Family carers' experiences of providing care for their adult relative with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems in Singapore.
Singaporean carers of adults with ID and mental health problems want closer partnership with specialist services and practical training to manage symptoms.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ee et al. (2022) talked to family carers in Singapore. All carers looked after an adult with both intellectual disability and mental health problems.
The team used long interviews. They asked how carers spotted mental health signs and what help they wanted.
What they found
Carers said it was hard to tell mental health symptoms from disability traits. They trusted specialist doctors and medicine, but felt alone.
They worried about stigma in public. They also had no plan for the future when they could no longer care.
How this fits with other research
Older UK surveys already showed the load is heaviest when ID and mental illness mix. Burford et al. (2003) and Martorell et al. (2011) both used numbers to prove carers feel more strain than with ID alone.
The new study adds the carer voice. It shows why the load is high: carers cannot read symptoms and get little guidance.
Baker et al. (2025) pooled 23 studies and found families want to be treated as partners. Jonathan et al. echo this call in Singapore, showing the wish is global.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with dual diagnosis, expect carers to miss early warning signs. Offer plain-language symptom checklists and invite carers to team meetings. A small step like a monthly joint call can cut their stress and boost client care.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Families in Singapore are primarily involved in the care of their relatives with intellectual disabilities and the study aimed to explore their experiences taking care of their relatives with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems. METHOD: Nine unpaid family carers were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. RESULTS: Analysis revealed four themes 1) Making sense of behaviours; 2) Staff are the experts; 3) Public reaction and 4) Worries and hopes for the future. CONCLUSIONS: Family carers found it difficult to identify and manage the mental health symptoms of their relatives and sought help from specialist mental health professionals. They were satisfied with the specialist services and found psychotropic medication helpful to reduce the symptoms. Family carers expressed worries about their relative not being accepted by the public and did not make future care plans. More resources are needed to increase accessibility of specialist mental health services for people with intellectual disabilities. It is recommended for service providers to collaborate with family carers and provide them with resources and skills to empower them to care for their relatives with intellectual disabilities.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104241