Economic and career worries drive drop in nursing students’ family plans

The proportion of nursing students planning to marry and have children has dropped sharply, driven by economic pressures, childcare concerns, and career development gaps, research shows.

The Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau held a research presentation yesterday, unveiling eight studies.

Notably, the research spans multiple key areas, including nursing students’ perspectives on marriage and family, support systems for home-based caregivers, loneliness and advance care planning among Chinese populations in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, public willingness to administer first aid and undergo emergency response training, age-friendly supermarket design, life-and-death education for adolescents, simulation-based teaching methods for nursing students, and dementia awareness training for police officers.

The research aims to provide scientific evidence for improving Macau’s healthcare services, shaping social policies, and building a “happy Macau,” according to remarks made at the press conference.

Decades of surveys and qualitative interviews have revealed a marked decline in nursing students’ intentions to marry and have children, driven by economic constraints, childcare challenges, and career development gaps, according to reports. The study recommends enhanced relationship and family education.

Meanwhile, a mixed-method study on the accessibility of community resources for home-based caregivers in Macau identified common challenges including financial burdens, psychological stress, and fragmented support services. It calls for streamlined subsidy applications, targeted financial assistance, expanded mental health services, and the establishment of an integrated resource platform.

The lead researcher argued that a unified information platform – consolidating medical information, social subsidies, and assistive device resources such as mobility aids – would enable caregivers to access everything through a single portal.

She noted that survey respondents currently hold a very high degree of recognition and trust in the “Macao One Account” platform, which she believes could be further leveraged in the future.

Another study, titled “Survey on Macau Residents’ Willingness to Receive Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Training and to Provide Emergency Assistance,” found that residents’ overall willingness to help is at a moderately high level, though untrained middle-aged and elderly groups lack confidence. The research recommends age-specific first aid training programs.

The lead researcher noted that people who have never received first aid training and those who are older tend to have lower willingness to help. He suggested that the government or private educational institutions should develop specialized first aid training programs targeting specific populations and age groups.

The training content should also include explanations of legal protections for residents who provide emergency assistance in community settings, along with increased promotion of AED training.