IMPACT OF SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT TO THE STRESS

COPING MECHANISMS OF SENIOR HIGH LEARNERS

A Research submitted to Irisan National High School by;

Charlie Chad Kaharian

Randy P. Bristol

Sherwood Cajigan

Mark Joseph B. Calimlim

Rafael K. Gallardo Jr.

Chrysler Jim Fadchal

Ker-v Genesis B. Valeriano

In partial fulfillment of

Practical Research II

NOVEMBER 2022
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

With the entrance of the COVID – 19 Pandemic, there had been a lot of changes

in our society. Students, in particular, moved from a face to face mode of learning, into

online and modular type of learning process and now back to face to face once again.

With this transition in the academic system, students have been exposed to a number of

difficulties such as stress, extreme academic pressure, loss of motivation, and clashing

priorities between house chores, getting into jobs, extra-curricular activities, and of

course, their education. It was also in this time that a great spike in students experiencing

mental health issues took place. In our experience alone, a number of suicides, drop-

outs, and other of our peers giving in to their lack of hope had transpired.

In 2001, the Philippines implemented its “first mental health policy.” Followed by a

revision in 2016, the Philippines arrived at a nationwide enactment of the newest

installment of the Mental Health Act in 2018.

The Mental Health Act designates mental health services as a fundamental right

for all Filipino citizens. The Act asserts that “mental health services shall be free from

coercion and accountable to the service users” and legislates “the full range of human

rights” for people enduring mental illnesses. This includes the right to “participate fully in

society and at work, free from stigmatization and discrimination.” The Mental Health Act

stands as a significant milestone in psychiatry for the archipelago nation. However,

COVID-19 has brought an onslaught of new challenges in terms of mental health in the

Philippines.
 During the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the

COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on mental health. For some, stress, fear and adversity lead

to an increased risk of mental health issues. In addition, quarantines and lockdown

restrictions can increase feelings of isolation and loneliness, contributing to poor mental

well-being. Due to various barriers, older members of society, in particular, may find it

challenging to stay connected during the pandemic.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about the mental health of

the generation of children growing up in this period. Worldwide, the pandemic has brought

to the forefront the need to improve mental health access.

Within the Philippines, a 2020 survey by the Department of Health indicates that

around 3.6 million Filipinos found themselves battling mental disorders during the

pandemic. Since then, the Filipino government and private organizations have

implemented various programs to help citizens navigate their mental health.

Theoretical Framework

The researchers have grounded this study on Mercia Eliade’s Phenomenology of

Religion. Like Otto, he saw religion as something special and autonomous, which cannot

be reduced to the social, economic or psychological alone. Like Durkheim, he saw

the sacred as central to religion, but differing from Durkheim, he views the sacred as often

dealing with the supernatural, not with the clan or society. The daily life of an ordinary

person is connected to the sacred by the appearance of the sacred,

called hierophany. Theophany (an appearance of a god) is a special case of it. In The

Myth of the Eternal Return Eliade wrote that archaic men wish to participate in the sacred,
and that they long to return to lost paradise outside the historic time to escape

meaninglessness. The primitive man could not endure that his struggle to survive had no

meaning. According to Eliade, man had a nostalgia (longing) for an otherworldly

perfection. Archaic man wishes to escape the terror of time and saw time as

cyclic. Historical religions like Christianity and Judaism revolted against this older concept

of cyclic time. They provided meaning and contact with the sacred in history through the

god of Israel.

Definition of Terms

All definitions are gathered from the Encyclopedia Britannica.

 Religion - An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship

a god or a group of gods.

 Spirituality - The quality or state of being spiritual or of being attached to or

concerned with religious questions and values broadly conceived.

 Heirophany - Thus often to reveal a divine reality or numinous dimension. The

occurrence may be an event concerned with natural needs or situations, such as

illness, hunger, or distress, or a specifically religious event that effects some form

of salvation or revelation.

 Theophany – A manifestation of deity in sensible form.

 Sacred - The power, being, or realm understood by religious persons to be at the

core of existence and to have a transformative effect on their lives and destinies.
 Other terms, such as holy, divine, transcendent, ultimate being (or ultimate

reality), mystery, and perfection (or purity) have been used for this domain.

 Stress - In psychology and biology, any environmental or physical pressure

that elicits a response from an organism.

Significance of the Study

Mental health is one of the key factors that determine student engagement in

learning. Stress, pressure, and other emotional and psychological difficulties all play a

role in the motivation of students and of the lack thereof. This is why this study is crucial

as it delves into one of the methods that student can apply in order to cope and overcome

these difficulties. It benefits the students, as the discovery of more effective coping

mechanism will widen their options for stress management and mental health care. It

benefits teachers as well, as a decrease of student stress and mental health difficulties

will ultimately increase student engagement during the teaching and learning process.

