CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the Study 

    Students well-being is foundational to academic success. The increasing rate of depression is a health issue

that people all over the world are dealing with. Depression is described as a common and serious mood disorder

characterized by persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, as well as a loss of interest in previously

enjoyed activities (Sawchuck, 2022).1 Depression encompasses a wide range of emotional lows, from mild

sadness to a pathological suicidal state. This is a common mental problem encountered in today’s stressful

world. There are times when this state of sadness or unhappiness may last in an extended period of time. The

sufferer continues to be in a prolonged state of sadness and withdrawn from his/her personal, social, and

occupational activities. In such situations, a diagnosis of depression should be considered (Naushad, et al.,

2014).2

    Close to 1 in 10 young adults (8.9%) in the Philippines experience moderate to severe depressive symptoms

and the prevalence is higher in females (10.2%) than males (7.6%) (Puyat, et al., 2021).3  Depression is

considered as the top mental health concerns that undergraduates experience, and tends to continue to rise

(Cooper, et al., 2020). Depression is a serious problem that often times cannot be recognized, whether it

increase due to increased awareness or increased incidence but it is clear that it is a problem that requires action
1
Craig Sawchuck. Expert Explains about Depression. Access at
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007
2
Sarah Naushad et al. Study of determinants of depression. Access at
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003720/
3
Joseph H Puyat. Depressive symptoms among young adults in the Philippines. Access at
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2020.100073
(Cooper et al., 2020).4 According to Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), research suggests that the

existence of depression is associated with lower grade averages, and has also linked to dropping out of school.

These issues can lead the students into a long-term consequences, affecting their future employment, earning

potential and overall health (SPRC, 2020).5 Regardless of the increasing rates of depression in the populations

of students and the evident potential negative implications for academic study, surprisingly little research has

explored the impact of depression on academic performance (Awadalla, et al., 2020).6 

    Depression  is  one  of  the  most  common,  yet  not  completely recognized problems among students,

affecting their social, personal, and academic  performance  (Saravanan  &  Wilks,  2014).7   This study

highlights the very ordinary, common but  ignored  and  unnoticed  problems  of  depression  among  Grade 12

SHS HUMSS students of ACLC Tacloban, Leyte. Robotham and Julian (2006) state that suffering in silence

can have a negative impact on student’s wellbeing and it may also affect their future  studies.8 Students

experiencing depressive  symptoms  may  be  caught  in  a  vicious  cycle.  Anxiety, hopelessness, stress,  lack

of  interest, stress due  to academic  deadlines and  sleep  and  eating  disorders  are  the  factors  which  cause 

suicidal thoughts, consequently leading towards depression which further leads toward use of self-medication

(Awadalla et al., 2020).  

     Conducting a research on the effects of depression among students is very essential. Our research aims to

(I)engage from people living with depression, (II) search for the biggest challenges, risk-factors, and impact of

the problem among the prevalence (III) to identify the effect of depression on the students’ academic

performance, (IV) understand what triggers depression and what treatments work, (V) and use standard

protocols across research sites to collect many different types of data. This research improves the understanding

4
Katelyn M. Cooper et al. An Exploratory Study of Students with Depression in Undergraduate Research Experiences. Access at
https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.19-11-0217

5
SPRC. Consequences of Students Mental Health Issues. Access at https://www.sprc.org/colleges-universities/consequences
6
Suheir Awadalla et al., study to explore the relationship between depression, anxiety and academic performance among students.
Access at https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-020-02854-z
7
Saravanan and Wilks. Effects of Depression on the Academic Learning of Students. Access at
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03098770600617513
8
David Robotham et al., Stress in Higher Education Student. Access at
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03098770600617513
of the causes and risk factors and the effects of the problem, supports promotion and prevention initiatives

helping people to stay well, underpins the development and evaluation of new forms of support and provides

evidence on how innovative approaches can be put into practice in the healthcare system and in wider settings.

Our research furthers the understanding of the links between depression to students. It develop and improves the

support and interventions that can be offered. And ensures that we can provide access and choice to good

mental health care in a range of appropriate and accessible settings. 

    Our research plays a big role for it gives a valuable insight into the research process. We aim to give a voice

to the underrated and silent minority of students dealing with depression and the adversaries they face. Our

study gives people the chance to study the biggest contemporary issues of mental health specifically depression

today. In addition, our study aims to explore different perspectives which is vital to understanding the impacts

of depression to the chosen population as well as the origins and perpetuations of stigmas which act as barriers

to treatment. The factors affecting depression isn’t always completely understood, and many believe that this

mental health condition is often the result of a combination of factors and this reason is in addition to why

conducting a research is valid and important. Therefore, studying depression on senior high school students is

vital to investigate the problem thoroughly and come up with important recommendations.  

1.2. Statement of the Problem 

     The study has a chief concerns regarding the primary factors affecting academic performance of students. To

obtain all essential knowledge, data,  and information, the study was sought to answer the crucial questions as

follows; 

1.What are the risk-factors of depression that affects the academic performance of students? 

•Could other health conditions contribute to the symptoms of depression? 

2.Why is it important for the school to spread mental awareness? 

•How important to seek professional help in the state of the student? 

3.What are the students’ interventions in coping the problem? 

        •Does they seek professional help or self-medication? 

        •What kind of lifestyle changes that could be beneficial on the students? 

1.3 Objectives of the Study 

The study aims to; 

1. To assess the relationship between depression and academic performance of the chosen population. 

2. To determine the impacts of depression to the students’ performance in their academics 

3. To explore the risk-factors of depression affecting the students’ performance in class 

1.4. Significance of the Study 

This study will be undertaken to find out the impacts of depression among students. Benefiting the study are the

various sectors as follows: 

The Future Researchers 

    The outcome of the study is beneficial for future researchers, for the reason that this study may be one of the

bases that a new theory in learning will arise. This study will serve as an instrument that will navigate the future

researchers in discovering credible and reliable factors that are known as indispensable data for further

understanding on the topic. Indeed, this research is going to be the chief source of enlightenment that they will

surely need in their future studies. 

The Students (Especially those students who are dealing with depression) 

     It is necessary to say that not all of student population are very aware of the factors that greatly affect their

performance and conditions. For the help they might need, this research will be abounded with sufficient

knowledge in order to cease them from the lack of self-awareness and knowledge on the rising issue of

depression. 

The Educators 

    This study will be very beneficial to the educators. Through this research, the educators can adapt to fit the

individual needs of students dealing with depression. They may purposefully discover how they can determine

if their student is going through hard times of depression. Research methodologies give educators the tools to

analyze and make informed decisions about their practice. 

The School Administrator

The understanding of how depression develops and how they persist, our research can be a great help in

order for the school administrators to begin in building prevention programs and develop more effective

treatment programs.

1.5. Scope and Delimitation 

   The general intent of the study is to explore the impacts on the issue of depression among  Grade 12

students of ACLC SHS Tacloban City, Leyte. This study was conducted to find out the students’ response

towards the main issue. The researchers chose depression among many different issues for the reason that

depression is one of the main concerns a student is encountering that is rarely given attention to. The Grade 12

Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) students is the only strand included in this study. This study will be

conducted with limited respondents and time framework. 

1.6. Theoretical Framework 

Throughout history, there have been many different explanatory theories of depression. Biological and

psychological theories are the ones which have mainly tried to explain the origin of this mental disorder.

Biological theories have, from a variety of different perspectives, postulated that depression may occur due to

noradrenalin deficits (e.g., Schildkraut, 1965; Narbona, 2014), endocrine disorders (e.g. Birmaher et al., 1996),

sleep-related disorders (e.g., Sivertsen et al., 2014; Pariante, 2017), alterations in brain structure (Whittle et al.,

2014), or the influence of genetics (Scourfield et al., 2003). Psychological theories have attempted to explain

depression on the basis of psychoanalysis and, more specifically, in terms of attachment theories (e.g., Bowlby,

1976; Ainsworth et al., 1978; Blatt, 2004; Bigelow et al., 2018), behavioral models (e.g., Skinner, 1953; Ferster,

1966; Lewinsohn, 1975), cognitive models (e.g., Seligman, 1975; Abramson et al., 1978; Beck, 1987), the self-

control model (e.g., Rehm, 1977; Rehm et al., 1979), interpersonal theory (e.g., Markowitz and Weissman,

1995; Milrod et al., 2014), stressful life events (e.g., Reinherz et al., 1993; Frank et al., 1994), and sociocultural

models (e.g., Lorenzo-Blanco et al., 2012; Chang et al., 2013; Reeves et al., 2014). 

