Singapore will commemorate Father’s Day on 20th June this year. The celebration was adopted from the West and seeks to honor fatherhood and the influence of fathers on family ties and the larger society. While it is not a public holiday in Singapore, Father’s Day is still observed annually in the country. The celebration aims to remind Singaporeans of the importance of familial ties and provides an opportunity for families to foster stronger relationships.

The Straits Times highlighted a study investigating the effects of the family on developmental outcomes of children in Singapore by Professor Jean Yeung (NUS Sociology and Center for Family and Population Research) and NUS Sociology PhD student Shuya Lu. As part of Prof Yeung’s larger SG-LEADS project, the study discovered that economic hardships and distress levels at home had a statistically significant impact on developmental outcomes in children.

The study compared children between the ages of three and six with foreign-born mothers and Singapore-born fathers and peers whose parents are both Singapore-born.

The study asserts that families which experience a higher level of financial pressure are associated with greater emotional and psychological distress. This in turn increases the chances of family conflict. Higher levels of stressors at home are associated with punitive or less warm parenting behavior. Such parenting behavior could lead to children exhibiting behavioral problems.

During interviews with 2,259 mothers of children aged between three and six, mothers were asked how often their children displayed a particular behavior. The researchers discovered a difference between children with a foreign-born mother and a Singapore-born father and children with both Singapore-born parents. The results of the interviews suggest that children with high levels of stressors at home exhibited more behavioral problems such as showing disobedience, telling lies, and losing their temper.

Prof Yeung emphasizes that the study does not aim to attribute children’s behavioral problems to their mother’s origins. When adjusted for income level and emotional distress at home, she notes that children with both Singapore-born parents exhibit the same level of behavioral problems as children with a foreign-born mother and a father born in Singapore. This suggests that economic hardship and emotional distress levels at home have a significant impact on children’s developmental outcomes instead of the origins of their parents.

Prof Yeung points out significant gaps in research examining the impact of emotional distress and economic hardship on the development of their children in Singapore. She argues that the results of the study highlight an urgent need for policies aimed at alleviating financial pressure and reducing emotional distress at home. In the long run, these policies could level the playing field, strengthen family relationships, and improve developmental outcomes in children.

Read the article here!