Republic of the Philippines

North Eastern Mindanao State University

Main Campus- Tandag City
Surigao del Sur

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health Status of Public School
Teachers

A Research Paper presented to

EDUC 203- Advance Statistics with Computer Application

Catherine R. Alimboyong, DIT

Associate Professor, Graduate Studies
NEMSU Main Campus

In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For Master of Arts in Education
Major in Educational Management

Melvin G. Antenero
Rona C. Casinginan
Sheena Katrina P. Pacinos

December 2022
 ABSTRACT

This study aimed to analyze the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health

status of public school teachers as well as the sociodemographic profile of teachers in San

Francisco, Prosperidad and Bayugan, Agusan del Sur, Philippines. At the same time, it

identified the relationship and impact of mental health and socio-demographic profile of the

teachers. The study employed a descriptive-correlation research design with the printed

survey as the primary data collection tool. n = 1182 Teachers participated in the actual survey

using percentage sampling technique. An adapted and modified questionnaire was used to

gather data. For the statistical treatment of the study, the mean was used for the responses of
n

the teachers and the relationship and impact; the study used ∑ xi (weighted mean). The
X = i=1
❑

study found that in terms of mental health, the teachers experience sleeping problems.

However, for social well-being, teachers experience them almost every day. For the things

that bother them, the teachers were often bothered. The teachers also have positive mental

health, teachers having difficulty in enjoying their life while facing daily challenges and having

hard times of recovering from it. To confirm the relationship, the weighted mean and the

Linear Correlation (r) having positive relationship between the indicators where a) Sleep ( x =

2.66), b) Well-being ( x = 4.12), c) Positive Mental Health ( x = 2.08) and the factors found that

mental health significantly impacts the socio demographic profile of teachers. Based on the

results, the researchers provided some important conclusions for the study.

Keywords: Mental Health, Socio-demographic Profile, Teachers

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Mental health plays an important role in achieving global development objectives. As

evidenced by the inclusion of mental health in the sustainable development goals, one of the

primary causes of disability is depression. Suicide is the fourth highest cause of mortality in

those aged 15 to 29. People with serious mental illnesses die significantly earlier – up to two

decades earlier – because of avoidable physical ailments WHO (2022). Moreover, one of the

most difficult jobs is teaching. In a work-life poll of full-time teachers in the United States,

1.86 million said their mental health was 'not excellent.' Over a 30-day period, 61% said they

are always or frequently managing high levels of stress. Given the challenges that teachers

face on a daily basis — economic disparity, increased student mental health difficulties,

dwindling resources, and increasing job expectations — it's no surprise that many teachers

battle with their own mental health as well as that of their students (Morgan, 2019).

However, the Department of Education (DepEd) is pursuing competency-based career

development for educators as part of its commitment to improve the welfare and professional

growth of its teaching and non-teaching personnel. Furthermore, significant factors that need

to be assessed like sex, age, position, net take home pay, teaching loads, number of years

in teaching, time spent on sleep and including the number of meals per day.

In light of the function of teachers, the researchers attempted to conduct a study of

the common elements that influence how teachers fulfil their jobs. This study also aims to

help understand the mental health and socioeconomic issues of the teachers and how and

why it affects their mental health status. Mental illnesses may have a significant impact on

work and education, particularly among people aged 25 to 52 years old (Hakulinen et al.,

2019). According to DepEd Secretary Leonor M. Briones, not only teachers are overworked
and under enormous strain, but everyone in government service is as well (Terrazola, 2018).

This shows beyond doubt that, in addition to their regular six-hour teaching load, public

school instructors are inundated with work-related projects such as reports, instructional

materials, school designations, and other related responsibilities. Moreover, teachers’ mental

health and financial stability are the critical aspects in their ability to be holistic classroom

managers and leaders. According to Panchal et al, 2022 the availability of mental health

services in schools throughout the academic year, as well as the challenges to providing

those services and the ways that recent policies have made this possible could help boost

mental health among the students and teachers.

