“EFFECTS OF BAD NEWS ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENTS AT ARELLANO UNIVERSITY – JOSE RIZAL CAMPUS”

A Study Presented to:

Senior High School Department
Arellano University
Jose Rizal High School
Malabon City

In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for
RESEARCH PROJECT

Researchers
Leader: MORALES, KAREN FAITH
Members:
AZAGRA, RUTH JASMINE
BARETTO, JUDY
DAVID, LUISA CAMILLE
DE OCAMPO, ASHLEY JELEA
DUBLIN, MAUREEN ALLIAH
IGNACIO, KYLA
LIBOTAN, JENNY ROSE
LIM, JEMIMAH RUTH
MAURICIO, ARCIE
MONDRAGON, PAULA NICA
MONTALBO, HANS JUSTIN
PEREZ, KIM CHRISTIAN
POBLETE, JELO MARI

Research Adviser
TORRES, EDGAR D.
 Table of Contents

Page Number
Acknowledgement……………………………………………………………….
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………..

Introduction
Background of the Study……………………………………………….
Statement of the Problem………………………………………………
Significance of the Study……………………………………………….
Scope and Delimitation…………………………………………………

Methodology
Research Design………………………………………………………..
Research Instrument……………………………………………………
Research Paradigm……………………………………………………..
Treatment of Data……………………………………………………….
Research and Discussion………………………………………………………
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..
Recommendation………………………………………………………………..
References……………………………………………………………………….
Appendix A……………………………………………………………………….
Appendix B……………………………………………………………………….
Curriculum Vitae…………………………………………………………………
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The completion of this project would not have been possible without the support

and assistance of the many people whose names might not all be stated. Their efforts

are deeply remembered and gratefully acknowledged. However, the group would like to

express their gratitude and indebtedness particularly to the following individuals:

Mr. Edgar Torres, our Research Project Teacher, for his endless support, kind

understanding, and for giving us the opportunity to work together as a team.

To all relatives, friends and anyone who in one way or another shared their

support, either physically or mentally, thank you.

Above all, to God Almighty, for giving us the strength, patience, and courage to

finish this project. We thank you

 ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effects of bad news to the mental health of HUMSS

students at Arellano University - Jose Rizal High School. Following the news is

generally understood to be crucial for democracy as it allows citizens to politically

participate in an informed manner yet, one may wonder about the unintended side

effects it has for the mental well-being of citizens, in the news focusing on the negative

and worrisome events in our county. Participants who do the survey showed increases

in both anxious and sad mood, and also showed a significant increase in the the

tendency to catastrophize a person worry. Investigating the effects of bad news

consumption on mental well-being provides insight into the impact news exposure has

on variables other than the political ones, which definitively are not less societal

relevant.
 1
INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Few people like to deliver bad news but the ability to do so with grace and

compassion is an essential skill for any leader or manager. Sometimes, bad news

comes completely unexpectedly. It is important to define the central element of bad

news--that is, to try to identify what makes it so bad for the people receiving it. But, the

thing is, we can't choose when or where to hear bad news. News can come into a

person any time anywhere- inside the house, at the supermarket, at the restaurant-

literally everywhere especially now that we can't even stand being away from our

technological devices for a minute. News is not only received by television, newspapers,

and online news coverage, but also through social media.

Even people who do not follow regular news updates can still be confronted by

news events through the people they follow on social media (Kramer, Guillory, &

Hancock, 2014). Even though news facts can have positive, neutral, or negative

content, the majority of news coverage concerns topics with a negative valence

(Zillmann, Chen, Knobloch, & Callison, 2004), including topics like natural disasters,

crime, the bad economy, terrorism, or war. Not only is the majority of a news topic

negative, but people also tended to pay more attention to negative news

(Zillmann et al., 2004). In addition, the majority of negative news coverage is directed

towards people's emotions, and the sensationalism and confronting nature of news

coverage have increased drastically over the last decades (Wang, 2012).

