Jonathan Kuek

Introduction:
In occupational therapy, emphasis is placed on the complex interplay between the client, the occupation and the environment, providing an opportunity for its practitioners to adopt recovery-oriented outcomes in interventions for people with mental health conditions. In this study, we seek to understand occupational therapy undergraduates’ perceptions of recovery for people with mental health conditions.
Method:
A qualitative descriptive study was conducted at a university… Show more

Introduction:
In occupational therapy, emphasis is placed on the complex interplay between the client, the occupation and the environment, providing an opportunity for its practitioners to adopt recovery-oriented outcomes in interventions for people with mental health conditions. In this study, we seek to understand occupational therapy undergraduates’ perceptions of recovery for people with mental health conditions.
Method:
A qualitative descriptive study was conducted at a university in Singapore, which provides a pre-registration occupational therapy programme. Seventeen undergraduates were recruited (year 1, n = 5; year 2, n = 7 and year 3, n = 5). A semi-structured interview guide was used during the interview. Data collection took place from June to August 2022.
Results:
Using thematic analysis, two macro themes were discerned: the understanding of mental health conditions and the meanings of recovery. Sub-themes were created under each grouping to describe the data.
Conclusions:
This study explored the perceptions of mental health recovery among occupational therapy undergraduates. Occupational therapy students appeared to be well-aligned with personal and functional recovery perspectives when providing support for people with mental health conditions. However, there seems to be a need to emphasise the more nuanced aspects of delivering care within the culturally diverse setting of Singapore. Show less

Background
Mental health recovery has shifted from clinical conceptualizations to more personal ones. However, much of the lived experience literature has focused on people living with mental health conditions, and less attention has been placed on various mental health professionals, especially in Asian countries, where the personal recovery literature base is in its nascent stage.

Aim
We sought to contribute to a growing body of work by exploring recovery from the lens of… Show more

Background
Mental health recovery has shifted from clinical conceptualizations to more personal ones. However, much of the lived experience literature has focused on people living with mental health conditions, and less attention has been placed on various mental health professionals, especially in Asian countries, where the personal recovery literature base is in its nascent stage.

Aim
We sought to contribute to a growing body of work by exploring recovery from the lens of different mental health professionals in Singapore.

Methods
Mental health professionals in Singapore were invited to participate in an online interview through social media. The recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a constructive grounded theory approach.

Results
Nineteen participants were interviewed. A single core category, “living in society once more”, and three categories, “An ongoing process”, “Regaining ability to function in society”, and “A normality report card” were identified from our data.

Conclusions
Recovery within the Singapore mental health professional perspective focuses on helping individuals return to society and function productively while considering existing societal norms such as the highly competitive and pragmatic culture in Singapore. Future research can explore in greater depth the impact of these factors on the recovery process. Show less

Background: Since the 1990s, the mental healthcare field has begun shifting to conceptualisations of personal mental health recovery, emphasising the heterogeneous nature of how people develop and overcome the difficulties associated with mental ill health. Despite three decades of research on the topic, most recovery-oriented studies have been conducted in predominantly Western cultures, lacking the necessary nuances when applied in Asian settings.

Aims: We sought to contribute to a… Show more

Background: Since the 1990s, the mental healthcare field has begun shifting to conceptualisations of personal mental health recovery, emphasising the heterogeneous nature of how people develop and overcome the difficulties associated with mental ill health. Despite three decades of research on the topic, most recovery-oriented studies have been conducted in predominantly Western cultures, lacking the necessary nuances when applied in Asian settings.

Aims: We sought to contribute to a growing body of research to fill this gap by exploring the experiences of people who experience mental ill-health in Singapore.

Method: We adopted a constructivist grounded theory approach and interviewed 21 people who had been diagnosed as experiencing a mental health condition.

Results: The core category emerging from interview participant perspectives was a ‘roller coaster ride of confusion’. This overarching category was made up of the following four sub-categories – ‘not understanding what was happening’, ‘losing control over self’, ‘unpacking the root of challenges’ and ‘trying to make sense of the situation’.

