Mindfulness in Singapore Workplaces Demands Barriers and Facilitators for Mental Well Being

Abstract

Introduction: Workplace stress is a growing public health concern in Singapore, and mental health disorders account for a substantial share of the national disease burden. Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly proposed to support employee well-being, but demand and the barriers and facilitators to workplace implementation remain poorly characterized.

Aim: To assess perceived stress, mindfulness knowledge and practices, and the demand for and barriers and facilitators to workplace mindfulness programs among employed adults in Singapore.

Methods: A cross-sectional mixed-methods survey was conducted on 15 June 2024 across seven high-traffic locations in Singapore. Employed adults residing in Singapore and able to converse in English were recruited by convenience sampling and completed a 17-item survey covering socio-demographics, the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), and mindfulness knowledge, practices, barriers, facilitators, and preferred formats. PSS-4 scores between practitioners and non-practitioners were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test.

Results: Of 223 participants (55.6% female, 48.9% millennial, 59.2% private sector), the mean PSS-4 score was 8.28 (SD 2.04), and 20.6% had high perceived stress (PSS-4 ≥ 6). Mindfulness was known to 73% and practiced by 65%, most often meditation (29.6%) and yoga (23.5%). Barriers were reported by 58.2%, led by lack of protected time (26.5%) and absent organizational programs (11.7%); facilitators by 74.3%, led by protected time (29.6%), peer (14.3%), and managerial (13.9%) support. Self-guided (32%) and in-person (31%) were the preferred formats. PSS-4 scores did not differ between practitioners and non-practitioners (p = 0.1135).

Conclusions: Employed adults in Singapore report substantial stress and clear demand for workplace mindfulness, yet participation is limited by a lack of protected time and organizational support. Individual practice alone was not associated with lower stress, indicating that structured, organisationally embedded programs with protected time and managerial backing are likely required to improve workplace well-being.