Abstract
In September 2024, Singapore revealed alarming rates of “1 in 3” young adults with symptoms of poor mental health. This news however is a recurrent trend catapulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This research investigates three key questions, how does Singapore’s cultural norms affect mental health among young adults? How can Singapore tap into cultural ways of being to heal as a collective and lastly how can a culture of care be built among young adults? Three research gaps were identified. Firstly, mental health is a western concept, with culturally different beliefs of mental health between East and West. Secondly, young adults, despite increased mental health awareness, struggle to manage their mental wellbeing. Thirdly, older generations exhibit greater adaptability compared to younger generations, prompting the potential to foster resilience through ancestral and cultural ways of wellbeing. This paper proposes a new approach to mental health through the combination of habit building and design thinking. Resilience building and design thinking shares similarities, as both processes are iterative rather than linear. Both incorporate elements of reframing challenges and coping with problems. This research aims to expand the boundaries of both design and approaches to mental wellbeing by utilising culturally appropriate, holistic approaches to mental health, in combination with design’s reiterative process. Hence, focusing on designing interventions for a more resilient and mentally healthy generation of Singapore young adults.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Mental Health, Singapore, Mental Wellbeing, Young Adults, Designing Resilience
