For World Mental Health Day in 2023, Lepak Conversations (LC) organised “Are You OK, Bro?” to discuss the state of mental health among Malay men in Singapore.
While the panel discussion and post-event survey shed some light on the perception of mental health issues and help-seeking practices of Malay men in Singapore, there is a glaring lack of qualitative research in the literature on their help-seeking attitudes and behaviours.
LC conducted a qualitative study from October 2023 to November 2024 with two community events in collaboration with Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) as well as Club HEAL, and a focus group discussion (FGD) with 20 Malay men from diverse backgrounds.
Key findings from the report include:
Multitude of roles: Being the ‘head of the family’ and the provider in a relationship was a common factor that resulted in the panellists and participants neglecting their mental health.
Cultural norms and religious beliefs: The views of Malay men might be influenced by deeply ingrained cultural norms, religious beliefs and gender stereotypes. The reluctance to seek psychiatric treatments and reliance on alternative medicine or religious practices delay diagnosis and hinder early mental health treatment, potentially worsening recovery.
Fear of being weak: 80% of the FGD participants agreed that there is a negative image placed upon those who reveal their emotions. 45% of the participants expressed hesitancy to discuss or talk about their mental health challenges due to shame, judgement and fear of misunderstanding, with only 56.3% indicating their willingness to converse about mental health with other men.
Lack of support: There is a perceived lack of safe spaces, social connections, and coping mechanisms that men can depend on.
Download the full report here.