NUS Psychiatry Symposium 2023
The NUS Psychiatry Symposium organised by Mind Science Centre aims to be a platform to convene distinguished experts in the field, and to deliberate on mental health issues encountered by the youth and senior members of our community. Two main topics will be discussed: The Emotional Challenges of Youth and Resilience Building and Ageing-in-Place, featuring distinguished local researchers, as well as plenary speakers from The University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The symposiums present a unique opportunity to explore novel intervention strategies, with a view to enhancing the overall well-being and quality of life of people across all ages in Singapore.
The Emotional Challenges of Youth and Resilience Building
Programme Highlights:
- Presentation of key findings from a nationwide study on the mental health status and resilience of youth.
- Introduction of new clinical profiling tools to better understand and manage the mental health challenges faced by youth.
- Guest-of-Honour Address by Minister of State Ms Sun Xueling, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of Social and Family Development
| Time | Programme | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 14:15 | Introduction | |
| 14:20 | Welcome Address | A/Prof John Wong Chee Meng
Lin Jo Yan and Yeo Boon Khim Professor in Mental Health and Neuroscience Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Dept. of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS & NUH Director, Mind science Centre |
| 14:25 | Guest-of-Honour Address | Ms Sun Xueling
Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of Social and Family Development |
| SESSION 1 | ||
| 14:35 | Lin Jo Yan and Yeo Boon Khim Professorship Lecture
Youth Resilience and Mental Health Challenges, lessons from the COVID pandemic: the YEAR Study Synopsis ↓ |
A/Prof John Wong Chee Meng
Lin Jo Yan and Yeo Boon Khim Professor in Mental Health and Neuroscience Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Dept. of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS & NUH Director, Mind science Centre |
| 15:15 | Keynote Lecture
Youth Mental Health in Hong Kong: Challenges and response during the pandemic years and beyond Synopsis ↓ |
Prof Eric Chen
Chi-Li Pa Foundation Professor in Psychiatry, Chair Professor and Clinical Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong |
| 15:55 | Panel Discussion
Moderator: A/Prof Daniel Fung (IMH) Panellists:
|
A/Prof Daniel Fung
Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Mental Health |
| 16:15 | Tea Reception | |
| SESSION 2 | ||
| 16:30 | The Validation of a Youth Resilience Scale (SYRESS) and the Asian version of the Adolescents Identity Development (AIDA):
A National Study
Synopsis ↓ |
Ms Natalie Yap
Psychologist Associate & Post-graduate Student, NUH |
| 16:50 | Local Validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A)
Synopsis ↓ |
Asst. Prof Sharon Sung
Assistant Professor and Senior Clinical Psychologist, Programme in Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS |
| 17:05 | Singaporean Norms for the Youth Self Report (YSR); results based on the YEAR Study
Synopsis ↓ |
Mr Nabil Syukri Sachiman
Psychologist Associate & Post-graduate Student, NUH |
| 17:20 | Co-occurrence of Resilience traits and Psychopathology in Singapore Youth: A Latent Profile Analysis and local application of the Dual-factor model of Mental Health
Synopsis ↓ |
Dr Timothy Singham
Adjunct Research Fellow, Mind Science Centre Clinical Psychologist, Viriya Community Services |
| 17:35 | Panel Discussion & QnA
Moderator: A/Prof John Wong Chee Meng Panellists:
|
A/Prof John Wong Chee Meng |
| 17:50 | End of Event | |
Keynote Lectures
Panel Discussion Moderator
Keynote Lectures
A/Prof John Wong Chee Meng
Lin Jo Yan and Yeo Boon Khim Professor in Mental Health and Neuroscience
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist,
Dept. of Psychological Medicine,
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS & NUH
Director, Mind Science Centre
Presentation of the key findings of a Singapore nationwide study on the mental health status and resilience of young people (YEAR study).
Prof Eric Chen
Chi-Li Pa Foundation Professor in Psychiatry
Chair Professor and Clinical Professor
Dept. of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong
Presentation of the research findings on different mental conditions and their associated factors among young people from the first population-based youth study in Hong Kong, HK-YES.
Panel Discussion Moderator
A/Prof Daniel Fung
Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Mental Health
Presentations
Asst. Prof Sharon Sung
Assistant Professor and Senior Clinical Psychologist,
Signature Programme in Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS
Dr Timothy Singham
Adjunct Research Fellow, Mind Science Centre
Clinical Psychologist, Viriya Community Services
Several studies have consistently demonstrated the protective effects of resilience on psychopathology. However, less is known about the co-occurrence and interplay between resilience and psychopathology symptoms. This study used a person-centered approach (i.e.. latent profile analysis) to identify subtypes of individuals based on co-occurring resilience traits and psychopathology symptoms. Findings of this study will have theoretical implications on the Dual-factor model of Mental Health especially in the local Singapore context, as well as clinical implications such as including positive mental health indicators in a holistic assessment of a youth’s overall psychological adjustment.
Mr Nabil Syukri Sachiman
Psychologist Associate & Post-graduate Student,
National University Hospital
The Youth Self Report (YSR) is an established self-report measure of emotional and behavioural difficulties among adolescents aged 11-18. Despite being validated in a multitude of countries and translated into various languages, the norms for the Singaporean adolescent population has yet to be determined. Such norms would allow for better clinical interpretation of scores, help guide the assessment process and inform potential diagnoses. This is especially because existing universal norms are not contextualized to the local population and may not be representative of the current state of mental health. The presentation aims to share how data from the national epidemiological study (YEAR Study) was utilised to derive the local norms for the questionnaire and how they can be used in clinical practice.
Ms Natalie Yap
Psychologist Associate & Post-graduate Student,
National University Hospital
Resilience has long been viewed as a protective resource that individuals can use to bounce back from difficulties in life. It comprises different domains, and can vary with demographic profiles and individual circumstances. The Singapore Youth Resilience Scale (SYRESS) was developed in 2007 as a comprehensive tool to measure and profile youth resilience in the local population. This presentation focuses on the use of SYRESS in research and practice, while offering a breakdown and explanation of its domains.
The Assessment of Identity Development and Identity Diffusion in Adolescence (AIDA, 2012) is a self-rating inventory used to assess identity development in healthy and disturbed adolescents. Using identity development theories, the AIDA allows for clinicians to better identify various self-concepts that individuals struggle with, and can help to guide assessment and intervention. The presentation aims to share how the AIDA has been adapted into the local context and can be utilised in practice.
Ageing-in-Place
Programme Highlights:
- Presentation of the biological, sociological and psychological findings of a cohort study of community living older adults in Singapore.
- Insights into lifestyle and healthy longevity from an epidemiology study in Hong Kong.
| Time | Programme | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Welcome Address | A/Prof John Wong Chee Meng
|
| SESSION 1 | ||
| 09:05 | Keynote Lecture
| A/Prof Rathi Mahendran
|
| 09:45 | Keynote Lecture
| Prof Linda CW Lam
|
| 09:45 | Tan Geok Yin Professorship Lecture
| Prof Kua Ee Heok
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS
|
| 10:45 | Panel Discussion
| A/Prof John Wong Chee Meng |
| 11:00 | Tea Reception | |
| SESSION 2 | ||
| 11:20 | Olfactory dysfunction is associated with mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older adults | Prof Wang De Yun
Dept. of Otolaryngology, National University of Singapore |
| 11:35 | Understanding health and social aspects of older solo-livers in Singapore | A/Prof Thang Leng Leng
A/Prof Feng Qiushi
|
| 11:50 | Narrative Reminiscence Intervention for intergenerational Family Bonding Synopsis ↓ | A/Prof Wilson Tam
Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University of Singapore |
| 12:05 | Cognitive and physical age-gaps in relation to mild cognitive impairment and behavioral phenotypes | Asst. Prof Yu Junhong
|
| 12:20 | Effects of non-pharmacological interventions on mental health and biomarkers in community-dwelling older adults to prevent dementia | Asst. Prof Ted Ng Kheng Siang
|
| 12:35 | Closing | Prof Kua Ee Heok |
| 12:40 | End of Event | |
Keynote Lectures
A/Prof Rathi Mahendran
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist,
Dept. of Psychological Medicine,
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and National University Hospital
This preliminary talk on the Community Health and Intergenerational Study presents some of the biological and psychological findings of a cohort study of community living older adults 60 years and above, in the central-western part of Singapore. The study involved twelve co-investigators from different NUS faculties and departments. It began in February 2018 with a delay in completion till October 2021 because of the COVID pandemic. However that provided an opportunity for the team to examine how older adults coped during the pandemic. Data from 996 individuals were collected and is still being analysed. Phase 2 interventional studies have been introduced.
Prof Linda CW Lam
Professor (Clinical),
Department of Psychiatry,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Epidemiologic studies on neurocognitive disorders not only inform researchers about risk factors for morbidity, but also adds information on healthy aging. We appreciate the importance of healthy lifestyles on cognition in late life. Healthy longevity should embrace additional subjective mental well-being, a dimension not yet comprehensively studied in large scale epidemiology for late life mental health. Exploration into the positive aspect of aging through empirical studies will help us to plan, implement, develop and evaluate mental health interventions for the older community.
Prof Kua Ee Heok
Tan Geok Yin Professor in Psychiatry and Neuroscience,
Dept. of Psychological Medicine,
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Emeritus Consultant, National University Hospital
Vice Chairman, Mind Science Centre
A pressing issue in caring for seniors is ageing-in-place. Can seniors live in their own home or must they be sent to a community home?
Ageing-in-place needs good family bonding and community support. This Tan Geok Yin Professorship Lecture will discuss some issues of parenting conducted in the CHI study. Can we predict the style of parenting and future care of seniors? Qualitative analysis of the study shows that parenting style is not static and varies with the passage of time. Our research findings also indicates that parenting style is not associated with future care of seniors.
