Chinese Family In Singapore Research Articles

Structural Family Therapy with Chinese Families in After-Violence Context

This article aims to apply structural family therapy to working with family and intimate partner violence in after-violence context, where risks and safety issues have been addressed. This practice research study uses case analyses based on the work done with a Chinese couple and a Chinese family in Singapore, respectively. It identifies the salient therapeutic focus and healing processes in after-violence context with Chinese families. Reflections and feedback of social workers and clients during and after the conjoint sessions were included systematically. Practice implications to apply Structural family therapy in working with Chinese couples and families in after-violence are highlighted.

The migration–family nexus in East Asia: Chinese family and the invisible within

Rapid economic growth in East Asia brings with it not only a development ‘miracle’ but also increased migration within and from China as well as in the Northeast–Southeast Asia corridors. The expanding migration flows make Chinese families in Singapore, Taiwan, mainland China and Hong Kong one of the most noticeable groups whose life trajectory is punctuated by migration. This special issue is a collective endeavour to explore deeply the internal dynamics between Chinese family members across generations in regard to care, production and reproduction in light of the challenges and opportunities brought about by neoliberal globalisation.

Investigation into the origins of an ancient BRCA1 founder mutation identified among Chinese families in Singapore.

Identification of ancestry-specific pathogenic variants is imperative for diagnostic, treatment, management and prevention strategies, and to understand penetrance/modifiers on risk. Our study aimed to determine the clinical significance of a recurrent BRCA1 c.442-22_442-13del variant of unknown significance identified among 13 carriers from six Chinese families, all with a significant history of breast and/or ovarian cancer. We further aimed to establish whether this was due to a founder effect and explore its origins. Haplotype analysis, using nine microsatellite markers encompassing 2.5 megabase pairs around the BRCA1 locus, identified a common haploblock specific to the variant carriers, confirming a founder effect. Variant age was estimated to date back 77.9 generations to 69 bc using the Gamma approach. On principal component analysis using single nucleotide polymorphisms merged with 1000 Genomes dataset, variant carriers were observed to overlap predominantly with the southern Han Chinese population. To determine pathogenicity of the variant, we assessed the functional effect on RAD51 foci formation as well as replication fork stability upon induction of DNA damage and observed an impaired DNA repair response associated with the variant. In summary, we identified an ancient Chinese founder mutation dating back 77.9 generations, possibly common among individuals of southern Han Chinese descent. Using evidence from phenotypic/family history studies, segregation analysis and functional characterization, the BRCA1 variant was reclassified from uncertain significance to pathogenic.

A Brugada syndrome proband with compound heterozygote SCN5A mutations identified from a Chinese family in Singapore.

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a rare heritable ventricular arrhythmia. Genetic defects in SCN5A, a gene that encodes the α-subunit of the sodium ion channel Nav1.5, are present in 15-30% of BrS cases. SCN5A remains by far, the highest yielding gene for BrS. We studied a young male who presented with syncope at age 11. This proband was screened for possible disease causing SCN5A mutations. The inheritance pattern was also examined amongst his first-degree family members. The proband had a baseline electrocardiogram that showed Type 2 BrS changes, which escalated to a characteristic Type I BrS pattern during a treadmill test before polymorphic ventricular tachycardia onset at a cycle length of 250 ms. Mutational analysis across all 29 exons in SCN5A of the proband and first-degree relatives of the family revealed that the proband inherited a compound heterozygote mutation in SCN5A, specifically p.A226V and p.R1629X from each parent. To further elucidate the functional changes arising through these mutations, patch-clamp electrophysiology was performed in TSA201 cells expressing the mutated SCN5A channels. The p.A226V mutation significantly reduced peak sodium current (INa) to 24% of wild type (WT) whereas the p.R1629X mutation abolished the current. To mimic the functional state in our proband, functional expression of the compound variants A226V + R1629X resulted in overall peak INa of only 13% of WT (P < 0.01). Our study is the first to report a SCN5A compound heterozygote in a Singaporean Chinese family. Only the proband carrying both mutations displayed the BrS phenotype, thus providing insights into the expression and penetrance of BrS in an Asian setting.