Upon discovering news, whether good or bad one, news exposure does

generally affect our moods and state of mind. For each individual, the everyday news
about the current crisis that our world is facing has different approaches to us every

day. Surprisingly, not much research has been conducted on this topic. Even though

there are many studies on news perception, the focus has mainly been on cognition,

with studies looking at motivation or attitudes while the topic of emotions has received

much less attention.

Statement of the Problem

This research problem leads to the following research questions.

1. Demographic Profile of the Respondents, in terms of:

1.1 Age

1.2 Gender

1.3 Grade Level

1.4 Strand

2. How often do you watch or hear a bad news ?

3. How does the bad news report affects your mental health?

4. How to deal with bad news about your health?

Significance of the Study

The results of this study could be highly significant and beneficial specifically to

the following:

To the Students. Throughout the research, a lot of students will gain more knowledge

and awareness o how bad news affects their everyday life as students. It will help them

understand in what ways can negative issues to be a problem in their lives as students.

However, bad news has some positive affects as well. Bad news, especially when they

come with information, can serve as precautions, lessons, and warnings. Also, bad

news is still important even if they are “bad” since they present reality and transparency.

To the Parents. This research may help the parents to avoid the ill effects of bad news

on their children and how it affects their daily routine. The benefits of this research are

to give their parents more time to talk to their children especially if it is a problem or they

have received bad news from school and so on. A growing body of research shows that

successful parent involvement improves not only student behavior and attendance but

also positively affects student achievement. Yet many schools continue to struggle with

defining and measuring meaningful parental involvement, and many don\'t feel that their

efforts are successful.

To the Future Researches. This research may help the future researchers to do their

own research,and can get ideas and knowledge in our previous research also we think

that the research we provided can also be beneficial to parents since they are mostly

the ones who are updated with current events and news.
Scope and Delimitations

The study will be delimited to fifty (50) respondents with twenty - five (25)

students from Grade 11 and twenty - five (25) students from Grade 12. The study was

confined to getting responses from the senior high school students of Arellano

University - Jose Rizal Campus of the academic year 2020-2021.

Definition of Terms

Cognition - refers to the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and

understanding through thought, experience, and the senses

Drastically- in a way that is likely to have a strong or far-reaching effect.

Habituated - make or become accustomed or used to something.

Sensationalism - the use of exciting or shocking stories or language at the expense of

accuracy, in order to provoke public interest or excitement.

Valence - is the affective quality referring to the intrinsic attractiveness/"good"-ness or

averseness/"bad"-ness of an event, object, or situation. The term also characterizes and

categorizes specific emotions.

 METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researchers engaged in the used of a simple random sample method. In this

method, individuals are chosen randomly and absolutely by chance, giving all members

of the population an equal probability of being selected. In this study, the researchers

used a survey in which questionnaires were administered to the participants.

Researchers will explain the response provided after the participants answer the

questions. The researcher used a descriptive method and rating scale to gather data.

Research Instrument

The format of a research instrument consisting of a survey - questionnaires

and interview. The online survey questionnaire was the primary instrument used in this

study. The questionnaire used is a rating scale to reflect respondent input in a

comparative form.
 Research Paradigm

Conceptual Framework

INPUT OUTPUT

PROCESS
1. Demographic Profile of
To aid students
the Respondents, in terms who are in need of
Data Gathering great mental health
of:
through: support in
1.1 Age exposure to too
*Questionnaire much bad news
1.2 Gender Know the
-Presentation,
assistance needed
1.3 Grade Level
Analysis and/or appropriate

1.4 Strand to students who

are being exposed
2. How often do you watch or and into bad news a
great deal
hear a bad news ? Interpretation of

3. How does the bad Data

news report affects your

mental health?

4. How to deal with bad

news about your

health?
Treatment of Data

To analyze the accumulated information, the researchers have the

accompanying statistical methods:

1. Percentage:

Where: %= percentage

f= frequency

n= total number of respondents

2. Weighted Mean:

Wm=
∑f
n

Where:

Wm = weighted mean

∑F = summation of total number of responses

N = total number of respondents

 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the data collected from the respondents through the

questionnaire in Google forms distributed by the researchers. The data were interpreted

in tabular form and were given in-depth analysis

TABLE 1. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS

TABLE 1.1 AGE

AGE FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE RANK

18 years old 32 58% 1

17 years old 15 30% 2

16 years old and 5 8% 3

below

19 years old and 3 4% 4

above

Total: 55 100%

Table 1.1 shows the frequency and percentage of the respondents according to

age. It indicates that 58 percent of the respondents are under the age of 18 years old.