Conclusions: Taken together, the journey of a person experiencing mental health recovery in Singapore is filled with obstacles and uncertainty due to various social and cultural influences such as family pressures, the competitiveness of society and the high-pressure nature of Singapore’s educational system. Future research needs to better understand if these are generalisable experiences, and interventions to mitigate their impact need to be explored. Given the strong societal influences, change will take time. Still, this study gives a voice to the lived experiences of people who face mental health challenges in Singapore in the hope that their insights may assist future generations in developing a more mentally healthy society. Show less

Introduction: The increasing recognition and need for recovery-oriented services led to the heightened interests of peer-support services globally, including Asia. However, little is known about the peer-support services in Asia as compared to the West, where peer-support services primarily originated from and are well established.

Aim: To examine available evidence on the implementation of peer-support services for such consumers in Asia.

Method: This scoping review was based on… Show more

Introduction: The increasing recognition and need for recovery-oriented services led to the heightened interests of peer-support services globally, including Asia. However, little is known about the peer-support services in Asia as compared to the West, where peer-support services primarily originated from and are well established.

Aim: To examine available evidence on the implementation of peer-support services for such consumers in Asia.

Method: This scoping review was based on the Arksey & O′Malley's framework. A comprehensive search was performed across seven electronic databases. The grey literature was also searched through Open Grey and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses, alongside hand searching of the reference of the studies. Articles searched was from January 2000 to December 2021.

Results: Three main themes were identified to provide an overview on peer-support services for mental health consumers in Asia: the delivery of such services in Asia; Asian consumers' perceptions of them; and factors affecting their implementation.

Discussion: Given their relative novelty in Asia, findings from this review represent useful insights for organizations and policy administrators when formulating such services.

Implications for Practice: Future research should also focus on evaluating the effectiveness of such services in Asia and comparing their outcomes with other regions. Show less

Background: Peers support specialists have positive impacts on the mental health of their service users. However, less is known about how their mental health changes as a result of their activities.

Methods: We followed 10 peer support specialists over their first year of employment and interviewed them thrice. We used grounded theory to analyse the way in which the health of participants changed.

Results: Self-reported mental health of our participants did not change over the… Show more

Background: Peers support specialists have positive impacts on the mental health of their service users. However, less is known about how their mental health changes as a result of their activities.

Methods: We followed 10 peer support specialists over their first year of employment and interviewed them thrice. We used grounded theory to analyse the way in which the health of participants changed.

Results: Self-reported mental health of our participants did not change over the course of the study. However, the role did help participants grow and learn about their condition and their strengths. While sharing their past experiences could be taxing, they learned how to harness their recovery journey without risking relapse.

Conclusion: Entering the role of a peer support specialist does not appear to negatively impact mental health, but might enhance insight and resilience. However, this appears to occur in individuals who already possess an inclination toward introspection. Show less

Purpose: Contemporary interpretations of mental health recovery emphasize the need to understand better the lived experience of people with mental health conditions and how they define the idea of recovery. While traction for such ideas has been building in many western countries, the recovery movement is still in its early stages within most Asian countries. Hence, this study aims to add to this growing effort by understanding various factors that influence the recovery of people with mental… Show more

Purpose: Contemporary interpretations of mental health recovery emphasize the need to understand better the lived experience of people with mental health conditions and how they define the idea of recovery. While traction for such ideas has been building in many western countries, the recovery movement is still in its early stages within most Asian countries. Hence, this study aims to add to this growing effort by understanding various factors that influence the recovery of people with mental health conditions in Singapore.

Design/methodology/approach: Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis was used on the qualitative data provided by 21 participants.

Findings: Four themes were revealed: double-edged nature of social support, challenges accessing mental health support, personalized coping strategies and societal influences. As a result, the authors could better understand various factors that influenced the recovery process of people with mental health conditions in Singapore, such as the high costs and low levels of literacy regarding pathways to mental health services. In addition, the importance of societal influences on mental health recovery was highlighted, and their impact could be seen through the participants’ sharing.

Research limitations/implications: These findings form a foundation from which future research and recovery-oriented interventions can work from to provide more tailored approaches to supporting people with mental health conditions.

