Singaporean Youth Research Articles

Exploring the effectiveness of youth outreach programmes: the case of Singapore

ABSTRACT In recent decades, some governments have sought greater youth participation in government and public life. This study examines Singapore’s efforts to foster youth participation in government-led community service projects, public conversations, and opportunities for citizen feedback. Using a mixed-methods design that combines a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, we explore the effectiveness of these government outreach programmes in the eyes of youth themselves, and whether they meet the government’s goal of promoting the active and engaged participation of young Singaporeans over the long term. We find that while local youth value the opportunity to participate meaningfully in governance, they also critique the government-led youth participation initiatives as top-down, choreographed, and inauthentic, saying that the views expressed therein do not sufficiently represent youth in Singapore. They also suggest feasible strategies to achieve genuine, inclusive youth participation in the public decision-making process.

Understanding the Personal Aspirations and Wellbeing of Youth in Singapore During the Pandemic

Understanding the Personal Aspirations and Wellbeing of Youth in Singapore During the Pandemic

2024 ACS Singapore Youth Challenge celebrates young chemists

2024 ACS Singapore Youth Challenge celebrates young chemists

The Impact of Digital Communication on Language Evolution among Urban Youth in Singapore

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of digital communication on language evolution among urban youth in Singapore. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study on the found that digital platforms significantly influence language evolution among this demographic. It revealed a noticeable shift towards abbreviated forms, emoticons, and slang in everyday communication, driven by social media and instant messaging. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social network theory, diffusion of innovations theory & identity theory may be used to anchor future studies on the impact of digital communication on language evolution among urban youth in Singapore. Implement educational programs that enhance digital literacy skills among youth, focusing on critical evaluation of online content and responsible language use. Develop policies that promote digital inclusion and accessibility, ensuring all youth have equal opportunities to engage in online communication.

Functions, Characteristics, and Experiences of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Cross-Sectional Study of Youth and Adolescents in Singapore

Functions, Characteristics, and Experiences of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Cross-Sectional Study of Youth and Adolescents in Singapore

Designing youth mental health services to improve access: A qualitative study and framework analysis of youths’ perspectives in Singapore

IntroductionAlthough there is an increasing interest in making mental health services (MHS) accessible to youths, there is limited ground-up involvement of youths while designing MHS in Asian settings.ObjectivesThis qualitative study sought to understand what youths considered as important elements of youth centric MHS and how these could be designed to improve access by youths in Singapore.MethodsWe conducted seven focus group discussions, and four semi-structured interviews with 50 multiracial youths aged 15-35 years in Singapore - a high-income Southeast Asian country. Purposive sampling allowed adequate representation of age, gender, and race (mainly Chinese, Malay, and Indian) groups. Participants reflected on the features of an ideal MHS for youths and how these could improve youths’ attitude and access to services. Participants also shared their preferences and additional opinions for culturally tailored and age appropriate MHS. Framework analysis using the ‘Conceptual Framework of Access to Healthcare’ (Levesque et al. Int J Equity Health 2013, 12:18) was used to code transcripts and identify the key themes (Ritchie & Spencer. In Analyzing qualitative data, 1994).ResultsThe average age of the participants was 24 years. About one third of the participants had accessed MHS in the past. Three key themes were identified – making facilities ‘approachable’, ‘available and appropriate’ and ‘affordable’. (i) Making facilities approachable related to having non-stigmatizing, non-threatening and welcoming aesthetics, organizational culture, and personnel. The participants also recommended a range of professional services, digital tools, and online features to enhance the approachability of MHS designed for youths. (ii) Flexible operating hours, easy appointment management, accessible location, and easy availability to youths with unique needs (e.g., employed youths) or socio-cultural backgrounds were necessary for making facilities available and accessible to youths. (iii) While sharing challenges of family involvement in the help-seeking process, most of the participants, particularly those in the lower ages, talked about tailoring MHS to the ability of youths to pay for the services. Preferences such as having cheaper services for teenagers and initial contacts, offering more non-medical but trained professionals, and considering shorter in-person counselling sessions, followed by free online options were brought up by the participants.ConclusionsThe study provided insights into multiple aspects of MHS and how these could be designed to cater to the needs of youths in Singapore from their perspective. MHS that incorporate non-stigmatizing, flexible, non-threatening and affordable design approaches could improve help-seeking and early interventions in youths.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Low Energy Availability and Eating Disorders Risk: A Comparison between Elite Female Adolescent Athletes and Ballet Dancers