An ethnographic multiple-case study of mother–child interaction strategies in Singapore-based Chinese families

Previous research has shown that differences in the speech that children are exposed to can lead to differences in their language, literacy and cognitive development, and may even affect subsequent success at school. Informed by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of language learning in early childhood and Sigel’s Psychological Distancing Model, this ethnographic multiple-case study analyzes maternal interaction strategies in four Chinese families in Singapore — two local and two immigrant families — to explore factors that influence choice of interaction strategies. Cross-case comparisons are made in terms of the mothers’ professional and cultural backgrounds, and within-case comparisons are made along the lines of contextual factors. The comparisons reveal both important similarities and differences in the mothers’ use of interaction strategies which was shaped by an array of social, cultural, and contextual factors.

Global Contributions to the Understanding of DNA Repair and Skin Cancer

Living organisms exposed to sunlight have developed mechanisms to repair the damage that UVR induces in their DNA. These DNA repair systems are present in most life forms including bacteria, yeast, rodents, and mammals. Three rare human genetic diseases have defects in the DNA repair system called nucleotide excision repair (NER). Patients with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) have defective NER and a more than 10,000-fold increased frequency of skin cancer, whereas patients with Cockayne syndrome (CS) or with trichothiodystrophy (TTD) have NER defects without increase in cancer. These are strikingly different clinical phenotypes (Figure 1). The dramatic differences in their manifestations reflect the complexity of DNA repair and the broad scope and central role of DNA repair on preservation of diverse biological functions. This article will review the major milestones in our understanding of DNA repair and skin cancer (Table 1). These include recognition of the clinical diseases, understanding the types of damage sunlight causes in the DNA, recognition of DNA repair in different organisms, discovery of defective DNA repair in humans, cloning of multiple human DNA repair genes, and identification of UV-type mutations in skin cancer.

Familial Correlation of Retinal Vascular Caliber in Singapore Chinese

Our study aimed to explore the heritability of retinal vascular caliber among Singapore Chinese families. In the Strabismus, Amblyopia, and Refractive Error Study in Singaporean Chinese Preschoolers (STARS) family study conducted from 2008 to 2010, a total of 727 participants (304 parent-child pairs, 83 sibling pairs, and 87 spouse pairs) were included in the analysis. According to standardized protocols, retinal photography, blood pressure measurements, anthropometric measurements, and interviews were performed at clinic. Retinal vascular caliber was assessed by a computer-assisted imaging program (IVAN). Familial correlation of retinal vascular caliber among family pairs was calculated by the FCOR procedure with S.A.G.E. computer software program package and heritability was double the value of the familial correlation. Mean age was 8.59 years in 304 children and 39.90 years in 423 parents. Mean CRAE and CRVE were 157.09 and 220.80 μm in children, and 150.29 and 220.70 μm in parents, respectively. In multivariate analysis, familial correlation of CRVE was 0.36 (P < 0.001) among parent-child pairs and 0.28 (P < 0.05) among sibling pairs, respectively. Heritability of CRVE was 0.72 and 0.56 among parent-child pairs and sibling pairs, respectively. Family correlation and heritability of CRAE were not significant. This familial correlation study showed a strong correlation of retinal venular caliber in Singapore Chinese families among parent-child pairs and sibling pairs, independent of age, sex, blood pressure, and BMI. Our findings provide further evidence on substantial heritability of the microvasculature.

A comparative study of family social capital and literacy practices in Singapore

Social capital – the social relations between people – is an important component of the family environment and is crucial for the creation of human capital for the next generation. Drawing on James S. Coleman’s theory of family capital, this study focuses on parents’ utilization of social capital to support children’s literacy acquisition in four Singaporean and immigrant middle-class Chinese families in Singapore. Comparative analyses of observation and interview data reveal that these families differed not only in the volume of social capital they possessed but also in the activation of this capital for their children’s biliteracy and educational development. They also reveal that the parents’ application of social capital is motivated by such factors as the status of the family (immigrant or native), parental occupation, parents’ educational views and the family’s acculturation to the host society (in the case of immigrant families). Furthermore, a family’s skilful use of its social capital could compensate for a relative shortage of human capital. These findings, taken as a whole, contribute to Coleman’s theory by disentangling potential from actualized social capital.

