaten or scolded their children and 6 percent said they’ve engaged in physical altercations with their wives,” Yao said.

When asked what would be the best way to lift such pressure, 63 percent of the respondents listed care from their wife, 46 percent said a vacation would do it, while 37 percent just wanted a hug from their children.

The Ministry of the Interior’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Committee invited stressed-out fathers to call the ministry’s “men’s talk” hotline at 0800-013-999.

The hotline provides advice on family problems, gives legal advice and provides emotional support, committee official Chang Hsiu-luan (張秀鑾) said, adding that talking things out was often a good solution.

Entertainment show host Jen Ming-ting (任明廷), father of pop singer Selina Jen (任家萱), told the news conference that he used to be very stressed out.

“But then I found that I could just let it go when I throw myself into nature — go hiking in the mountains or whatever — and that’s what I do now when I feel stressed out,” he said.

“It works for me, and I think everybody should try it,” Jen said.
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