Singaporeans below 40 more likely to avoid social contact; mental health of working adults remains 'significantly strained': Study

SINGAPORE — Younger people were more likely to avoid social contact with others and had trouble controlling their emotions, a recent study on the mental health of Singaporeans found.

People under the age of 40 were 80 per cent more likely than those over 50 years old to avoid being with others or interacting with others.

And people under the age of 40 were nearly three times more likely than those over 50 years old to have difficulty controlling their emotions.

The study by Telus Health, a provider of health technology services, referred to younger respondents as those under 40 years old.

The findings were published in the Mental Health Index report released on Wednesday (May 17).

Besides the extent to which people were avoiding contact with others and how well they were controlling their emotions, other factors tied to mental health that were studied included:

• The impact of inflation and financial pressure
• How relationships have changed since the Covid-19 pandemic

Apart from the two broad under-40 and over-50 age groups, TODAY has reached out to Telus Health for the detailed findings on respondents aged 40 to 50.

Some 1,000 people were surveyed between Jan 23 and Feb 6 this year. They lived in Singapore and were either employed at the time of the online survey or were employed within the prior six months.

The index gives a measure of the current mental health status of employed adults.

A high index score means that the respondents have better mental health and less mental health risk. A score of:

• zero to 49 signifies that people are “distressed”
• 50 to 79 suggests a “strained” mental health
• 80 to 100 signifies “optimal” mental health and well-being

WHY IT MATTERS

The study showed that the mental health of Singaporeans, while improving, still needs a lot of work.

The overall index score in January was 61.6, improving slightly from the 60.5 recorded in September last year.

Comparatively, it was 60.2 in April last year.

Despite two consecutive periods of modest improvements, the mental health of working Singaporeans continues to be “significantly strained”, the report stated.

More than a third of Singaporeans (37 per cent) had a high mental health risk, while close to half (46 per cent) had a moderate mental health risk.

Overall, two in five Singaporeans (40 per cent) avoided being with others or interacting with others — a behaviour that largely started or has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic.

For this group, the mental health score was 50.8, more than 10 points below the national average of 61.6.

The mental health and well-being of the population is essential to overall health and work productivity, Telus Health said.

The index is meant to inform employers and the Government on the need to invest in workers’ mental health and to predict cost and productivity risks.

FINDINGS ON SOCIAL CONTACT

• Nearly two-thirds (66 per cent) of the Singaporeans surveyed said that their avoidance of contact with others started or worsened after the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020
• This group had the lowest mental health score (47.1), which was more than 14 points below the national average
• More than two in five respondents (42 per cent) did not avoid being with or interacting with others, and this group had the highest mental health score (73.6), 12 points above the national average
• Parents were 40 per cent more likely than people who were not parents to avoid being with others or interacting with others

FINDINGS ON CONTROL OF EMOTIONS

• More than a quarter (28 per cent) of Singaporeans had difficulty controlling their emotions, and the mental health score of this group at 45.3 was more than 16 points below the national average of 61.6
• More than half (56 per cent) said that they did not have difficulty controlling their emotions, and this group had the highest mental score (72.0), more than 10 points above the national average
• People without emergency savings were nearly two times as likely as those with emergency savings to have difficulty controlling their emotions
• Parents were 50 per cent more likely than those who were not parents to have difficulty controlling their emotions

FINDINGS ON RELATIONSHIPS

• Younger Singaporeans under 40 years old were more than three times as likely as those over 50 years old to report that their marital or partner relationship had improved compared to before the pandemic
• Overall, nearly seven in 10 Singaporeans (68 per cent) indicated that nothing had changed in their marital and partner relationships, compared to before the pandemic
• This group had the highest mental heath score (64.1), above the national average of 61.6
• One in five (20 per cent) reported that their marital or partner relationship had improved from before the pandemic, and this group had a mental health score of 63.1, above the national average
• Among those who reported a decline in their relationships, more than one in five (22 per cent) said that financial pressure was a reason

FINDINGS ON IMPACT OF INFLATION

• Nearly two-thirds of Singaporeans (65 per cent) had cut back on discretionary spending, that is, the spending that they were able to control, due to inflation
• It was also found that 41 per cent stayed at home more often, and 29 per cent have cut back on expenses related to their health
• People with emergency savings were more than two times as likely to not feel any impact due to inflation, compared to those without
• People without emergency savings were 70 per cent more likely to cut back on prescription medication compared to those with emergency savings
• Parents were 80 per cent more likely than those who were not parents to cut back on expenses related to their health