The researchers will therefore address the gap that is viewed as lack of concrete

policies, low enforcement in promoting teachers’ mental health and socioeconomic status

that includes the budget and access amidst economic challenges that the country is

experiencing, the Department of Education give importance of those factors which are

fundamentally important for the teachers in providing high efficiency and efficacy services to

their learners. This concept is based on diverse insights from various researchers in the field

to bridge the gap between strategic implementation in promoting mental health policies and

to obtain outstanding performance.

This study will primarily benefit Department of Education officials in crafting policies to

protect and improve the teachers' well-being, as they will gain awareness on the importance

of mental health and socioeconomic status in teachers amidst economic challenges in

connection to their work efficiency and effectiveness while facing economic challenges

today. Teachers will also become more self-aware of their mental health issues and address

it appropriately. Additionally, teachers are more focused on their instruction, which will result

in increased production. Curriculum creators may also gain a new perspective on curriculum
alignment by changing or refining the content in accordance with the standards.

OBJECTIVES

The general study aims to describe the primary factors affecting the mental health

status of the public teachers in San Francisco, Prosperidad and Bayugan, Agusan del Sur

as the impact of covid-19 by focusing on the following specific objectives:

1. To characterize the public school teachers in San Francisco, Prosperidad and Bayugan,

Agusan del Sur as to the socio-demographic profile.

2. To analyze the impact of covid-19 on mental health status influences teachers’ socio-

demographic profile.

3. To determine the problems of the public school teachers in San Francisco, Prosperidad

and Bayugan, Agusan del Sur.

4. To provide information support on self awareness of public school teachers on mental

health and teachers' well-being.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This study is anchored on the study of Hudson (2020) Socio-demographic, work-life

conflict and mental health Employee mental health negatively affect socio-demographic .

However, family health has been overlooked in occupational health studies. Furthermore,

while it is plausible to suppose that the influence of socio-demographic on health varies

depending on socioeconomic situations, there is no empirical evidence for such changes in

socio-demographic effects to mental health.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
 Socio- Demographic
Profile

Sex
Mental Health Age
Position
Sleep Teaching Loads
Well-being Number of years in
Positive Mental Health teaching
Time spent on sleep
Net Take Home Pay
(NTHP)
Number of meals per
day

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram Showing the Variables of Study.

Figure 1 shows the schematic diagram of the study. The first box represents the

teachers’ mental health level, while the second box represents the teachers’ socio-

demographic profile.

Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The researchers review the relevant literature in this chapter of the study, particularly

includes discussion structured around the following variables: mental health and

socioeconomic status. Mental Health is a vital and crucial part of good health. "Health is a

condition of total physical, mental, and social well-being, not only the absence of disease or

infirmity," according to the World Health Organization's constitution. This definition implies

that mental health is more than the absence of mental diseases or impairments. Moreover,

Mental health is a condition of well-being in which a person recognizes his or her own

potential, is able to cope with everyday stressors, works productively, and contributes to his
or her community. However, mental health is essential to our ability to think, emote, interact

with others, earn a living, and enjoy life on a collective and individual level. On this basis,

mental health promotion, protection, and restoration might be considered a critical concern

for individuals, communities, and societies all over the world (WHO, 2018).

Mental health has an influence on our physical well-being. It might be difficult for

someone suffering from anxiety, despair, an eating problem, or addiction to keep attention,

find motivation for work, and relate to peers and colleagues. Mental health issues may have

a significant influence on our mood and capacity to operate throughout the day, affecting

many parts of our life. Teachers and students need to be in good mental health just as much

as the rest of the society (Morgan, 2019). Moreover, this generation is more conscious of

mental health, shame, and protective factors. According to Kotera et al. (2019), there is a

substantial relationship between mental health and self-compassion, which was identified as

an exploratory variable for mental health. The link between self-compassion and mental

health was mitigated by shame. Self-compassion training or programs should be

incorporated to support students' mental health. Social hardship is linked to mental health

and mental disease. Although there was some improvement in students' mental health

awareness, according to Salerno (2019) in his study "Effectiveness of Universal School-

Based Mental Health Awareness Programs among Youth in the United States: A Systematic

