SSR Seminar Series: NUS Social Work Students’ Honours Theses Presentations 2024
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About this Webinar
In our annual webinar featuring honours theses presentations by three NUS Social Work graduates, we focus on youth-related topics, including post-breakup distress, social media usage, and programme participation of youth-at-risk. The presenters will also discuss the implications of their research on social work practice in Singapore.
The Relationship between Attachment Style and Counterfactual Thinking on Post-Breakup Distress
This study explores how attachment style and counterfactual thinking influence post-breakup distress levels. Previous research has indicated that attachment style significantly impacts emotional responses to breakups, with anxiously attached individuals often experiencing heightened distress and securely attached individuals demonstrating resilience. Counterfactual thinking, a process of reflecting on ‘what might have been,’ can either exacerbate or alleviate distress, depending on its direction—downward or upward. While the results did not yield statistically significant outcomes, the descriptive data reinforce past findings: anxiously attached individuals tend to experience higher levels of post-breakup distress, while securely attached individuals report lower levels. Additionally, the descriptive statistics suggest that downward counterfactual thinking is associated with increased distress post-breakup. However, contrary to expectations, upward counterfactual thinking did not significantly reduce distress levels. These findings underscore the complexity of post-breakup emotional processes and suggest avenues for future research into therapeutic interventions.
Jennifer is a passionate researcher in the field of applied social psychology. She is currently pursuing her PhD in psychology at SMU, where she is also a proud recipient of the SMU Research Scholarship. Jennifer's research interest (inspired by her personal experience) lies in relationship science, the scientific study of romantic relationships. Her ultimate goal is to use psychological research to improve relationship well-being and alleviate the pain of relationship dissolution. Jennifer's research skills have been honed through her experiences as a research assistant in various academic settings. She recently graduated from NUS with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours), where she double majored in social work and psychology and minored in forensic science.
An Exploratory Study on Youth Workers’ Perception of Youths’ Social Media Usage
This qualitative study explores youth workers’ perspectives on social media and their role in it, an area with limited existing research in Singapore. In recent years, social media has become an integral part of youths’ lives and heavily influences them. Existing literature underscored the duality of social media, which offers both benefits and harm to youth. It also elaborated on digital youth work in European countries and how it can lead to positive developmental outcomes. The study’s findings aligned with the literature in that social media presents opportunities and risks. It also revealed that youth workers currently engage youths through social media, but often lack the necessary competence and experience in integrating it effectively into their practice. These findings have important implications for policymakers and youth service organisations to upskill youth workers and harness the potential of digital platforms while working with youths.
Shirley recently graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours in Social Work. She has a keen interest in working with youths as adolescence is a crucial development period. As someone who uses social media on a day-to-day basis, she became intrigued by its impact on youth development. This curiosity fueled her thesis research, focusing on the interaction between social media and youths, and how youth workers can effectively intervene in this dynamic landscape. She hopes that digital youth work can be incorporated in the field of youth work and serve to positively develop youths.
Promoting Youth-At-Risk Participation in Programmes
Professionals face a significant challenge in ensuring youth participation in programmes. Given the vulnerability of youths to risky behaviours and situations, their participation in programmes – namely attendance and engagement – is crucial for programme effectiveness. Therefore, this study serves to explore the facilitators and barriers promoting youth participation in programmes to highlight the importance of removing barriers and applying the facilitators in programmes to promote youth participation in programmes so that the youths can reap the full benefits of the programme.
Insyirah graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours in Social Work from the National University of Singapore. Her internship at a youth agency sparked her passion for researching ways to maximize at-risk youth's participation in programs. She firmly believes that the degree of youth participation directly influences program effectiveness. She hopes that her research can significantly benefit social and youth workers, equipping them with knowledge to better engage youths and enhance program outcomes.
Lecturer
Department of Social Work
National University of Singapore
Alvin is a Lecturer with NUS Department of Social Work. Prior to joining academia, he spent almost two decades in the social service sector. Over the years, Alvin had led, managed and practised social work in diverse settings including Family Service Centre, Family Violence Specialist Centre, acute hospital and children’s home.
For enquiries, please contact Mr Asher Goh.