Peer Support in Mental Health: A Growing Movement in Singapore

Lee, Ying Ying; Ang, Suying; Chua, Hong Choon; Subramaniam, Mythily

doi:10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.v48n3p95

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…In Singapore, the concept of peer support is in its nascent stage, yet to be fully evaluated for efficiency in the local context (Lee et al. , 2019) and this study aims to fill that gap by establishing the effectiveness of peer support to promote the mental wellbeing of migrant construction workers in Singapore.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of peer support to reduce depression, anxiety and stress among migrant construction workers in Singapore

Palaniappan

Rajaraman

Ghosh

2022

ECAM

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PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of promoting peer support to reduce depression, anxiety and stress among migrant construction workers in Singapore.Design/methodology/approachThis longitudinal study drew participants from migrant workers of various nationalities in the construction sector in Singapore. Baseline data pertaining to depression, anxiety and stress was established using the DASS-21 questionnaire, and salient covariates such as demographic factors and work environment factors recorded using suitable questionnaires. Intervention was training of participants on peer support techniques, supplemented by episodic support by trained counsellors. At the end of 6 months, DASS-21 was again deployed to obtain the post-results. Comparison of baseline with post-results data was performed to evaluate effectiveness of the peer support intervention.FindingsStatistically significant reduction was observed in measures of all the three parameters studied, namely, depression, anxiety and stress. A decrease of 3.3 (95% CI:2.3 to 4.3) points in mean depression score, a decrease of 2.6 (95% CI: 1.6 to 3.7) points in mean anxiety score and a decrease of 2.7 (with 95% CI: 1.6 to 4.0) points in mean stress scores on the DASS-21 scale were recorded. Conclusions: Peer support is effective in improving mental health of migrant workers in the construction sector in Singapore. This intervention should be considered among other measures to improve their welfare.Originality/valueThis is the first paper that talks about the mental health of migrant workers pre-COVID and hence would be a strong paper for the future comparative studies for pre-and post-COVID periods. This is the first paper that addresses the benefits of peer-support among migrant workers to improve their mental wellbeing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of peer support to reduce depression, anxiety and stress among migrant construction workers in Singapore

Palaniappan

Rajaraman

Ghosh

2022

ECAM

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“…From some consumers' perspectives, there was a lack of clarity on the PSWs' roles: the PSWs were viewed as informal staff who were replaceable, leading to negative perceptions of the peer‐support services (Fan et al, 2018; Moorthi, 2014; Tse et al, 2017, 2019). Furthermore, some consumers (Moorthi, 2014; Tse et al, 2019) and even members of the public might find it challenging to view the PSWs as mental health professionals, given concerns on their mental health history and the risk of their relapse (Fan et al, 2018; Lee et al, 2019; Sheth et al, 2019). In some cases, the consumers perceived the knowledge shared by the PSWs to be of lower value than that by healthcare professionals and should not be fully trusted (Tse et al, 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the hierarchy-oriented mentality and conservatism inherent to Asian societies such as India, China, Hong Kong and Singapore meant that greater respect would be accorded to healthcare professionals and families than to PSWs (Lee et al, 2019;Pathare et al, 2018;Samudre et al, 2016;Tse et al, 2012Tse et al, , 2019.…”

Section: Cultural Influences In Asiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of peer‐support services in Asia: A scoping review

Ong

Yang

Kuek

et al. 2022

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

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Accessible Summary What is known on the subject Peer‐support services was started in the 1970s psychiatric survivor movement in the United States of America (USA) due to the lack of transitional support for deinstitutionalized psychiatric patients. Delivered by peer‐support workers (PSWs) with lived experiences of mental health conditions, peer‐support workers use their experiential knowledge to help others with similar conditions. The paradigm shifts in mental health recovery has led to an increase in interest on peer‐support services among the Asia countries. What the paper adds to existing knowledge? The diversity political and cultural differences in Asia makes it a unique for people to understand the mental health ecosystem that exist within. This review is timely as it provides the insights into the current state of peer‐support services for mental health consumers in Asia and the future research on them. What are the implications for practice? First, this review provided a broad overview on the current types of peer‐support services and their implementation in Asia. Second, emphasized the importance and value of peer‐support services for individuals with mental health conditions in their journey towards recovery. Third, important to build a more positive image for peer‐support workers by assigning more clarity to their roles and systematizing training to hone their skills in providing peer support. Abstract IntroductionThe increasing recognition and need for recovery‐oriented services led to the heightened interests of peer‐support services globally, including Asia. However, little is known about the peer‐support services in Asia as compared to the West, where peer‐support services primarily originated from and are well established. AimTo examine available evidence on the implementation of peer‐support services for such consumers in Asia. MethodThis scoping review was based on the Arksey & O′Malley's framework. A comprehensive search was performed across seven electronic databases. The grey literature was also searched through Open Grey and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses, alongside hand searching of the reference of the studies. Articles searched was from January 2000 to December 2021. ResultsThree main themes were identified to provide an overview on peer‐support services for mental health consumers in Asia: the delivery of such services in Asia; Asian consumers' perceptions of them; and factors affecting their implementation. DiscussionGiven their relative novelty in Asia, findings from this review represent useful insights for organizations and policy administrators when formulating such services. Implications for PracticeFuture research should also focus on evaluating the effectiveness of such services in Asia and comparing their outcomes with other regions.

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“…Likewise, increased public awareness of mental health issues is a relatively recent phenomenon in Singapore. Singapore youths are facing burgeoning mental health issues in recent years (Lee et al, 2019; Subramaniam et al, 2020), especially in managing socio-cultural stressors associated with highly competitive education and workforce systems (Ng, 2020). Thus, the pandemic may foreground the culturally salient domain of well-being in these youths’ emerging adulthood experiences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Yeo

Yang

2023

Emerging Adulthood

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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.

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Peer Support in Mental Health: A Growing Movement in Singapore

Cited by 18 publications

References 12 publications

Effectiveness of peer support to reduce depression, anxiety and stress among migrant construction workers in Singapore

Effectiveness of peer support to reduce depression, anxiety and stress among migrant construction workers in Singapore

Implementation of peer‐support services in Asia: A scoping review

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

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