Originality/value: This study identified cultural nuances to notions of recovery that are commonly found in personal recovery constructs that need to be considered when working within culturally diverse populations. Show less

The conceptualisation of recovery in mental healthcare, for which two definitions (‘clinical’ and ‘personal’) prevail, remains inconclusive. In most curricula of medical education, undergraduates are taught straightforward concepts of clinical recovery, which result in their perfunctory and rudimentary understanding. A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted to explore medical undergraduates’ perceptions of recovery for people with mental health conditions. Participants were recruited from… Show more

The conceptualisation of recovery in mental healthcare, for which two definitions (‘clinical’ and ‘personal’) prevail, remains inconclusive. In most curricula of medical education, undergraduates are taught straightforward concepts of clinical recovery, which result in their perfunctory and rudimentary understanding. A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted to explore medical undergraduates’ perceptions of recovery for people with mental health conditions. Participants were recruited from a Singapore-based university through convenience sampling; the required sample size was determined by data saturation. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted through Zoom, an online conferencing platform using semi-structured questions from March to July 2021. Recordings of the interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist guided the reporting of this study. Seventeen medical students with the majority (fifteen) of them in their fourth year of medical undergraduate education participated in this study. Four themes were identified: the relationship between mental illnesses and well-being; opinions on mental well-being; understanding of mental illnesses; and perceptions of recovery from mental illnesses. The medical undergraduates in this study predominantly conceptualised recovery based on functions, although many also agreed on respecting patients’ perspectives in defining it. This aligns with contemporary approaches that emphasise more shared decision-making opportunities and empowering people with mental health conditions. Accordingly, our findings highlighted the need for foundational medical education to incorporate these constructs in their curricula and strategise to provide more meaningful discussions about them. Show less

Background:
Despite health behavioral change interventions targeting modifiable lifestyle factors underlying chronic diseases, dropouts and nonadherence of individuals have remained high. The rapid development of machine learning (ML) in recent years, alongside its ability to provide readily available personalized experience for users, holds much potential for success in health promotion and behavioral change interventions.
Objective:
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of… Show more

Background:
Despite health behavioral change interventions targeting modifiable lifestyle factors underlying chronic diseases, dropouts and nonadherence of individuals have remained high. The rapid development of machine learning (ML) in recent years, alongside its ability to provide readily available personalized experience for users, holds much potential for success in health promotion and behavioral change interventions.
Objective:
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the existing research on ML applications and harness their potential in health promotion and behavioral change interventions.
Results:
A total of 29 articles were included in this review. Three themes were generated, which are as follows: (1) enablers, which is the adoption of information technology for optimizing systemic operation; (2) challenges, which comprises the various hurdles and limitations presented in the articles; and (3) future directions, which explores prospective strategies in health promotion through ML.
Conclusions:
The challenges pertained to not only the time- and resource-consuming nature of ML-based applications, but also the burden on users for data input and the degree of personalization. Future works may consider designs that correspondingly mitigate these challenges in areas that receive limited attention, such as smoking and mental health. Show less

The personal recovery movement is beginning to gain traction within Singapore's mental healthcare systems. We believe it is timely to give a broad overview of how it developed and provide suggestions on how it can evolve further. From the early custodial care in the 1800s to the community-centric programmes of the 1900s and early 2000s, we now find ourselves at the forefront of yet another paradigm shift towards a more consumer-centric model of care. The following decades will allow personal… Show more

The personal recovery movement is beginning to gain traction within Singapore's mental healthcare systems. We believe it is timely to give a broad overview of how it developed and provide suggestions on how it can evolve further. From the early custodial care in the 1800s to the community-centric programmes of the 1900s and early 2000s, we now find ourselves at the forefront of yet another paradigm shift towards a more consumer-centric model of care. The following decades will allow personal recovery practitioners and researchers to innovate and identify unique but culturally appropriate care frameworks. We also discuss how the movement can continue to complement existing mental healthcare systems and efforts. Show less

The current study seeks to determine how peer support roles change as peer support specialists' positions within organizations and departments mature. We followed ten peer support specialists over the course of a year, interviewing them at three points, starting approximately three months after they began working as peer support specialists. We used an inductive process to analyze our data and followed guidelines on the structuring of longitudinal qualitative trajectories to divide the data… Show more

