About one in three young people aged between 15 and 35 years in Singapore reported experiencing severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or stress, according to a study conducted by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). The study found that those who experienced cyberbullying, had moderate to severe concerns about their body shape, or spent more than three hours daily on social media were more likely to report these symptoms. Other contributing factors included vaping, smoking, and adverse childhood experiences.
Background
The findings come from the National Youth Mental Health Study, initiated in 2022 to assess the mental health of youths in Singapore. Conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health (CHAT), and the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHPH), the three-year study involved interviews with 2,600 youths aged 15 to 35 from October 2022 to June 2023. Participants completed questionnaires that collected self-reported information on their sociodemographic background, mental health and well-being, general feelings about themselves, experiences in school or the workplace, social support, and lifestyle behaviours.
Top 3 factors linked to mental health symptoms
Excessive social media use (27 per cent)
About one in four youths, or 27 per cent, reported engaging with social media platforms for more than three hours daily. There was a correlation between the amount of time spent and the likelihood of experiencing symptoms. Those who spent more than three hours on social media daily had a higher chance of experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or stress by 1.5, 1.3, and 1.6 times respectively, shared IMH. Young people below 30 years of age and females were more likely to engage in excessive social media usage.
Cyberbullying (21 per cent)
About one in five youths, or 21 per cent, across age groups and gender, reported having been cyberbullied. Young people who had experienced cyberbullying were approximately twice as likely to have had severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress compared with those who had not.
Moderate to severe concerns about one’s body shape (20.2 per cent)
About one in five youths, or 20.2 per cent, reported having moderate to severe body shape concerns. Young people with these concerns were 4.9, 4.3, and 4.5 times more likely to have experienced severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or stress, respectively. They were also 2.6 times more likely to have been cyberbullied than those without such concerns. Females aged 20 to 24 and 25 to 29 were more likely to experience body shape concerns.
Anxiety the most common mental health problem
Anxiety is the most common mental health problem among Singapore’s young, with almost 27 per cent of youths experiencing severe or extremely severe symptoms in the week prior to the survey. This is in comparison to around nearly 15 per cent of youth who have had symptoms of depression, and 13 per cent who expressed having had extreme levels of stress. Those who experienced such symptoms often fell into the demographic of being between the ages of 15 to 24, female, single, and from families with a monthly household income below S$5,000.
2 in 3 youths with symptoms sought help
Among those who reported having severe or extremely severe mental health symptoms, about 2 in 3 (69.1 per cent) sought help via informal or formal mental health support and/or services. Those who sought help did so from more than one source. However, those who chose not to seek help cited fears about confidentiality or being left with a permanent record, concern about what others would think, and the perception that specialists would not be able to help.
Study to inform policies, address needs of youth
Swapna Verma, IMH Medical Board’s chairman and co-principal investigator of the study, expressed how the results can help to “enable policymakers and service providers to develop more targeted approaches” in addressing the needs of today’s youth. “Navigating the complexities of youth is challenging enough, but young people today are grappling with unique issues that previous generations did not,” she said. Likewise, Mythily Subramaniam, IMH Medical Board (Research)’s assistant chairman and co-principal investigator, encouraged young people, parents, and educators to “pay attention to these issues” and highlighted the importance of “integrating preventive measures into schools and youth services.”