Doing Ethnographic Research in Chinese Families - Reflections on Methodological Concerns from Two Asian Cities

This paper compares and contrasts the ethnographic practices of two non-native researchers - a Singaporean researcher studying families in mainland China and a Swedish researcher studying Chinese families in Singapore. A novel conceptual frame of ‘radius of observation positions’ has been proposed to explicate the extent of intrusion and intimacy to which researchers may venture in the private family domain. The opportunities and challenges of two positions of observation within this radius are discussed. The choice of position is largely influenced by the interacting forces of the contextual and cultural factors as well as the personhood of the researcher. The authors call for special attention to cultural sensitivity in conducting Chinese family research. Families are embedded in culture, and the possibility of accessing family spaces hinges on one's awareness of the intricacies of family cultures and realistic assessment of one's strengths and limitations in handling complex family dynamics.

The Impact of Host Country Policies on the Overseas Chinese Family in Singapore

The purpose of this article is to account for changes in the family construct of the Singaporean Overseas Chinese resulting from migration and settlement. The family institution then changes in response to family policy, so that today it bears little resemblance to the traditional blueprint. Differences between the family institutions of the three major racial groups in Singapore have emerged as a result of discriminatory policy pressures. The Singaporean government has used family planning policies to create the ideal social structure and human resource capital, possibly at the expense of Malays and women with less education. The fate of the Chinese family institution in Singapore may also differ to its counterparts in Malaysia and China. In Malaysia, the pro-Malay affirmative action program contributed to a dramatic reduction in Overseas Chinese fertility, while creating unintended consequences that are not easily reversible. The article concludes with issues for marketing scholars to ponder.

Musical memories: snapshots of a Chinese family in Singapore

This paper examines music in the home of a Chinese family in Singapore with specific attention to the children (aged five and seven) of the household: an exploration of what constitutes the lived ‘musical’ memory of a family enmeshed in the technology and media of a globalised world. The study is part of a larger ethnographic study on the musical lives of young children in Singapore, conducted over a five‐month period. Technology and the media encapsulate the home musical experiences of these children, bringing them musical repertoire and musical play, attached with social meaning. The pervasiveness of the mass‐media is noted, infused in children’s play, singing and listening repertoire, and even in their sleeping habits. The media dominated the play environment of these children, providing them with audio and visual stimuli as they carried on with their fantasy play along with their media‐influenced toys.

Asian population frequencies and haplotype distribution of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes among Chinese, Malay, and Indian in Singapore

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) gene frequencies have been shown to be distinctly different between populations and contribute to functional variation in the immune response. We have investigated KIR gene frequencies in 370 individuals representing three Asian populations in Singapore and report here the distribution of 14 KIR genes (2DL1, 2DL2, 2DL3, 2DL4, 2DL5, 2DS1, 2DS2, 2DS3, 2DS4, 2DS5, 3DL1, 3DL2, 3DL3, 3DS1) with two pseudogenes (2DP1, 3DP1) among Singapore Chinese (n = 210); Singapore Malay (n = 80), and Singapore Indian (n = 80). Four framework genes (KIR3DL3, 3DP1, 2DL4, 3DL2) and a nonframework pseudogene 2DP1 were detected in all samples while KIR2DS2, 2DL2, 2DL5, and 2DS5 had the greatest significant variation across the three populations. Fifteen significant linkage patterns, consistent with associations between genes of A and B haplotypes, were observed. Eighty-four distinct KIR profiles were determined in our populations, 38 of which had not been described in other populations. KIR haplotype studies were performed using nine Singapore Chinese families comprising 34 individuals. All genotypes could be resolved into corresponding pairs of existing haplotypes with eight distinct KIR genotypes and eight different haplotypes. The haplotype A2 with frequency of 63.9% was dominant in Singapore Chinese, comparable to that reported in Korean and Chinese Han. The A haplotypes predominate in Singapore Chinese, with ratio of A to B haplotypes of approximately 3:1. Comparison with KIR frequencies in other populations showed that Singapore Chinese shared similar distributions with Chinese Han, Japanese, and Korean; Singapore Indian was found to be comparable with North Indian Hindus while Singapore Malay resembled the Thai.