This study examined the risk of low energy availability (LEA) and eating disorders among elite adolescent female athletes from a mixed-sport cohort and ballet dancers in Singapore, where the accelerated biological needs of adolescent growth and maturation overlap with the pursuit of sport/ballet excellence and high-stakes academic testing. All of these are competing demands for adequate fuelling and seeking timely treatment, which consequently affect the risk of LEA. Eighty-nine participants (41 athletes, 48 dancers; age 16.00 [3.00] years old) were screened for the risk of LEA and eating disorders using the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q) and Brief Eating Disorder in Athletes Questionnaire (BEDA-Q), respectively. The main effects of athlete/ballet status and age (≤15 years old versus 15.1 years–18 years old) on LEAF-Q and BEDA-Q scores was be determined via Spearman’s correlation coefficient and linear regression analyses. The Mann–Whitney U test and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare the groups for the risk of LEA and ED. We observed that adolescent athletes and ballet dancers had a similar prevalence of being at risk of LEA (61.98% versus 54.17%, respectively, p = 0.529), with the risk of eating disorders absent in most of them. It appeared that the risk of LEA is likely of an unintentional nature in this study as the risk of ED was absent in 90.2% of the adolescent athletes/ballet dancers that were at risk of LEA. The age of the participants was significantly correlated with the risk of LEA, while the number of training hours was negatively correlated with the same factor. Age was also found to be negatively correlated with the number of training hours. The findings suggest that the risk of LEA in Singapore youth athletes and dancers are multifaceted, involving factors such as type of activity, age, and training hours. Targeted and tailored interventions and programmes are thus needed to promote adequate energy availability for optimal physical and psychological growth in sport and dance.

Literacy and attitude of Asian youths on dengue and its prevention in an endemic developed community.

Over the past few decades, the incidence of dengue fever has considerably increased. Effective vector control strategies and specific protection using dengue vaccine are thought to be the key elements to combat dengue. The dengue incidence among the Singapore youths (15-24 years) was second only to that of adults (25-44 years). This study evaluated the knowledge and attitude of Singapore youths on dengue and its preventive measures. A cross-sectional study using online-based questionnaire survey was conducted among Singapore youths from September to November 2022. Data were analyzed for descriptive statistics whereas Chi-squared test, linear regression analysis and Pearson correlation were used to determine the association between demographic factors and youth's attitude on dengue prevention using Rstudio. A total of 624 respondents completed the survey out of 1822 surveys distributed nation-wide, with a response rate of 34.2% (mean age 17.4 years 1.84; 59.3% female; 89.9% Chinese). The mean dengue knowledge scores of participants were 14.1 2.8. Univariate analysis showed that teenagers (15-19 years) had significantly higher knowledge score than the young adults (20-24 years) (=0.82,95%CI = 0.13-1.51, p = 0.021). Majority of them were aware of the Mozzie Wipeout campaign (90.2%) followed by the release of Wolbachia mosquitos (69.1%). Two-thirds of the youths who were aware of Wolbachia and Gravitrap considered that it was effective in reducing dengue infection rates. Participants suggested information about the current dengue infection rate (71.9%) as the most effective of the five proposed strategies to improve uptake of dengue preventive measures. In comparison to young adults, teenagers were more likely to uptake dengue preventive measures if widespread mosquito control practices were implemented (69.1% vs. 42.3%). The overall knowledge of the youths on dengue and its prevention was satisfactory. Future health promotion campaigns targeting the youths should focus on transforming the knowledge into practice.

Living, learning, working, and playing during COVID-19: tackling existing and exacerbated problems of low-income Singaporean youth

ABSTRACT COVID-19’s adverse, disproportionate impact on low-income youth — prompting youth-serving professionals to adapt and adjust — is well-documented. However, research gaps exist, including explanatory processes underlying COVID-19’s deleterious impact, systematic documentation of existing and exacerbated problems, and short- and long-term responses of youth-serving professionals. Using a multi-informant mixed methods design guided by a live-learn-work-play theoretical framework, exploratory findings indicated that COVID-19 worsened existing problems across all domains. In the short-term, Singaporean professionals prioritised, moved online, and evaluated programmes. Progressively, they sought to build youth communities, empower families, collaborate, and experiment. Findings have implications for understanding and resolving structural problems perpetuating pre-disaster vulnerabilities.

Practice research’s challenges and opportunities across project conceptualisation, implementation, and dissemination: a Singaporean case study

ABSTRACT Because practice research’s benefits in social work contexts are well-documented, research attention has shifted to improving its operationalisation within organisations. However, few studies have examined practice research’s challenges and opportunities across project conceptualisation, implementation, and dissemination. Even fewer have considered practitioner-researcher and organisational power dynamics, especially in Asia. Using a qualitative exploratory case study approach, we first described the challenges a Singaporean youth work agency faced during conceptualisation, implementation, and dissemination across three practice-research projects. Subsequently, we evaluated how the core practice-research team seized opportunities to address these challenges (i.e. manpower and resourcing, disproportionate researcher influence, sustaining interest internally and externally) and future improvement opportunities (i.e. institutionalise knowledge, build organisational capacity, and examine structural impediments). Implications for practitioners and researchers and effective organisational strategies – internally, externally, and structurally – are discussed.

