Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Migration, Aging, and Mental Health

The Chinese Elderly in Singapore

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Mental Health, Mental Illness and Migration

Part of the book series: Mental Health and Illness Worldwide ((MHIW))

  • 1876 Accesses

Abstract

Chinese immigrants had arrived in Singapore even before the British established a trading post in 1819. The Chinese diaspora to Southeast Asia in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century was because of the political and social turmoil in China as a consequence of the civil wars.

This chapter discusses the three epidemiological studies on the mental health of Chinese elderly conducted in the last three decades. The first study in 1987 included predominantly immigrants living in the inner city around the Chinatown district. The second study in 1998 comprised immigrants and descendants of immigrants residing in the suburb of Toa Payoh. The third study at the industrial district of Jurong in 2011 included descendants of immigrants and a smaller number of new immigrants. The elderly were all living in public high-rise apartments.

A common problem of all the immigrants was loneliness and this was more evident among those in the suburban and industrial districts. There was better social connectivity among the elderly in Chinatown. The prevalence of dementia in the three studies varied between 2.5% and 5% and depression rates were from 5% to 9% with a lower rate among the Chinatown elderly.

The dementia prevention program launched at Jurong has been very successful to improve the mental well-being and social support of the elderly.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Becker AE, Kleinman A (2013) Mental health and the global agenda. N Engl J Med 369:66–73

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen R, Li W, Zhi H, Xia Q, Copeland JR, Hemingway H (2005) Depression in older people in rural China. Arch Intern Med 165:2019–2025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiu HFK, Lam LC, Chi I, Leung T, Li SW, Law WT, Chung DW, Fung HH, Kan PS, Lum CM, Ng J, Lau J (1998) Prevalence of dementia in Chinese elderly in Hong Kong. Neurology 50:1002–1009

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Copeland JRM, Kelleher MJ, Kelliet JM et al (1976) A semi-structured clinical interview for the assessment of diagnosis and mental state in the elderly. The geriatric mental state schedule. Development and reliability. Psychol Med 6:439–449

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Copeland JRM, Dewey ME, Griffiths-Jones HM (1986) Computerised psychiatric diagnostic system and case nomenclature for elderly subjects: GMS and AGECAT. Psychol Med 16:89–99

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Copeland J, Dewey M, Wood N, Searle R, Davidson I, Mc William C (1987) Range of mental illness among the elderly in the community: prevalence in Liverpool using the GMS-AGECAT package. Br J Psychiatry 150:815–822

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer MMJ (2015) Ethnography for aging societies: dignity, cultural genres, and Singapore’s imagined futures. Am Ethnol 42:207–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH (1990) The health of elderly Chinese living in the community. Singap Med J 31:111–115

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH (1992) A community study of mental disorders in elderly Singaporean Chinese using the GMS-AGECAT package. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 26:502–506

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH (1994) Ageing and old age. Singapore University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH (2004) Focus on psychiatry in Singapore. Br J Psychiatry 185:70–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH (2010) The aging brain and mind: cultural and anthropological perspectives. In: Krishnamoorthy ES, Prince M, Cummings JL (eds) Dementia – a global approach. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH (2017) Colours of ageing. Write Ediction, Singapore

    Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH, Ko SM (1992) A questionnaire to screen for cognitive impairment among elderly people in developing countries. Acta Psychiatr Scand 85:119–122

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH, Mahendran R (2017) Epidemiology of mental disorders (inclding cross-cultural comparisons). In: Chiu H, Shulman K (eds) Mental health and illness of the elderly. Springer, Singapore

    Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH, Sia A (2017) Green urbanism and mental health. In: Jorgensen M, Okkels N, Kristiansen CB (eds) Mental health and illness in the city. Springer, Singapore

    Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH, Tan SL (1997) Stress of caregivers of dementia patients in the Singapore Chinese family. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 12:466–469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH, Tan CH (2005) Traditional Chinese medicine in psychiatric practice in Singapore. International Psychiatry 8:7–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH, Tan SL, Ko SM, Lee KS (1997) The NUH memory clinic. Singap Med J 38:112–115

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH, Ng TP, Goh LG (2004) Long lives. Armour Publishing, Singapore

    Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH, Mahendran R, Feng L, Tian X, Ng TP (2013) Preventive psychiatry in late life: studies on depression and dementia from the Singapore Gerontological research program. Taiwan J Psychaitry 27:267–275

    Google Scholar 

  • Kua EH, Ho E, Tan HH, Tsoi C, Thng C, Mahendran R (2014) The natural history of dementia. Psychigeriatrics 14:196–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kwa CG, Kua BL (2019) A general history of the Chinese in Singapore. World Scientific, Singapore

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lee R, Wong J, Wong LS, Gandhi M, Feng L, Kua EH, Rawtaer I, Mahendran R (2019) Art therapy for the prevention of cognitive decline. Arts Therapy 64:21–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Li YY, Sartorius N, Herrman H, Chong MY, Tao L, Huang Y, Kua EH (2017) Teachers of psychiatry meeting in Chengdu. Asia Pac Psychiatry 9. https://doi.org/10.1111/appy.12306

  • Lim L, Kua EH (2011) Living alone, loneliness and psychological Well-being of older persons in Singapore. Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/673181

  • Lim LL, Ng TP (2010) Living alone, lack of a confidant and psychological well-being of elderly women in Singapore: the mediating role of loneliness. Asia Pac Psychiatry 2:33–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu CK, Lai CL, Tai CT, Lin RT, Yen YY, Howng SL (1996) Incidence and subtypes of dementia in southern Taiwan: impact of socio-demographic factors. Neurology 50:1572–1579

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahendran R, Moorakonda RB, Wong J, Kanchi MM, Fam J, Rawtaer I, Kumar AP, Feng L, Kua EH (2018) Art therapy is associated withsustained improvement in cognitive function in the elderly with mild neurocognitive disorder: findings from a pilot randomized comtrolled trial for art therapy and music reminiscence activity versus usual care. Trials 19:615. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-018-2988-6

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McDougall FA, Kvaal K, Matthews FE, Paykel E, Jones PB, Dewey ME, Brayne C (2007) Prevalence of depression in older people in England and Wales: the MRC CFA study. Psychol Med 37:1787–1795

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng KST, Sia A, Ng MKW, Tan CTY, Chan HY, Tan CH, Rawtaer I, Feng L, Mahendran R, Larbi A, Kua EH, Ho RCM (2018) Effects of horticultural therapy in Asian older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Environ Res 15:1705. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15081705

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Niti MM, Yap KB, Kua EH, Tan CH, Ng TP (2008) Physical, social and productive leisure activitie, cognitive decline and interaction with APOE-epsilon 4 genotype in Chinese older adults. Int Psychogeriatr 20:237–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rawtaer I, Feng L, Fam J, Kua EH, Mahendran R (2015) Psychosocial interventions with art, music, tai-chi and mindfulness for subsyndromal depression and anxiety in older adults: a naturalistic study in Singapore. Asia Pac Psychiatry 7:240–250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (1978) Mental disorders glossary and guide to their classification in accordance with the ninth rvision of the international classification of disorders. World Health Organization, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu DX, Feng L, Yao SQ, Tian XF, Mahendran R, Kua EH (2014) The early dementia prevention programme in Singapore. Lancet Psychiatry 1:9–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang ZX, Zahner GE, Roman GC, Liu J, Hong Z, Qu QM, Liu XH, Zhang XJ, Zhou B, Wu CB, Tang MN, Hong X, Li H (2005) Dementia subtypes in China: prevalence in Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, and Chengdu. Arch Neurol 62:447–453

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Ee Heok Kua & Rathi Mahendran

Authors
  1. Ee Heok Kua
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rathi Mahendran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ee Heok Kua .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Rushd University Psychiatric Centre, Casablanca, Morocco

    Driss Moussaoui

  2. Centre for Affective Disorders, IoPPN, Kings College, London, UK

    Dinesh Bhugra

  3. School of Psychology, University of East London and Centre for Psychiatry, within the Wolfson Institute for Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    Rachel Tribe

  4. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy

    Antonio Ventriglio

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Kua, E.H., Mahendran, R. (2021). Migration, Aging, and Mental Health. In: Moussaoui, D., Bhugra, D., Tribe, R., Ventriglio, A. (eds) Mental Health, Mental Illness and Migration. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2366-8_27

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation