Advance care planning in Singapore: a life course perspective of Gen Zs death and dying trajectories

Abstract

To understand how Generation Zs (Gen Zs) in Singapore perceive death and dying, this study investigates through16 semi-structured in-depth individual interviews of Ethnic Chinese individuals born between 1997 and 2000. Thereafter, the framework analysis approach was used to identify the qualities and personas of Gen Zs’ social pathways to understanding death and dying. Starting full-time employment, parenthood, and retirement were critical life transitions that provided opportunities for optimal Advance Care Planning (ACP) conversations. And Gen Zs aspired towards total pain management, the preservation of dignity, and a vibrant social life at their final stages of life. Noting the individual, familial, and sociocultural factors of ACP in Gen Zs, findings inform public health education and encourage more conducive structures and planning for ACP in the younger and healthier segments of Singapore society.