Impact of Youth Health Ambassador Programme on health awareness in youths in Singapore.

The Youth Health Ambassador Programme (YHAP) is a health educational program aimed at empowering youths to become health ambassadors in the community through raising their health awareness and training them in primary health prevention. This study evaluates the effectiveness of YHAP in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of participants in physical and mental health. This study followed a single-group quasi-experimental design, with a pre- and postworkshop KAP survey. Participants were junior college (JC) and polytechnic students in Singapore enrolled in YHAP. In total, 131 responses were analyzed for changes in KAP for physical and mental health before and after the program. This article also studied the participants' barriers to educating others, including environment factors, intrinsic factors, and receptiveness of the target audience. Mean scores of all six KAP domains increased from the preworkshop survey to the postworkshop survey, with significant improvements (P < 0.05) in all domains except mental health knowledge. Individually, 16 out of 29 questions in the KAP sections had a significant increment in mean score after the program (P < 0.05). Mean scores for intrinsic barriers also decreased significantly (P < 0.001) postintervention, indicating that participants were less likely to agree that intrinsic factors were a barrier to educating people around them about health postintervention. YHAP is effective in improving the KAP of physical health and the attitudes and practices of mental health JC and polytechnic students and may reduce the effect of intrinsic barriers that participants face when teaching others.

The Characteristics and Enlightenment of Core Values Education for Youth in Singapore

The Characteristics and Enlightenment of Core Values Education for Youth in Singapore

Investigating Intrinsic Motivation for Learning among Singaporean Youths: A Mixed Methods Study

Investigating Intrinsic Motivation for Learning among Singaporean Youths: A Mixed Methods Study

Developing the Singapore youth shoulder overuse injury prevention program

ObjectivesTo develop the Singapore Youth Shoulder Overuse Injury Prevention Program specifically for competitive overhead youth athletes in Singapore. DesignTwo-round online Delphi technique with experts and a feasibility assessment questionnaire with youth athletes who represented end-users. SettingVolleyball for youth athletes. ParticipantsExperts were recruited through purposive sampling based on their knowledge and experience. Youth athletes were recruited though a volleyball club. Main outcome measuresThe main outcome measure was the level of consensus on the proposed (1) exercise program for the overhead youth athletes, (2) education program regarding overuse injuries for coaches of overhead youth athletes, and (3) education program regarding overuse injuries for overhead youth athletes. Consensus was set at 75% agreement in this study. ResultsEighteen experts completed the two Delphi rounds with 100% response rate. Consensus was achieved for the exercise program and both education programs. Twelve youth athletes completed the feasibility assessment questionnaire and found the exercises to be feasible in terms of usefulness, practical use, instructions, duration, and ease of execution. ConclusionConsensus was reached for the Singapore Youth Shoulder Overuse Injury Prevention Program, and feasibility of execution by end-users was successfully determined.

Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale Among Youths in Singapore: Validity and Reliability and Differences Based on Gender, Religion, Socioeconomic Status

Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale Among Youths in Singapore: Validity and Reliability and Differences Based on Gender, Religion, Socioeconomic Status

Healthcare utilization and costs of singaporean youth with symptoms of depression and anxiety: results from a 2022 web panel

BackgroundThere is evidence that the prevalence of depression and anxiety among youth is increasing and that these factors contribute to high healthcare costs and poor school performance. The goal of this study is to provide up-to-date estimates of the prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety among youth in Singapore.MethodsUsing an existing web panel, 991 parents filled out the PHQ-4 screener on behalf of 1,515 youth. 104 of these parents whose children (ages 4 to 21) had symptoms consistent with depression or anxiety filled out a full survey with questions on mental health symptoms, school absences, school performance, and healthcare utilization. The survey was fielded between April and June 2022. Publicly available prices were used to estimate the cost associated with the observed rates of health service use.FindingsBased on parental responses, 11.7% (95% CI:10.2 − 13.5%) of youth had symptoms consistent with depression and 12.8% (95% CI:11.2 − 14.6%) had symptoms consistent with anxiety. In total, 16.2% (95% CI:14.5 − 18.3%) were reported to have symptoms consistent with at least one of these conditions. These youths missed an average of 190 (95% CI: 126–254) hours of school per year due to their mental health conditions and parents reported that school and daily activities performance was significantly degraded. Per capita annual healthcare costs averaged S$10,250 (95% CI: 7,150–13,350), with 64% of youth receiving emergency or inpatient services. In aggregate, annual costs associated with these conditions were estimated to be S$1.2 billion (95% CI:S$1.1bn – S$1.4bn).InterpretationEven with significant potential for underreporting, these results reveal concerning rates of Singaporean youth with symptoms consistent with depression or anxiety, many of whom remain untreated. Results also reveal the short-term economic burden caused by these symptoms and hint at longer-term consequences resulting from poor school performance. This study should represent a call to action for Singapore to address poor mental health among youth.