Biological
Theory
   

Figure 1. A visual representation of the two explanatory theories of

depression— Biological and Psychological Theories by which explained the origins of mental disorder. 

Elena Bernaras et al., 2019. Child and Adolescent Depression: A Review of Theories, Evaluation Instruments,

Prevention Programs, and Treatments. Access at https://www.readcube.com/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00543

1.7. Conceptual Framework 

Dependent Variable

  The availability of
the participants
 
Response elicited
or invoked from
participants

Test scores from

participants

  Independent Variable

Hours invested in
the study

The venue in
which the study
will take place

The relevant
questions to ask
  the participants

 Figure 2. Example of Conceptual Framework of the study. It visualize the research project and put into action. 
1.8. Paradigm 

                 I

INPUT.                                                      PROCESS.                                               OUTPUT 

 Figure 3. I-P-O Framework was used in describing the conceptual framework in visual representation form. The input

states the variables that causes the problem, the phenomenon, together with the materials to be use in conducting the

study. On the other hand, the process states the method by which the variables are collected and synthesized, whereas the

output states the outcome of the variables. 

 
 THE RISING ISSUE OF DEPRESSION: EXPLORING THE DEVASTATING IMPACT AMONG

GRADE 12 HUMSS STUDENTS OF ACLC TACLOBAN A.Y 2022-2023 

1.9. Definition of Terms 

The following terms are defined in the context of this research for a better understanding of the study. 

Depression 

It is define as a mental state of low mood and aversion to activity, which affects more than 280 million

people of all ages (about 3.5% of the global population). Classified medically as a mental and behavioral

disorder, the experience of depression affects a person's thoughts, behavior, motivation, feelings, and sense of

well-being. The core symptom of depression is said to be anhedonia, which refers to loss of interest or a loss of

feeling of pleasure in certain activities that usually bring joy to people. Depressed mood is a symptom of some

mood disorders such as major depressive disorder or dysthymia; it is a normal temporary reaction to life events,

such as the loss of a loved one; and it is also a symptom of some physical diseases and a side effect of some

drugs and medical treatments 

Academic performance or Academic Achievement  

It is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational

goals. Measured through examinations or continuous assessments but there is no general agreement on how it is

best evaluated or which aspects are most important—procedural knowledge such as skills or declarative

knowledge such as facts.  Furthermore, there are inconclusive results over which individual factors successfully

predict academic performance, elements such as test anxiety, environment, motivation, and emotions require

consideration when developing models of school achievement.  

Academic Impact 

It defines as the contribution that a research output (e.g., published manuscript) makes in shifting

understanding and advancing scientific theory, method, and application, across and within disciplines. Impact

can also refer to the degree to which an output or research programme influences change outside of academia,

e.g. societal and economic impact. 

The Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) strand 

It is define as equip students with a wide range of discipline with the use of their experiences and skills into

the investigation and inquiry of human situations by studying its behavior and social changes using empirical,

analytical, and critical method techniques. 

Risk-factors 

In epidemiology, a risk factor or determinant is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or

infection. 

 
THE RISING ISSUE OF DEPRESSION: EXPLORING THE DEVASTATING IMPACT AMONG GRADE 12 HUMSS

STUDENTS OF ACLC TACLOBAN A.Y 2022-2023

Block 30-Bonaventure

Ruth Leanson Badajos Juliane Mae Joy Tiozon

Paul Angelo Zabala Kristel Anne Arrojo

Julienne Fuentes Justine Paul Eval

Alexis Canete Miko Borja

A Research Proposal

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the course Practical Research 2

ACLC College of Tacloban

Senior High School Department

Tacloban City, Leyte

2022