The current study seeks to determine how peer support roles change as peer support specialists' positions within organizations and departments mature. We followed ten peer support specialists over the course of a year, interviewing them at three points, starting approximately three months after they began working as peer support specialists. We used an inductive process to analyze our data and followed guidelines on the structuring of longitudinal qualitative trajectories to divide the data into watershed moments. Our participants worked in a variety of departments in the hospital, and their service use experiences generally echo those of their service users. Participants appear to pass through four phases over the course of their employment as peers: early beginnings, establishing the role, role narrowing, and role sustainability. Services wishing to integrate new peers must be aware of the time required for integration. Having general job descriptions limited to specifying that peers are expected to use their lived experience to support current service users may lead to uncertainty amongst new and existing staff. Without role clarity, peers may struggle to find their place. Pairing new staff with mentors may limit this burden. As roles consolidate, boundaries may emerge. If these boundaries narrow the role of the PSS, they may no longer find the role appealing. They may then choose other caregiver roles with wider or different spheres of influence. Organizations may benefit by clearly indicating if they expect peer support positions to be static or transitionary. Show less

BACKGROUND: Recovery in mental health remains inconclusive where the two most prevailing definitions “clinical” and “personal” remain. In nursing schools, students are predominantly taught straightforward concepts of clinical recovery, which result in only a perfunctory and rudimentary understanding of recovery among the undergraduates.

AIMS: To explore the perceptions of nursing undergraduates on recovery for people experiencing mental health conditions.

METHOD: A descriptive… Show more

BACKGROUND: Recovery in mental health remains inconclusive where the two most prevailing definitions “clinical” and “personal” remain. In nursing schools, students are predominantly taught straightforward concepts of clinical recovery, which result in only a perfunctory and rudimentary understanding of recovery among the undergraduates.

AIMS: To explore the perceptions of nursing undergraduates on recovery for people experiencing mental health conditions.

METHOD: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted on 14 nursing undergraduates from Years 1 to 4 of the study. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling, and the required sample size was determined by data saturation. Semistructured questions were used during the individual face-to-face interviews from October and December 2019. Recordings were transcribed verbatim; the transcripts were then subjected to thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Three themes were identified to support the research questions: (1) semantics of major terms used in mental health care—where participants provided the description of terminologies used; (2) the meaning of recovery—where participants explained their views on “recovery”; and (3) sources of conceptualization—where participants explained their conceptual understanding on mental health conditions and recovery.

CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the need for a more holistic approach encompassing personal recovery should be included in the nursing curriculum. This is necessary to promote enabling support in the recovery of people experiencing mental health conditions beyond medical interventions. Show less

Background: Peer support workers are an important addition to the mental healthcare profession. However, much of the literature and knowledge of the peer support role is derived from western countries. This concept is relatively new in Asian countries.

Aims: The study sought to improve the understanding of the barriers and facilitators of peer support work in a large psychiatric hospital in Singapore.

Methods: This study used qualitative data from a larger mixed-methods study… Show more

Background: Peer support workers are an important addition to the mental healthcare profession. However, much of the literature and knowledge of the peer support role is derived from western countries. This concept is relatively new in Asian countries.

Aims: The study sought to improve the understanding of the barriers and facilitators of peer support work in a large psychiatric hospital in Singapore.

Methods: This study used qualitative data from a larger mixed-methods study. Thematic analysis was conducted based on the five steps recommended by Braun and Clarke (2006): (1) familiarisation of data whereby transcripts were read and reread, (2) generating initial codes, (3) searching for themes by gathering relevant codes, (4) reviewing themes and (5) defining and naming themes.

Results: Four subthemes under the broader notion of facilitators (supportive figures, defined role, opportunities for personal growth and identifying personalised coping strategies) and three subthemes under the concept of barriers (unclear role, hostility from non-peer-support-specialist staff and unsupportive working environments) were identified.

Conclusion: Our findings echoed those of previous studies conducted in western countries providing some evidences for the cross-cultural nature of these barriers and facilitators. However, the way their impact can be mitigated or enhanced is likely to be different owing to cultural barriers, such as the general consensus and acceptance of larger personal recovery ideologies. Further research is required in community settings to better understand the boundaries and limitations of our findings. This information will allow us to continue improving peer support worker integration in diverse mental healthcare settings. Show less

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the challenges the world is facing right now. It has seen an unparalleled spread within a short span of time, and claimed victims in many parts of the world. As the number of confirmed cases skyrockets exponentially, a recent surge of 'bad' behaviours such as xenophobia attacks, propagation of misinformation, and panic-buying of essential items have become increasingly commonplace. Panic and chaos reigned as the world witnessed unprecedented… Show more

