Mental health has always been an important yet sensitive topic in Singapore.
The tragedy at River Valley High School (RVHS) last year highlighted how important mental health awareness is, especially among youths.
On Tuesday (27 Sep), the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) announced in a media release that it will be conducting its first comprehensive nationwide study to evaluate youths’ mental health.
It will begin by interviewing 2,600 youths between the ages of 15 and 35 years old beginning next month until June 2023.
The National Youth Mental Health Study (NYMHS) aims to determine key mental health conditions, the personal and social factors associated with them, and the level of unmet treatment needs among youth in Singapore.
These behaviours and aspects include bullying, self-harm, alcohol use, smoking, social media use, smartphone addiction, burnout, academic stress, insomnia, resilience, body image, and self-esteem.
It is the first study that directly targets youths in Singapore.
According to IMH, researchers will focus on how youths deal with major life transitions. For example, these could include the transition from secondary school to tertiary institutions, entering the workforce and starting a family.
This is done in order to evaluate the effect on mental health during these stages.
Findings from the Singapore Mental Health Study in 2010 and 2016 found that the majority of mental health conditions occurred during adolescence and early adulthood.
The studies showed that youths between the ages of 18 to 34 years had the greatest amount of mental health conditions, with 21.6%, or around one in five youths having experienced at least one condition.
They were also found to be more prone to developing mood and anxiety disorders.
The study will identify specific issues faced by youth that would allow IMH to intervene early to better support them, Dr Mythily Subramaniam, who is Assistant Chairman of Medical Board (Research) at IMH, said.
Dr Subramaniam is one of the principal investigators of the study.
Apart from that, the study will collect views on how youths’ are satisfied with their lifestyles, including trust in government and social inclusivity.
The investigators will also reach out to youths who aren’t in education or training (NEETs) so they can better understand their mental health needs.
“With the surge in psychosocial challenges faced by today’s youth, there is a need to identify immediate priorities and take appropriate steps to improve their mental well-being,” Dr Swapna Verma, Chairman Medical Board of IMH and co-principal investigator of the study said.
Participants will complete questionnaires regarding their socio-economic background and information related to their mental health, lifestyles feelings and experiences.
Collection of data will begin next month and continue until June 2023, and the study is expected to last three years.
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