Profiles of disability among youths in Singapore and their link to psychological distress and health care utilization - Takeaways - MDSpire

Profiles of disability among youths in Singapore and their link to psychological distress and health care utilization

  • By

  • Edimansyah Abdin

  • Bernard Tan

  • Sherilyn Chang

  • Ellaisha Samari

  • Brian Tan

  • Charmaine Tang

  • Janhavi Vaingankar

  • Swapna Verma

  • Mythily Subramaniam

  • June 1, 2026

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    The study identified four disability classes among Singaporean youth: high difficulty, moderate social and functional difficulty, high physical and cognitive difficulty, and no/low difficulty.

  • 2

    Youth in the high difficulty class were more likely to be of Malay and Indian ethnicity and had lower educational attainment compared to those in the no/low difficulty class.

  • 3

    High difficulty youth exhibited significantly higher odds of moderate and severe depression and anxiety compared to those with no/low difficulty.

  • 4

    Youth with high and moderate social and functional difficulties had increased healthcare utilization, including hospital admissions and emergency visits.

  • 5

    The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support Singaporean youth experiencing functional difficulties and psychological distress.

Original Source(s)

Profiles of disability among youths in Singapore and their link to psychological distress and health care utilization

  • by Edimansyah Abdin, Bernard Tan, Sherilyn Chang, Ellaisha Samari, Brian Tan, Charmaine Tang, Janhavi Vaingankar, Swapna Verma, Mythily Subramaniam

  • June 1, 2026

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