While, 30 percent are 17 years old. 8 percent are 16 years old and below and 4 percent

are 19 years old and above. There were a total of fifty-five (55) respondents, or one

hundred percent. The data revealed that most of the respondents were 18 years old.
 TABLE 1.2 GENDER

GENDER FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE RANK

Male 30 60% 1

Female 20 40% 2

Total: 50 100%

Table 1.2 shows the distribution of respondents according to the gender. Thirty
(30) or sixty (60%) of the respondents are male while there are twenty (20) or fourty
(40%) are female. Overall, the total is fifty (50) respondents that is equivalent to one-
hundred (100%) percent. The data revealed that most of the respondents are male.

TABLE 1.3 GRADE LEVEL

GRADE LEVEL FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE RANK

Grade 12 40 80% 1

Grade 11 10 20% 2

Total: 50 100%

Table 1.3 shows the frequency and percentage of the respondents according to

grade level. There are 40 respondents from Grade 12 that covers 80% of the survey
while there are 10 respondents from Grade 11 that covers the other 20%. All in all, the

survey has reached the target of 50 respondents coming from different grade levels

which is equivalent to 100 percent.

TABLE 1.4 STRAND

STRAND FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE RANK

STEM 22 44% 1

ABM 9 18% 2

ICT 8 16% 3

HUMSS 6 12% 4

HE 4 8% 5

GAS 1 2% 6

Total: 50 100%

Table 1.4 shows the frequency and percentage of the respondents according to Strand.

Ranked 1 “STEM” strand with the frequency of twenty-two or 40 percent. Ranked 2

“ABM” strand, with the frequency of nine or 18 percent. Ranked 3 “ICT” strand, with the

frequency of eight or 16 percent. Ranked 4 “HUMSS” strand, with the frequency of six

or 12 percent. Ranked 5 “HE” strand, with the frequency of four or 8 percent. Lastly,

ranked “GAS” strand, with the frequency of one or 2 percent of the total respondents.

The data revealed that most of the respondents are from the strand of STEM.
 TABLE 2. FREQUENTLY WATCH AND HEAR BAD NEWS

FREQUENTLY FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE RANK

WATCH AND HEAR
BAD NEWS

Sometimes 30 60% 1

Always 12 24% 2

Every once in a while 6 12% 3

Rare 1 2% 4

Never 1 2% 4

Total: 55 100%

Table 2 shows the frequently watch and hear bad news. Ranked 1 "Sometimes"

with 30 frequency or 60 percent. . Ranked 2 "Always" with 12 frequency or 24 percent.

Ranked 3 "Every once In a while" with 6 frequency or 12 percent. Ranked 4 "Rare" and

"Never" with 1 frequency or 2 percent. Overall with 100% or with 55 frequency. These

findings showed that most of the respondents watch and hear bad news sometimes.
 TABLE 3. EFFECTS OF BAD NEWS ON MENTAL HEALTH

EFFECTS OF BAD NEWS WEIGHTED VERBAL RANK

ON MENTAL HEALTH MEAN INTERPRETATION

If the situation of the news report is 3.88 Agree 1

unpleasant and harmful to the
viewers/readers.

Uncensored images of violence can cause a 3.86 Agree 2

process of either sensitization (becomes
more sensitive to emotional distress upon
viewing images) or desensitization (a sort of
numbing process in which individuals
become habituated to what they say to
occur).

Negative or bad news can trigger PTSD 3.82 Agree 3

(Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms
such as worrying about future terrorist
attacks and reduced self confidence.

Negative or bad news affects your negative 3.74 Agree 4

emotion.

Negative or Bad News makes you feel 3.64 Agree 5

anxious or scared.

