PUBLICATION

Advancing Mental Well-Being
Through Research

Our publications share research, clinical insights, and multidisciplinary perspectives that advance mental well-being, resilience, and healthy ageing across communities. Through evidence-based knowledge and collaboration, we aim to inspire learning, innovation, and meaningful community impact.

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Showing 98 results
  • Cognitive Decline
  • Asia-Pacific Psychiatry,
  • 2022

A 5-year community program in Singapore to prevent cognitive decline

  • Ng, T. K. S., Feng, L., Chua, R. Y., Goh, L. G., Kua, E. H., & Mahendran, R
  • DOI: 10.1111/appy.12518
This five-year follow-up study looked at a Singapore community programme offering mindfulness, gardening, art, and choir singing, comparing long-term thinking-skill outcomes between those who took part and those who did not.
  • Cognitive Decline
  • Neurobiology of Aging,
  • 2022

Differences between multimodal brain-age and chronological-age are linked to telomere shortening

  • Yu, J., Mathi Kanchi, M., Rawtaer, I., Feng, L., Kumar, A. P., Kua, E. H., & Mahendran, R
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.03.015
Using brain scans and computer models, this study found that a bigger gap between a person's 'brain age' and their real age was linked to shorter telomeres (a marker of cellular ageing), especially when brain age was estimated from how well-connected different brain regions were.
  • Elderly Mental Health
  • PLoS ONE,
  • 2022

Older adults’ perceptions of government handling of COVID-19: Predictors of protective behaviors from lockdown to post-lockdown

  • Siew, S., Chia, J. L., Mahendran, R., & Yu, J
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263039
This study found that older Singaporeans' trust in the government's COVID-19 response predicted how well they followed safety measures during lockdown, though this link weakened once restrictions eased and clear instructions became more important instead.
  • Nature-Based Interventions
  • Current Opinion in Psychiatry,
  • 2022

The impact of restorative green environment on mental health of big cities and the role of mental health professionals

  • Siah, C. J. R., Kua, E. H., & Goh, Y. S. S
  • DOI: 10.1097/yco.0000000000000778
This paper discusses how green spaces and forests can benefit city dwellers' mental health, highlighting Singapore's therapeutic garden and rainforest projects as examples of mental health experts working with urban planners to build calmer, greener cities.
  • Cognitive Decline, Elderly Mental Health
  • Alzheimers & Dementia,
  • 2021

Effects of novel Cognitive Stimulating Activities (CSAs) on cognition and depression: A 5-year pragmatic and naturalistic study

  • Ng, T. K. S., Chua, R. Y., Feng, L., Goh, L. G., Kua, E. H., & Mahendran, R
  • DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-915114/v1
This five-year follow-up study looked at whether older Singaporeans who had earlier taken part in activities like mindfulness, gardening, art, or choir singing had better thinking skills and fewer depressive symptoms later on, compared with those who hadn't.
  • Nature-Based Interventions, Resilience
  • Urban Forestry & Urban Greening,
  • 2021

The impact of gardening on mental resilience in times of stress: A case study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore

  • Sia, A., Tan, P. Y., Wong, J. C. M., Araib, S., Ang, W. F., & Er, K. B. H
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127448
Surveying almost 9,000 people who took part in a 'Gardening with Edibles' programme during Singapore's COVID-19 restrictions, this study found that those who gardened weekly felt more mentally resilient than others, supporting gardening as a way to cope with stressful times.
  • Youth & Adolescent
  • Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
  • 2021

Parenting behaviors, parenting styles, and non-suicidal self-injury in young people: a systematic review

  • Fong, Z. H., Loh, W. N. C., Fong, Y. J., Neo, H. L. M., & Chee, T. T
  • DOI: 10.1177/13591045211055071
Reviewing 26 studies, this research found that adolescents whose parents were less supportive, more controlling, or harsher were more likely to self-harm without suicidal intent. Most findings relied on teens' own descriptions of their parents' behaviour.
  • Elderly Mental Health
  • American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry,
  • 2021

Directional Effects of Social Isolation and Quality of Life on Anxiety Levels Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults During a COVID-19 Lockdown

  • Siew, S. K. H., Mahendran, R., & Yu, J
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2021.03.012
Tracking over 400 older Singaporeans, this study found that those who were more isolated and had a lower quality of life before the pandemic went on to feel more anxious during the lockdown, identifying them as a group needing extra support in future crises.
  • Family & Caregiving
  • BMC Psychiatry,
  • 2021

Impacts of COVID-19 and Partial Lockdown on Family Functioning, Intergenerational Communication and Associated Psychosocial Factor among Young Adults in Singapore

  • Tam, W. W. S., Poon, S. N., Mahendran, R., Kua, E. H., & Wu, X. V
  • DOI: 10.1186/s12888-021-03599-z
This study looked at how the COVID-19 lockdown affected family relationships and communication between generations among young adults in Singapore, finding that families with a good balance of closeness and flexibility coped better and felt more supported.
  • Cognitive Decline
  • Journal of Psychiatric Research,
  • 2021

Prevalence, risk and protective factors for mild cognitive impairment in a population-based study of Singaporean elderly

  • Liu, L. Y., Lu, Y., Shen, L., Li, C. B., Yu, J. T., Yuan, C. R., Ye, K. X., Chao, Y. X., Shen, Q. F., Mahendran, R., Kua, E. H., Yu, D. H., & Feng, L
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.11.041
In a large Singapore survey, about 1 in 8 elderly people had mild memory problems. Men were more likely to have the type mainly affecting memory, while women were more likely to have the type affecting other thinking skills, like planning or attention.
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