Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION III
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF GAPAN CITY
(SCHOOL)

EFFECTS OF UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

ON THE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL STABILITY
(SCHOOL)
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

A Research Proposal
Presented to the
Faculty of the Senior High School Department of
(School – Location)

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements toward the Subject
Practical Research I

GROUP MEMBERS Alphabetical

(Section or Strand)
School Year 2019-2020
 CHAPTER I
Introduction

Background of the Study

Teenagers spend a lot of time thinking and talking about romantic relationships,
whether the focus is on past relationships, or potential future relationships, even when they
are single. Romantic relationships are a significant source of preoccupation and a major cause
of strong emotions in adolescence. It has a strong impact on a young person’s life. Although
they are sometimes short-lived and seemingly unstable, adolescents' romantic relationships
are often considered as 'puppy love', or failed to be taken seriously. Thus, it play an important
role in young people's day-to-day lives, and have a significant effect on their current mental
health, their ongoing emotional and social development and also lay foundations for romantic
relationships in adulthood.

Benefits and risks related to teenage relationships often exist. Positive outcomes can
include enhanced self-esteem, social status, social competence, increased feelings of self-
worth and protection against feelings of social anxiety. (Headspace, 2020)

While healthy relationships have many potential benefits for youth, unhealthy
relationships have risks that may have long-lasting impact.Health Scope stated that unhealthy
relationship is a relationship characterized by behaviours on the part of the toxic partner that
are emotionally and physically damaging to their partner. Moreover, unhealthy relationship
takes place when the negative aspect of your relationship exhibits frequently and can cause
stress and pressure that is hard to avoid. This tension is unhealthy for both members of the
relationship and may lead to problems in other areas of your life (Hall Health Center, 2014).

Review of Related Literature

Youth are particularly vulnerable to becoming involved in relationships that include

dating violence, risky sexual activity and also mental problems. Unhealthy intimate
relationships have the potential to have serious negative health consequences (Hayden et al.,
2016) and can affect your mental health (Truong, 2018).

According to George Pratt, a clinical Psychologist, Author and licensed marriage and
family Therapist associated with Scripps Health, unhealthy relationship can exist among
married couples, people who are dating and even those who are no longer a couple.

Unhealthy relationships not only affect the relationship itself, but also transfers into
other aspects of life such as school, resulting into slack off on school work, being left behind
and become a huge distraction on the academic state of the student (Perez and Champion,
2018).

According to National Youth Mental Health Foundation, negative effects of unhealthy

relationships can include academic difficulties, stress and involvement in delinquent
behaviour (particularly in relation to early sexual and romantic experiences), and increased
vulnerability to experiencing depressive symptoms. These negative effects can affect and
trigger these two stabilities: mental and emotional. One’s mental and emotional healthalso
vitally influence the quality and characteristics of relationships (White-Cummings, 2018).

Negative outcomes caused by bad and unhealthy relationships can trigger both mental
and emotional stability of a student. Since adolescents experience many firsts as they move
from early to late adolescence, break ups and bad experiences are hard for them to handle
resulting intosymptoms and behaviours that could lead to serious problems.

Unhealthy relationships cause anxiety, depression, insecurity, paranoia, and even

narcissism that can affect the mental stability of a person.These are prevalent problems
among students with more than 300 million cases across the country being the leading cause
of ill health and disability worldwide (World Health Organization, 2018).

Some negative impacts like being insecure, feeling drained and extreme pressure can
also be observed in a person involved in toxic or unhealthy relationships (Pai, 2019), low of
self-worth, helplessness, fear (White-Cummings, 2016), jealousy, anger, and distress are also
the negative emotions associated with bad relationships (Headspace, 2020). Teens in less
healthy relationships may feel more alone or misunderstood. They may be moodier, crying
more often or seeming more irritable (Thrive Therapy, 2018).
 According to Meilena Hauslendale in her book “Recognizing Unhealthy
Relationships: Guide to Healthy Love & Self Discovery”, unhealthy relationships can cause
physical stress such as illness, headaches and irritability.

Susan Bartell, a psychologist who works with couples stated that if a relationship is
not going well, it can cause trouble sleeping and can impact your self-esteem. The immune
system rebuilds itself during sleep, the system can become compromised with lack of sleep,
thus, making a person more vulnerable to disease (Clark, 2014). From disturbed sleep, to
added stress, to increased risk of heart problems, toxic relationships can do damage the body
(Hutkin, 2014).

On the other hand, unhealthy relationships can be minimized by helping the youth to
develop skills that support healthy relationships. School and community-based programs that
help youth recognize gender-based stereotypes, improve communication skills have shown to
prevent stressful relationships. In addition, having a proper knowledge in choosing a good
and healthy relationship will benefit someone’s mental health and ethic in the future.
Furthermore, it is advisable to seek professional help while struggling through what to do
with a difficult relationship, especially if it has existed for a long period of time (Croft, 2019).