Regularly exposed on negative or bad news 3.56 Agree 6

can lead to increase of alcohol consumption,
depression, and somatization (physical signs
of distress in the body).
 Table 3 shows the effets of bad news on mental health. Ranked 1 "

If the situation of the news report is unpleasant and harmful to the viewers/readers"

with the weighted mean of 3.88 and verbal interpretaion of Agree. Ranked 2

“Uncensored images of violence can cause a process of either sensitization (becomes

more sensitive to emotional distress upon viewing images) or desensitization (a sort of

numbing process in which individuals become habituated to what they say to occur)”

with the weighted mean of 3.86 and verbal interpretaion of Agree. Ranked 3 “Negative

or bad news can trigger PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms such as

worrying about future terrorist attacks and reduced self confidence” with the weighted

mean of 3.82 and verbal interpretaion of Agree. Ranked 4 “Negative or bad news

affects your negative emotion” with the weighted mean of 3.74 and verbal interpretaion

of Agree. Ranked 5 “Negative or Bad News makes you feel anxious or scared” with the

weighted mean of 3.64 and verbal interpretaion of Agree. Lastly, ranked 6 “ Regularly

exposed on negative or bad news can lead to increase of alcohol consumption,

depression, and somatization (physical signs of distress in the body)” weighted mean of

3.56 and verbal interpretaion of Agree. The data revealed that the most effect of bad

news on mental health is the unpleasant and harmful situation of the news report to the

viewers/readers.
 TABLE 4. WAYS TO DEAL WITH BAD NEWS ABOUT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

WAYS TO DEAL WITH BAD NEWS WEIGHTED VERBAL RANK

ABOUT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH MEAN INTERPRETATION

Learn to overcome your adversity. 4.18 Agree 1

Talk to your friends and family about the 4.08 Agree 2

news.

Reformulate your thoughts. 4.00 Agree 3

Appreciate that real-life stories are designed 3.96 Agree 4

to evoke an emotional response.

Accept your negative emotions. 3.72 Agree 5

If you suffer from mental health illness, limit 3.58 Agree 6

your news exposure.

Table 4.1 shows the ways of dealing with the bad news that affects our mental

health. Ranked 1 “Learn to overcome the adversity” with the weighted of 4.18 and verbal

interpretation of agree. Ranked 2 “Talk to your friends and family about the news” with the

weighted of 4.08 and verbal interpretation of agree. Ranked 3 “Reformulate your thoughts” with the

weighted of 4.00 and verbal interpretation of agree. Ranked 4 “Appreciate that real-life stories are

designed to evoke an emotional response” with the weighted mean of 3.96 and verbal

interpretation of agree. Ranked 5 “Accept your negative emotions” with the weighted mean of 3.72

and verbal interpretation of agree. Ranked 6 “If you suffer from mental health illness, limit your

news exposure” with the weighted mean of 3.58 and verbal interpretation of agree. These findings

showed that learn to overcome adversity is the best way to deal with bad news on mental health.

CONCLUSIONS
Based on the significant findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn:

1. The majority of the respondent has been confirmed to be 18 years old, male, and

from Grade 12 Science, Technology, Engeering and Mathematics (STEM) Strand.

2. The majority of respondents answered "sometimes" when asked how frequently they

watch and hear bad news.

3. The majority of respondents are negatively affected by bad news in terms of their

mental health if the situation described in the news report is unpleasant and harmful.

4. Learning to overcome the adversity of bad news is the only way to cope with bad

news.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations are hereby presented:

1. Students - should be aware of the psychological or mental effects of bad news, and

this may broaden their knowledge and skills in dealing with such a situation if it arises.

Students should also understand that bad news may serve as a warning or lesson, as

well as letting them know what the reality is.

3. Parents - should be aware of the psychological or mental effects of bad news on

their children. As a result, they should take additional steps to assist them and take

appropriate action.

4. Teachers - should be able to properly orient students to bad news by re-evaluating

the approach to disclosure and selecting the words to imply.