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the challenges the world is facing right now. It has seen an unparalleled spread within a short span of time, and claimed victims in many parts of the world. As the number of confirmed cases skyrockets exponentially, a recent surge of 'bad' behaviours such as xenophobia attacks, propagation of misinformation, and panic-buying of essential items have become increasingly commonplace. Panic and chaos reigned as the world witnessed unprecedented moves by countries to close their borders and implement strict quarantine orders in a desperate attempt to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

COVID-19 has impacted many different aspects of society, from politics and economics to the psychological well-being of citizens, and the list will continue to grow as the spread of the coronavirus persist. While it is impossible to fathom the way COVID-19 will change our usual way of life, there are prevailing concerns that the community currently faces. What are the psychological impacts of a pandemic? How do we enhance the collective resilience of the community during a pandemic? How do we cope with mental health issues during a pandemic? How do we deal with bereavement during a pandemic? How can we support healthcare workers and emergency responders during a pandemic?

These are just some of many important concerns that influence the way we cope with the COVID-19 outbreak. There is therefore an urgent need to enhance our understanding and level of preparedness against Covid-19 and pandemic in general. To that end, this edited book, How to Prepare for the Next Pandemic: Behavioural Sciences Insights for Practitioners and Policymakers aims to examine the impacts pandemic have on our society from a behavioural sciences perspective, and to identify solutions that practitioners and policymakers can adopt to combat the spread of COVID-19 in this new operating environment. Show less

Background: Personal recovery is a relatively novel concept in many Asian countries, and recovery-oriented interventions are usually adapted from western conceptualizations of recovery.

Aim: To understand what personal recovery in mental health means to people in Asia, what meanings they give to their conditions, and what factors they perceive as hindering or facilitating their recovery.

Method: The review focused on peer-reviewed papers published in English between the years 2000… Show more

Background: Personal recovery is a relatively novel concept in many Asian countries, and recovery-oriented interventions are usually adapted from western conceptualizations of recovery.

Aim: To understand what personal recovery in mental health means to people in Asia, what meanings they give to their conditions, and what factors they perceive as hindering or facilitating their recovery.

Method: The review focused on peer-reviewed papers published in English between the years 2000 and 2020. Arksey and O’Malley 5-stage method was used to guide the review.

Results: Thirty studies were included. Personal recovery in Asia meant a return to a pre-illness state and involved a transformative process. Mental illness was explained as being biomedically oriented, although religious/culturally bound explanations were also present in some studies. Social support, religion, meaningful activities, supportive professionals, and personalized coping strategies were viewed as supporting recovery. Religious stigma, discrimination, gendered norms, and negative societal perceptions of mental illness hindered recovery.

Conclusions: The concept of personal recovery in Asia is extremely diverse. Studies exploring personal recovery among people experiencing mental illness in Asia remains in its early stages and more research is needed to better understand how it is conceptualized. Such knowledge could benefit frontline implementation of recovery-oriented services. Show less

Background: Despite a growing body of research exploring the application of recovery-oriented models of mental healthcare in Asia, few studies have sought to illuminate people’s experiences of mental-health recovery in culturally diverse countries such as Singapore.

Aim: To demonstrate why constructivist grounded theory (CGT) is a suitable technique for unravelling experiences of mental-health recovery.

Discussion: Mental-health recovery is still an emerging concept in Singapore… Show more

Background: Despite a growing body of research exploring the application of recovery-oriented models of mental healthcare in Asia, few studies have sought to illuminate people’s experiences of mental-health recovery in culturally diverse countries such as Singapore.

Aim: To demonstrate why constructivist grounded theory (CGT) is a suitable technique for unravelling experiences of mental-health recovery.

Discussion: Mental-health recovery is still an emerging concept in Singapore. CGT can guide research design and analysis, enabling more culturally specific understandings to emerge. The authors explain the main features of CGT, as well as the strengths and limitations of the methodology and possible issues researchers may encounter applying it.

Conclusion: Suitable frameworks to guide research into mental-health recovery are urgently needed and CGT provides a flexible but systematic approach for multi-ethnic environments.