It is undeniable that future care of frail seniors rests not just on the family but also community support and health services.
Presentations
Prof Wang De Yun
Research Professor (Tenure) & Director of Research,
Dept. of Otolaryngology,
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine,
National University of Singapore
Olfactory identification impairment is a comorbidity in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and is a potential marker associated with an early stage of a neurocognitive disorder. The smell test could act as a screening tool to help in the early detection of smell impairment for heterogeneous syndromes of MCI among community-dwelling older adults. Clinicians and researchers could benefit from utilizing the locally developed smell test to screen their patients or research participants before the initiation of an appropriate health intervention or in a clinical trial.
A/Prof Thang Leng Leng
Associate Professor, Dept. of Japanese Studies &
Co-Director, Next Age Institute,
Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences,
National University of Singapore
President, Singapore Gerontological Society
A/Prof Feng Qiushi
Associate Professor and Deputy Head, Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology,
Deputy Director, Centre for Family and Population Research (CFPR),
Assistant Dean of Research, Dean’s Office,
Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences,
National University of Singapore
Although most older adults in Singapore have a strong preference to age-in-place, at the same time, solo-living in the community are known to be associated with higher risk of social isolation. But does living alone at older age necessarily a disadvantage to later life in terms of social connection, health and wellbeing? Are older solo-livers in Singapore a homogeneous group? Using data from the CHI study comprising 924 community-dwelling older adults in Singapore, we found that in general, solo-livers appear similar to those who live with others, although they tend to have lesser social support and slightly higher anxiety. Among the solo-livers, some differences were found between those who were never married and ever married, showing the need to recognize heterogeneity and differing circumstances that may affect one’s wellbeing among the growing size of solo-livers in the population.
Olfactory identification impairment is a comorbidity in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and is a potential marker associated with an early stage of a neurocognitive disorder. The smell test could act as a screening tool to help in the early detection of smell impairment for heterogeneous syndromes of MCI among community-dwelling older adults. Clinicians and researchers could benefit from utilizing the locally developed smell test to screen their patients or research participants before the initiation of an appropriate health intervention or in a clinical trial.
Although most older adults in Singapore have a strong preference to age-in-place, at the same time, solo-living in the community are known to be associated with higher risk of social isolation. But does living alone at older age necessarily a disadvantage to later life in terms of social connection, health and wellbeing? Are older solo-livers in Singapore a homogeneous group? Using data from the CHI study comprising 924 community-dwelling older adults in Singapore, we found that in general, solo-livers appear similar to those who live with others, although they tend to have lesser social support and slightly higher anxiety. Among the solo-livers, some differences were found between those who were never married and ever married, showing the need to recognize heterogeneity and differing circumstances that may affect one’s wellbeing among the growing size of solo-livers in the population.
A/Prof Wilson Tam
Associate Professor and Director of Research,
Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies,
National University of Singapore
Reminiscence-based intervention, through sharing retrospective accounts of one’s past, aims to enhance mental well-being in older adults. A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the feasibility of a narrative and reminiscence intervention (NRi) to improve their mental well-being.
8 and 7 older adults were assigned to the intervention and control group respectively. Intergenerational Relationship, Quality of Life, Loneliness, and Subjective Well-being showed improvement for those subjects in the NRi group who also felt (i) enjoyment of NRi, (ii) delightful in chatting with young people, (iii) worth to recommend NRi to others, and (iv) positive impact of NRi. Larger randomized controlled trial is recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention and translate the evidence into practice.
Asst. Prof Ted Ng Kheng Siang
Assistant Professor, Edson College,
Arizona State University
In the past 9 years, we have piloted two randomized controlled trials (RCTs), showing the salutary effects of two novel non-pharmacological interventions on mindful awareness practice and horticultural therapy, on blood and salivary biomarkers (i.e., inflammatory markers and salivary AD markers) and psycho-social outcomes (i.e., neurocognitive tests and social connectedness). These works thus positions the centre as one of the pioneers using mindfulness- and nature-based interventions to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in older adults. These two RCTs also informed two nationwide community programs in Singapore, the “Age-Well-Everyday Program” and “Therapeutic Gardens”.
Asst. Prof Yu Junhong
Psychology, School of Social Sciences,
Nanyang Technological University
We can study how fast our biological aging clocks tick by calculating the difference (i.e., age-gaps) between machine learning estimations of biological age and chronological age. While this approach has been increasingly used to study various aspects of aging, few had applied this approach to study cognitive and physical age-gaps; not much is known about the behavioural and neurocognitive factors associated with these age-gaps. In the present study, we examined these age-gaps in relation to behavioural phenotypes and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among community-dwelling older adults.
DIRECTIONS
By MRT:
Kent Ridge MRT (Circle Line)
By Bus:
Bus Stop along South Buona Vista Road
(SBS Transit Bus Service No. 92, 92A, 92B or 200)
By Car:
Parking is available at Kent Ridge Wing Carpark (chargeable)
Please refer to this guide for exact directions to NUHS Tower Block
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