Negotiating Emerging Adulthood at the Onset of COVID-19 in Singapore.

Historical events and cultural contexts have major implications for emerging adults' developmental experiences. Underpinned by the theory of emerging adulthood, this study examined how COVID-19 interacted with Singapore youths' negotiation of emerging adulthood. We employed a mixed-methods design and drew on Telegram text messaging among 757 Singapore youths (Mage = 19.60, SD = .63) at the onset of the pandemic. Using qualitative analysis, we examined whether the five features of emerging adulthood were salient in the context of the pandemic among Singapore youths. Using the quantitative methodology of topic modelling, we identified five culturally salient domains that emerged in Singapore youths' negotiation of the developmental features of emerging adulthood at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with work and studies being the most salient domain. Finally, quantitative analysis using a person-centered approach revealed four classes of youths with varying patterns of how experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic interacted with their negotiation of developmental features and domains of emerging adulthood: the Struggling youths, Relationship-Oriented youths, Me generation, and Go-Getters. Results from this study revealed how the pandemic and socio-cultural conditions of the Singapore society presented a unique developmental context for emerging adults. Practical implications for supporting each group of emerging adults are discussed.

Reaching hidden youth in Singapore through the Hidden Youth Intervention Program: A biopsychosocial approach integrating mental health and social work interventions.

Hidden youth are youth who withdraw from society for at least 6 months, physically isolating within their homes or rooms. There has been a steady rise in this phenomenon across many developed countries, and this trend is expected to continue. As hidden youths often present with complex psychopathology and psychosocial issues, multi-factorial intervention approaches are recommended. To reach this isolated population and address gaps in services, a community mental health service and a youth social work team collaborated to develop the first specialized intervention for hidden youth in Singapore. This pilot intervention combines components from Hikikomori treatment models from Japan and Hong Kong, and a treatment program for isolated individuals diagnosed with Internet Gaming Disorder. This paper describes the development of the pilot intervention model- a four-stage biopsychosocial intervention targeting the complex needs of hidden youth and their families- and illustrates its implementation and challenges faced through a case study. Based on 2 years of service delivery to 25 youths, good practices such as utilizing novel outreach strategies and the importance of involving and caring for caregivers are also highlighted. Preliminary outcomes of this ongoing pilot intervention indicate reductions in social withdrawal behavior and increased engagement in school or work, especially for youth at the final stage of intervention. Strengths of the program include its multi-disciplinary and flexible nature, and the whole-family approach. Limitations of this program included a lack of information on Singaporean hidden youth and the lack of quantitative outcome data of this pilot program. In future, we aim to further enhance program elements through collaboration with international and local partners, and to develop an evaluative framework to determine program effectiveness.

‘Everybody needs to be on board’: Individual and organisational youth worker experiences of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy training and implementation in a multi-cultural Singaporean context

Despite growing knowledge of intervention outcomes associated with Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, practitioner-centred processes of training and implementation, especially involving social workers of the same organisation in a non-Western, Asian setting, remain research gaps. Over 1 year, using in-depth qualitative interviews with Singaporean youth workers to understand individual and organisational experiences of training and implementation, findings indicated that, chronologically and cumulatively, the combination of a formative training experience, individual implementation, and organisational and team experiences led to personal and professional development. This study has implications for youth workers to better understand the therapy individually and organisationally, thereby improving its long-term impact.

An evaluation of a custom intervention programme to address problematic mobile phone use of youth athletes in Singapore: a hybrid mixed-methods research design

ABSTRACT The study sought to evaluate a custom intervention programme, informed by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which aimed to help youth athletes reduce their problematic mobile phone use. A hybrid mixed-methods design was employed in this study, involving a one-group pretest–posttest design and a mixed-methods multiple case study design. 23 Singaporean youth athletes (aged 13–19 years) participated in the intervention programme, and were assessed at pre, post, and follow-up timepoints for their objective and subjective measures of mobile phone use. After the intervention programme had concluded, a smaller sample of eight participants were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews to get their views and feedback on the intervention programme. The results showed that while there were no significant differences in the objective measures of mobile phone use (i.e., duration and frequency) between the timepoints, there was a significant reduction in the subjective measure (i.e., SAS-SV) of problematic mobile phone use in both post and follow-up timepoints. This was supported by the multiple case study analysis, which found that participants were able to implement the various strategies that were taught during the intervention programme, and that those strategies were able to help them reduce their level of problematic mobile phone use. Overall, participant feedback for the intervention programme was positive, with participants stating that it was fun, interactive, relatable, and informative. There were still some barriers that prevented participants from reducing their problematic mobile phone use, and suggestions were given on how to improve the intervention programme in future.