Implications for practice: CGT has the potential to guide deep exploration of and theory-development concerning mental-health recovery in Singapore and other countries with similar social and cultural settings. Show less

Stigma towards people with mental illness is widely prevalent in Singapore despite
nearly 2 decades of anti-stigma efforts. The latest and most ambitious initiative to tackle
stigma, “Beyond the Label”, was launched in 2018. We believe that it is timely to highlight
the missing gap in Singapore’s anti-stigma efforts―the lack of evaluative research on
anti-stigma programmes. It is crucial that organisations involved in the battle against
stigma publish peer-reviewed papers… Show more

Stigma towards people with mental illness is widely prevalent in Singapore despite
nearly 2 decades of anti-stigma efforts. The latest and most ambitious initiative to tackle
stigma, “Beyond the Label”, was launched in 2018. We believe that it is timely to highlight
the missing gap in Singapore’s anti-stigma efforts―the lack of evaluative research on
anti-stigma programmes. It is crucial that organisations involved in the battle against
stigma publish peer-reviewed papers detailing the construction and effectiveness of their
programmes vis-à-vis established frameworks or guidelines. We also provide suggestions
on useful resources for organisations that are engaged in anti-stigma work. Show less

Conference Poster
Abstract: Matchsticks of IMH strongly advocates for volunteerism as a potent means of reducing the social isolation people experiencing mental health conditions go through, and to challenge preconceptions the public might hold towards them.

Conference Presentation
Abstract: Stemming from the feedback of youth volunteers at the Institute of Mental Health, we developed a volunteer-facilitated conversation workshop, aimed at engaging secondary school and junior college students in meaningful and impactful discussions regarding issues associated with mental health conditions.

Conference Poster
Abstract: Despite much mental illness anti-stigma efforts, a simple search on research databases found no papers evaluating these anti-stigma programmes. Evaluative papers instill confidence in the validity of Singapore’s anti-stigma programmes and aid us in the creation of more effective programmes.

Introduction: Mindfulness interventions have been increasingly incorporated into clinical settings. Evidence supporting mindfulness practices are predominantly established in Western populations. Neurophysiological evidence has not been established to support the effectiveness of mindfulness practice in Asian populations. Greater understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying mindfulness would enable hemodynamics as measured by fNIRS to be used to monitor mindfulness practice as… Show more

Introduction: Mindfulness interventions have been increasingly incorporated into clinical settings. Evidence supporting mindfulness practices are predominantly established in Western populations. Neurophysiological evidence has not been established to support the effectiveness of mindfulness practice in Asian populations. Greater understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying mindfulness would enable hemodynamics as measured by fNIRS to be used to monitor mindfulness practice as an adjunct to psychotherapy with Asian clients.

Method: Research relating to fNIRS and hemodynamics for mindfulness in Asians was reviewed. The inclusion criteria for this review were recent publications in peer-reviewed journals from 2008 to 2018, with the search terms ‘fNIRS’, ‘hemodynamics’ and ‘mindfulness’, for studies in Asia.

Findings: Databases included Medline, PubMed, PSYCINFO, Google Scholar and SCOPUS. Initial searches yielded 86 results. Five duplicated articles were removed, and remaining abstracts were screened; and assessed for eligibility against the structured performa. Three full text papers which fit the inclusion criteria were included in the current review.

Conclusion: This review highlighted the paucity of rigorous empirically validated research for hemodynamics as measured with fNIRS for mindfulness practice in Asia. Show less

Elderly suicide is a rising concern. Despite the advent of mobile technology, there remained a gap in the evidence base as to whether smartphone applications could be used for mindfulness intervention for suicidality in Asian older adults. This paper aimed to review recent research relevant to smartphone applications that could be used in providing mindfulness interventions for suicidality to Asian older adults. The inclusion criteria for this review were papers published in peer-reviewed… Show more

Elderly suicide is a rising concern. Despite the advent of mobile technology, there remained a gap in the evidence base as to whether smartphone applications could be used for mindfulness intervention for suicidality in Asian older adults. This paper aimed to review recent research relevant to smartphone applications that could be used in providing mindfulness interventions for suicidality to Asian older adults. The inclusion criteria for this review were papers published in peer-reviewed journals from 2008 to 2018 with the usage of specific search terms, namely, ‘smartphone application’, ‘mobile application’, and ‘mindfulness’, assessed against the inclusion criteria and screened by an experienced Asian clinician to be of clinical utility for mindfulness intervention for suicidality with Asian older adults. Initial search on databases yielded 236 results. A total of 35 full text papers that fit the inclusion criteria were assessed for eligibility and 10 papers were included in the current review. This review highlighted the paucity of rigorous empirically validated research into effective smartphone applications that can be used for mindfulness interventions for suicidality with Asian older adults. Show less