The study determined the stressors and stress response of
Filipino college students in relation to sex, course and
academic classification. There were 258 respondents for the
study. Of the respondents, 68% were females and 32% were
males. According to their degree, 42% belonged to the soft
sciences and 58% to the hard sciences. In terms of academic
classification, 10% were freshmen, 36% sophomores, 33%
juniors, and 21% seniors. The top five overall stressors of
the respondents were academic difficulty of subject matter,
workload due to subjects, time management because of subjects,
responsibilities due to being on one’s own, and time
management because of both subjects and organization. The most
frequent occurring stress responses were affective stress
responses followed by cognitive responses. For both male and
female respondents, the top stressors were academics, workload
due to subjects and time management concerns. Overall, the
males reacted to stress through affective responses and
females through cognitive responses. Students enrolled in the
hard and soft sciences both considered academic, workload due
to subjects, and time
This pandemic is a global health crisis associated with
significant psychosocial stressors. Core concepts from the
trauma field are relevant to informing expected mental health
sequelae and an evidence-guided mental health response. The
most common response to trauma and other major stressors is
resilience, but a minority of people will experience
persistent or impairing mental health challenges. Those
exposed to trauma may develop acute stress disorder and/or
posttraumatic stress disorder. COVID- 19- related traumas and
stressors can also result in stress-related conditions
including adjustments disorders, depression, and anxiety
disorders. Mitigation of modifiable risk factors at the
individual, organizational, or community level can support
resilience. Interventions such as psychological first aid,
screening and identification of those at risk, and providing
phased mental health resources are relevant to this pandemic
(Madanes, et.al., 2020
In a study conducted by National Library for Medicine, an
online survey was conducted among undergraduate and graduate
students recruited from Texas A&M University via email. The
survey consisted of two standardized scales-the Patient Health
Questionnaire-9 and the General Anxiety Disorder-7- for
depression and anxiety, and additional multiple-choice and
open-ended questions regarding stressors and coping mechanisms
specific to COVID- 19. The proportion of respondents showing
depression, anxiety, and/or suicidal thoughts is alarming.
Respondents reported academic-, health-, and lifestyle-related
concerns caused by the pandemic. Given the unexpected length
and severity of the outbreak, these concerns need to be
further understood and addressed.
Among the 2031 participants, 48,14% (n=960) showed a
moderate-to-severe level of depression, 38.48% (n775) showed a
moderate-to-severe level of anxiety, and 18.04% (n=366) had
suicidal thoughts. A majority of participants (n=1443, 71.26%)
indicated that their stress/anxiety levels had increased
during the pandemic. Less than half of the participants
(n=882, 43.25%) indicated that they were able to cope
adequately with the stress related to the current situation.
The proportion of respondents showing depression, anxiety,
and/or suicidal thoughts is alarming. Respondents reported
academic-, health-, and lifestyle-related concerns caused by
the pandemic. Given the unexpected length and severity of the
outbreak, theses concerns need to be further understood and
addressed (Wang et.al., 2020).
Stressful life events, extended home confinement, brutal
grief, intrafamilial violence, overdue of the Internet and
social media are factors that could influence the mental
health of adolescents during this period. This pandemic could
result in increased psychiatric disorders such as Post-
Traumatic Stress, Depressive, and Anxiety- Disorders, as well
as grief-related symptoms. Adolescents with psychiatric
disorders are at risk of a break or change in their care and
management; they may experience increased symptoms. The COVID-
19 pandemic and lockdown may have a negative impact on the
mental health of adolescents, although there is still no data
on the long -term impact of this crisis.
The WHO reported that even before the COVID-19 pandemic,
the Philippines had already one of the highest rates of
depression in Southeast Asia, affecting more than three
million Filipino. Though there is now consolidated
epidemiological data and statistics on the state of affairs of
mental health in the Philippines, there is information that
will provide an idea as to the state of the mental health
condition of the country. For instance, 14 percent of 1.4
million Filipinos with disabilities were identified to have
mental disorder (Philippines Statistics Authority, 2010).
The study determined the stressors and stress response of
Filipino college students in relation to sex, course and
academic classification. There were 258 respondents for the
study. Of the respondents, 68% were females and 32% were
males. According to their degree, 42% belonged to the soft
sciences and 58% to the hard sciences. In terms of academic
classification, 10% were freshmen, 36% sophomores, 33%
juniors, and 21% seniors. The top five overall stressors of
the respondents were academic difficulty of subject matter,
workload due to subjects, time management because of subjects,
responsibilities due to being on one’s own, and time
management because of both subjects and organization.