5. Future Researches - should conduct a thorough investigation into the psychological

effects of being exposed to too much bad news, as well as what people can do to avoid

perpetual misinformation and deceptive news headlines, particularly on social media

platforms.

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https://everymind.imgix.net/assets/Uploads/Mental-illness-in-the-news-and-
information-media-A-critical-review.pdf
 Dr. Yurii Havrylets, Dr. Sergii Tukaiev, Dr. Volodymyr Rizun, and Dr. Kostiantyn
Shenderovskyj (2019), Impact of TV News on Psycho-Physiological State
Depending on Emotional Burnout,
https://www.amity.edu/gwalior/jccc/pdf/jccc_2019_june_final-13 25.pdf?
fbclid=IwAR2uedObmqHpUkcjrTndynTsMupcg6Wdblh0A0MFAcPb88VrZzFk78O
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https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/veteran-
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fbclid=IwAR3KHXcpL-
pkHkBk7QcYR0We6A6XrUS8N1Z_SEicjLedqZ2DlE1MbfQXViQ
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Hard and Soft News Exposure on Mental Well-Being Over Time,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319466708_News_Consumption_and_I
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gQIABAC#v=onepage&q&f=false
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ved
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 APPENDIX A
Survey - Questionnaire
Arellano University
Jose Rizal Campus
Gov. Pascual Ave. Malabon City
921-27-44
Senior High School Department

Name (Optional):_____________________
Age:_______________
Gender:____________

Direction:

1, Demographic Profile of the Respondents, in terms of:

*Age
*Gender
*Grade Level
*Strand

2, How often do you watch or hear a bad news?

*Always
*Sometimes
*Every once in a while
*Rarely
*Never

5 - Strongly Agree 4 - Agree 3 - Neutral 2 - Disagree 1- Strongly Disagree

(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

3. How does the Bad News affect your

Mental Health
3.1 If the situation of the news report is
unpleasant and harmful to the
viewers/readers.
3.2 If the news report are threatening or
unfamiliar.
3.3 Negative or bad news makes you feel
anxious and scared
3.4 Uncensored images of violence can
cause a process of either sensitization
(becomes more sensitive to emotional
distress upon viewing images) or
desensitization (a sort of numbing
process in which individuals become
habituated to what they see - to occur)
3.5 Negative or bad news affects your
own personal worries
3.6 Negative or bad news can triggered
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
symptoms - such as worrying about future
terrorist attacks and reduced self
confidence.
3.7 Regularly exposed on negative or bad
news can lead to increase of alcohol
consumption, depression, and
somatization (physical signs of
distress in the body).
4. How to deal with Bad News
4.1 Accept your negative emotion.
4.2 Reformulate your thoughts.
4.3 Learn to overcome adversity.
4.4 If you suffer from mental health
illnesses, limit your news exposure.
4.5 Appreciate that real-life stories are
designed to evoke an emotional response
4.6 Talk to your friends and family about
the news
 6

APPENDIX B
A. Tally Sheet Of Survey Questionnaire
HOW DOES THE BAD NEWS AFFECT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

5-Strongly Agree 4-Agree 3-Neutral 2-Disagree 1-Strongly

Disagree
Frequency Percentage f % f % f % f %
1 12 24 30 60 6 12 1 2 1 2
2 12 24 21 42 16 32 1 2 0 0
3 11 22 17 34 18 36 1 2 3 6
4 16 32 16 32 15 30 2 4 1 2
5 12 24 20 40 13 26 3 6 2 4
6 14 28 17 34 16 32 2 4 1 2
7 10 20 18 36 15 30 4 8 3 6

HOW TO DEAL WITH BAD NEWS ABOUT HEALTH

5-Strongly Agree 4-Agree 3-Neutral 2-Disagree 1-Strongly

Disagree
Frequenc Percentag f % f % f % f %
y e
1 11 22 23 46 10 20 3 6 3 6
2 19 38 16 32 13 26 1 2 1 2
3 23 46 18 36 7 14 1 2 1 2
4 8 16 25 50 10 20 3 6 4 8
5 12 24 25 50 12 24 1 2 0 0
6 18 36 21 42 9 18 1 2 1 2