20/09/2024
The front page of ST today (20 Sep 2024) carries the headline: “1 in 3 youth in Singapore reports very poor mental health, IMH study shows.” This finding is based on a self-reporting study of 2,600 Singaporeans and permanent residents between October 2022 and June 2023.
Anxiety (27%) was the most common mental health problem experienced by young people in Singapore, followed by Depression (15%) and Stress (13%). The study reported those with severe or very severe symptoms, excluding mild to moderate ones.
The study also identifies 3 significant associated factors: 1. Excessive social media use (27%), 2. Body shape concern (20%), and 3. Cyberbullying (21%).
Those with excessive social media use are 1.5 times more likely to have Depression, 1.3 times more likely to have Anxiety, and 1.6 times more likely to have Stress. Likewise, those with body shape concerns reported higher rates of Depression (4.9 times more likely), Anxiety (4.3 times), and Stress (4.5 times). For those who reported cyberbullying, they were 2 times more likely to have Depression, Anxiety, and Stress.
The good news is that about two-thirds of those who reported having severe or extremely severe mental health symptoms sought help, mainly by going to family and friends.
The second good news is that those young people who were less likely to experience severe or extremely severe symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, or Stress had three characteristics, namely: 1) higher level of resilience, 2) perceived social support, and 3) greater self-esteem.
Hence, to prevent mental health problems, it is important to focus on these three factors, especially building self-esteem, because with self-esteem, it is easier to have a higher level of resilience.