This study will be conducted to determine the effects of unhealthy relationships in

mental and emotional stability of senior high school students of (School), understand the
difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, performance of the students
experiencing unhealthy relationships with their partners, and further explicate why students
experience such effects that can result to mental stress.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aims to identify the effects of unhealthy relationships on the mental and
emotional stability of (School) – Senior High School students and answer the following
objectives:

1. How may the demographic profile of respondents be described in terms of:

1.1. sexual orientation
1.2. age
1.3. relationship status

2. What are the characteristics of an unhealthy relationship?

3. How does unhealthy relationships affects:

3.1. mental stability
3.2. emotional stability

4. Is there a significant relationship between having an unhealthy relationship and the

mental and emotional stability of Senior High School students?

HYPOTHESIS

Alternative Hypothesis (Hᵃ)

There is a significant relationship between unhealthy relationship and the mental and
emotional stability of the (School)S-SHS students.

Null Hypothesis (Hᵒ)

There is no significant relationship between unhealthy relationship and the mental and
emotional stability of the (school)-SHS students.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The study entitled “Effects of Unhealthy Relationship on the Mental and Emotional
Stability of (school) -Senior High School students” will focus on assessing the influence of
unhealthy relationship among the respondents.

The study will use the independent variable (unhealthy relationship), and the
dependent variables (mental and emotional stability) to determine how the independent
variables affects the other variables.

The researchers will be using survey form and interview to gather necessary data.

MENTAL AND
UNHEALTHY EMOTIONAL
RELATIONSHIP STABILTY OF SHS
students

Figure 1 : Graphic representation of independent and dependent variables.

RESEARCH PARADIGM

 Behaviour of students experiencing

unhealthy relationships
INPUT  Academic performance of the students
 Records from the Guidance Counselor

 Questionnaires/surveys
 Observations PROCESS
 Interviews

 Factors affecting the mental and emotional

stability of students
OUTPUT  A study that can help to determine the
effects of unhealthy relationship to the
students

Figure 2. Input-Process-Output of the Study

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study is to investigate and establish awareness about the
possible effects of unhealthy relationships on the senior high school students of (School).
This research will mainly focus on the perspectives and experiences of the students while
suffering from such relationship and will serve as a foundation of knowledge regarding the
effects of unhealthy relationships on the mental and emotional stability of the students.
Moreover, this study will further contribute to the different groups in the community:

Students. In this study, the students are the main focus. Wherein, the results that will
be collected by the researchers could provide knowledge about the unhealthy relationship
andexplain how these relationships affect their academic performance, interaction, and
behaviour in school, as well as the effects of unhealthy relationships on their mental and
emotional health. Moreover, this study will be beneficial to the students to be aware and
mindful regarding the relationships they are into.

Parents. The majority of the results in this study could contribute the parents in terms
of understanding the difficulties and struggles being faced by their children suffering from
unhealthy relationships. This study may benefit the parents in raising awareness about
relationships and help them realize the importance of healthy relationships on the mental
health of their children in the future.

Teachers. This study could provide knowledge to the teachers in dealing with their
students who are experiencing problems about relationships. This can also give them in-depth
understanding regarding the viewpoints of the students when it comes to relationships.

Guidance Counselors. This study may benefit the school’s Guidance Counselor in
finding solutions to the student’s common problems. In addition to that, guidance counselors
may also utilize the data that will be gathered to develop certain treatments on the students
suffering from such relationships.

Researchers. This study will serve as a new body of knowledge to the researchers to
further enrich studies in line with the exploration about the effects of unhealthy relationships
on the students’ stabilities and performance.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

This study will be conducted for the purpose of identifying the effects of unhealthy
relationships on the mental and emotional stability of the students. The research is limited to
the academic performance and behaviour of senior high school students in (School) during
the school year 2017-2018.

The target population will receive a questionnaire form of instrument to know their
experiences and will undergo observations regarding unhealthy relationships. The data will
be gathered from twenty-five(25) respondents that will cover senior high school students
(five students per strand), teachers and the School’s Guidance Counselor. The researchers
will be selecting their respondents through random sampling.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms are conceptually defined within the context of the study for
better understanding of the readers:

Anxiety is the body's natural response to stress. It's a feeling of fear or apprehension about
what's to come.

Adulthood is the period in the human lifespan in which full physical and intellectual maturity
have been attained.

Adolescence is the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person
develops from a child into an adult

Emotional stabilityis the capacity to maintain ones emotional balance under stressful
circumstances

Mental stabilityis a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own
abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make
a contribution to his or her community.

Self-esteem refers to a person’s overall sense of his or her value or worth.

Delinquent behaviour a person who fails to perform a legal or contractual obligation, or

who is guilty of illegal or disorderly behavior
Paranoia a mental condition characterized by delusions of persecution, unwarranted
jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance, typically elaborated into an organized system.

Narcissism is the excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical

appearance.

Stereotypes are widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of
person or thing.