Review," more research on the implementation of the said program using randomized

controlled trial design and long-term follow-up implementation is needed. The future direction

of mental health services in higher education institutions is determined by the balance of

numerous competing tendencies in the mental health service of practitioners and

administrators (Bonfiglio, 2016). Unemployment, poverty, and housing affordability were all

linked to a higher risk of mental illness in a study of 34,000 patients in Massachusetts who
had two or more psychiatric hospitalizations between 1994 and 2000. The American

Psychological Association's American Journal of Orthopsychiatry just released an article

about this discovery (APA). The lower one's socioeconomic status, the greater the chance of

mental illness and psychiatric hospitalization (Hudson,2020). The Philippines' first Mental

Health Act was just enacted (Republic Act no. 11036). The Act aims to ensure that persons

with mental illnesses and their families have access to comprehensive and integrated mental

health treatments while also preserving their rights (Lally et al, 2019). However, mental

health continues to be underfunded: approximately 3–5% of the entire health budget is spent

on mental health, with 70% of it going to hospital care (WHO & Department of Health, 2019).

Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researchers used a survey questionnaire for the socio-demographic profile the

researchers made and for the mental health status of teachers, the researcher adopted the

Mental Health Survey by Life Risks (2018). Moreover, prior to the distribution of the

questionnaires all the participants were oriented. Further, all questionnaires were printed and

distributed to the participants individually at their vacant time. The study will be conducted in

San Francisco, Prosperidad and Bayugan, Agusan del Sur. The researchers selected this

area to assess feasibility and gather data for the study.

 Figure 2. Geographical map of San Francisco, Prosperidad and Bayugan,

Agusan del Sur.

Research Respondents

The participants of this study were the teachers at San Francisco, Prosperidad and

Bayugan in the Division of Agusan del Sur for the school year 2022-2023.

TOTAL POPULATION (N) SAMPLE SIZE (n)

1182 1182

Table 1. Distribution of Respondents

Research Instrument

The researchers crafted a survey form that was filled out by the teachers. During the

survey, the researchers explained to the participants who were willing to be interviewed as

respondents of the study.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers gathered the respondents and collected the secondary data through

printed survey questionnaires after acquiring the approval from the school head. The

teachers who participated were given a short briefing on the objectives of the study. The

participants were given individual survey questionnaires by the researcher at their respective

classrooms during breaktime. The data collected was totaled, arranged, and tabulated. In

order to determine the frequencies of the responses. Frequency and percentage to find the

demographic profile of the response as to measures the level of numerical data, weighted

mean and mean were used to determine the mental health status of the respondents and the

researchers used the linear correlation to compute r, the correlation coefficient, from sample

data to find the significant relationship between the demographic profile and the mental

health status of the respondents.

Statistical Treatment

The data gathered and summarized was classified, analyzed, and interpreted using the

following statistical tool that was used to measure the number of survey answers an event

occurs.

Weighted Mean

This is used to determine the level of measures of every category under that factor to

determine the mental health status of the respondent.

∑ xi
X = i=1
❑
where,
 x = Sample mean

∑x = sum of the sources

n = sample size

Linear Correlation

To find out the relation between two variables in a population, a linear correlation

formula is used. To see how the variables are connected the researchers will use the linear

correlation that is denoted by “r”. The researchers used this tool to determine whether or not

the variables are related with values ranging from -1 to +1.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The statistical results of the study are divided into two (2) major parts namely: (a) socio

demographic status; (b) Mental Health Status of public school teachers in San Francisco,

Prosperidad and Bayugan. Each part has a corresponding table followed by a brief

discussion of the data.

The researchers also used the 5-point Likert scale, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being

the highest with its corresponding description. The following describes the weight, mean

range, and description of the degree of how these factors influenced the respondents and

the impact of covid-19 pandemic on their mental health status including the 3 indicators. The

table below shows the weight, mean range, and description which will serve as a guide for

the tabulation of the data.

Table 2. Tabulation of Data

WEIGHT MEAN RANGE DESCRIPTION

5 4.20 – 5.00 Strongly Agree

 4 3.40 – 4.19 Agree

3 2.60 – 3.39 Neutral

2 1.80 – 2.59 Disagree

1 1.00 – 1.79 Strongly Disagree

Table 3. Demographic Profile of the Respondents and its Population Mean.