Haplotype and linkage analysis in Chinese hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome

To investigate if hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome (HMPS) locus of two Singapore Chinese HMPS families is identical with the Ashkenazi families. Genomic DNA was extracted, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify 4 microsatellite markers D15S1010, D15S1007, ACTC and D15S118 in 31 individuals from two families. The HMPS locus cosecretion of the markers on 15q13 over a region of 2.8 cM was confirmed by Haplotype and linkage analysis. The disease of haplotype identified in one pedigree was not co-segregated with an affected individual while no definitive disease haplotype could be assigned for the second pedigree. The maximum two-point and multi-point LOD scores at ACTC for the two Chinese families are 0.20 (theta = 0.3) and -5.0 respectively. Haplotype and linkage analysis indicate that the Ashkenazi haplotypes is not associated with HMPS in Singapore Chinese families, which suggests genetic heterogeneity.

Familial Risk of Allergic Rhinitis and Atopic Dermatitis among Chinese Families in Singapore

Introduction: This study aims to determine the familial risk of atopic dermatitis (AD) and allergic rhinitis (AR) in Chinese children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a housing estate in Singapore. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Participants included 257 Chinese families. Prevalence rate ratios (PRRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Results: For AD in all children, an increasing trend was found with PRRs of 1.9 (95% CI, 0.3 to 11.8) and 1.5 (95% CI, 0.4 to 5.5) for only father and only mother affected, respectively, to 2.3 (95% CI, 0.4 to 13.7) for both parents affected. In AR, a PRR of 2.7 (95% CI, 1.8 to 3.9) and 2.2 (95% CI, 1.5 to 3.2) for only father and only mother affected, respectively, and 4.5 (95% CI, 3.3 to 6.1) for both affected was found. The PRR (2.2; 95% CI, 1.4 to 3.7) of the first child developing AR when paternal or maternal history was positive was similar. This rose to 3.4 (95% CI, 2.2 to 5.1) when both parents also had AR. The PRR of the second child developing AR was 3.9 (95% CI, 1.7 to 8.9) when the first child alone was positive for AR and 7.0 (95% CI, 3.5 to 13.9) when both parents and the eldest child had AR. Conclusion: A positive family history increases the risk of developing AD and AR with increasing risk dependent on number of relatives affected. The second child’s risk of AR is also associated with AR in the first child, suggesting mechanisms of incomplete penetrance.

Family Secrets and the Disclosure of Distressful Information in Chinese Families

Multiple in-depth interviews with fifteen Chinese families in Singapore were conducted to study family adaptation arising from the diagnosis of chronic childhood illnesses. Disclosure of distressful information was found to be selective. Keeping secrets within the immediate family (i.e., between parents and children, between husband and wife, and between the family and the wider community) were governed by factors related to the support and protection of the family unit. Motivations for keeping family secrets appeared to be in keeping with the behavioral rules of a collectivist culture, emphasizing saving “face,” maintaining group harmony and hierarchical roles, and taking responsibility for mutual protection. Implications for practice in the health settings, policy issues (e.g., the right of the patient to knowledge about the illness), and intervention (e.g., the role of the social worker in facilitating open disclosure among family members to enhance family adjustments) are discussed.

Ichthyosiform Erythroderma, Hair Shaft Abnormalities, and Mental and Growth Retardation

A new autosomal recessive disorder characterized by growth retardation, progeria-like appearance, mental deficiency, nonbullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma, and hair shaft defects consisting of pili torti and trichorrhexis nodosa-like lesions was found in three children of a Chinese family in Singapore. It is possible that this disease is closely related to other rare ectomesodermal disorders with congenital ichthyosis, hair shaft defects, and other congenital abnormalities, and a new classification of these conditions is therefore proposed.

Huntington's chorea. Report of a chinese family in Singapore.

Huntington's chorea. Report of a chinese family in Singapore.