 Table 3. Shows the socio-demographic profile of the respondents in terms of age. It

can be seen that 51% of the respondents are 41-50 years old and 59% of the respondents

are female. It is shown in the table that the majority of the respondents are female.

Moreover, 57% of the respondents are enrolled or have master’s degree units in their post

graduate studies for professional development. On the other hand, in terms of length of

service 51% of the respondents are one to five years in the service as public-school

teachers. While 44% of the total respondents have a monthly salary ranging from 20,000 to

29,999 as public-school teachers depending on their salary grade and step increment.

However, 83% of the respondents are handling 6 to 8 subjects. In the survey conducted only

25% of public school teachers spent time sleeping during the pandemic and only 42% ate

their meals 3 times a day. Lastly, 43% of the total respondents are in the teacher 1 position

as public-school teacher in DepEd.

Table 4. Mental health status of San Francisco, Prosperidad and Bayugan Public
School teachers as to job performance

A. Sleep

B. Well- Being

C. Positive Mental Health

 Mental health in relation to sleep, Table 4A. According to the data in the table, the

respondents with the highest weighted mean, 2.65, have awakened in the middle of the night

or early in the morning, while those with the lowest weighted mean, 1.75, had trouble

breathing normally.

Figure 3. Chart of Response in Terms of Sleep.

 Figure 3's descriptive equivalent range reveals that R2=0.1206 is equal to r= 0.3473,

indicating that the majority of respondents have a somewhat positive correlation between the

number of hours they slept per day and their demographic profile. Therefore, a correlation

coefficient of r of +1 denotes a positive linear link between the number of hours worked and

the teachers' mental health.

However, Table 4b shows that among respondents, the highest weighted mean, or 4.5,

believes that society functions reasonably while the lowest weighted mean, or 1.15, expresses

happiness.

Figure 4. Chart of Response in Terms of Well-Being.

Figure 4 demonstrated that there was a moderately good association between the

length of service and the well-being of public school teachers, although only 23% of the

aforementioned population made this claim. It is stated specifically that the association

between the services provided and the mental health condition of the public school teachers'

wellbeing is positive and linear, with r = 0.4952.

 The highest weighted mean for respondents' positive mental health is 2.65, which

indicates that they are frequently bothered by feelings of exhaustion or a lack of energy at

work, while the lowest weighted mean is 1.45, which indicates that respondents are bothered

by thoughts that they would be better off dead or of harming themselves somehow.

Figure 5. Chart of Response in Terms of Positive Mental Health.

The majority of respondents have a high positive association in terms of their mental

health condition, with a r value of 0.7815, as shown in Figure 5 of Positive Mental Health of

the Public School Teachers. As a result, the quantity of sleep, the amount of education, and

even the services provided to society are related to or may have an impact on the state of

mental health.

CONCLUSION

The study successfully identifies the socio-demographic profile of each responder,

which is important for understanding the overall effects of community participation in the
schools of San Francisco, Prosperidad, and Bayugan. the degree of mental health as

measured by the three markers, including sleep, well-being, and good mental health.

Public school teachers' sleep was shown to be highly and closely correlated with a

perfect positive linear connection, suggesting that teachers had sleep problems. Teachers'

well-being scores were evaluated, and they were found to be high, indicating that they are

neither content or unbothered with their current circumstances. Additionally, a strong positive

correlation between good mental health and life satisfaction has been found. This suggests

that teachers struggle to enjoy life while dealing with daily challenges like providing high-

quality services and struggling to recover from them because they feel underpaid, as indicated

by the demographic, where only 40% of respondents receive high pay. As a result, some

respondents are aiming to eat three meals a day at the very least.

As a result, the covid-19 pandemic has an effect on the teachers working in public

schools. The government may take into consideration the pay of the public school teachers

and also reduce the workloads of our public school teachers in order to enhance self

awareness of public school teachers on mental health and teachers' well-being. The teachers

will also take time to rest, exercise more, and eat more healthily in order to improve and

receive the right nutrients.

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