This may even benefit society, as results of this research may again widen options for

stress management not only applicable to learners but even to every member of the

society.
Statement of the Problem

The researchers endeavor to discover whether or not this is the same in the context

of Irisan National High School Learners.

Specifically, the researchers seek to answer these four questions.

1. What are the main stressors that learners find in today’s new academic

system?

2. What are their coping mechanisms in dealing with these stressors?

3. Are there certain activities, specifically related to spirituality that learners use

when coping with stress?

4. If so, are these coping mechanisms effective?

Scope and Delimitation

This study will look into the relationship between religious involvement and

development of stress coping mechanisms on secondary level learners. This will take

place in the confines of Irisan National High School. Respondents outside of this school

will not be entertained. Descriptive statistics will be employed; no inferential statistics will

be used to analyze data.

 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In Turkey, according to Durbas et. Al. (2021), anxiety and stress levels are related

to each other and are high in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both

are associated with gender and family member loss. The year of study of the students

also has a relationship with anxiety. It was observed that the danger factor is the highest

stressor in university students in Turkey related to catching the novel coronavirus,

followed by the contamination fears. Both factors are shown as moderate stressors. The

factor at the lowest level in the stress scale measurements was determined as the

socioeconomic factor. As a result of the study, it was revealed that in addition to the social,

academic, and physical burdens of the university years, which are decisive and important

in terms of the mental development and psychological health of the person, COVID-19

was also incorporated at the present conditions. Maintaining the physical and mental

health of today's university students is critical to creating a healthy community structure

after COVID-19 (post-COVID era).

One particular area of concern for students is academic stress relating to their

ability to succeed in this new environment. While enrollment in online courses has

increased over the past several years, the majority of students remain unfamiliar with

remote learning. A recent report in the context of United States indicates that prior to

COVID-19, only 35% of students had taken one or more courses online (D’Amato, 2020).

This concerning given that one of the best predictors of academic success in an online

format is prior online course experience (Hachey et al., 2012). This lack of experience

may be compounded by challenging home conditions, including loss of access to

academic resources (e.g., computers and internet connectivity) and distractions in the

home learning environment. Indeed, the initial research shows that at-home distractions

(including disruptions from other family members and additional responsibilities) are a

significant challenge for students learning from home during COVID-19 (Son et al., 2020).

Taken together, these factors are likely to lead to significant academic stress and

uncertainty.

Aside from dealing with stressors related to a potentially unfamiliar online learning

environment, students are also coping with the emotional impact of COVID-19. Much of

the initial research on the mental health consequences of COVID-19 comes from areas

hardest hit at the beginning of the pandemic including countries in Asia and Europe, which

is where Philippines is located.

Furthermore, according to Wirkus (2021). Stress is undoubtedly a part of students’

lives and it may impact their ways of coping with the demands of school life. Their daily

responsibilities involve numerous challenges which lead to stress. Results from various

studies carried out thus far show a clear increase in mental health problems among

students. As some of them indicate, there is also an urgent need to assess the impact of

the current pandemic on students’ mental health and wellbeing, which legitimizes carrying

out such studies in various countries.

In the Philippines, according to Lim et. Al. (2022) a survey of 1,879 respondents

measuring the psychological effects of COVID-19 during its early phase in 2020 was

released. Results showed that one-fourth of respondents reported moderate-to-severe

anxiety, while one-sixth reported moderate-to-severe depression. In addition, other local

studies in 2020 examined the mental health of frontline workers such as nurses and
physicians—placing emphasis on the importance of psychological support in minimizing

anxiety. Since the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, risk factors that could affect specific

populations’ psychological well-being have been studied. A cohort study on 1,773 COVID-

19 hospitalized patients in 2021 found that survivors were mainly troubled with fatigue,

muscle weakness, sleep difficulties, and depression or anxiety. Their results usually

associate the crisis with fear, anxiety, depression, reduced sleep quality, and distress

among the general population. Moreover, the pandemic also exacerbated the condition

of people with pre-existing psychiatric disorders, especially patients that live in high

COVID-19 prevalence areas. People suffering from mood and substance use disorders

that have been infected with COVID-19 showed higher suicide risks. Furthermore, a study

in 2020 cited the following factors contributing to increased suicide risk: social isolation,

fear of contagion, anxiety, uncertainty, chronic stress, and economic difficulties.

This is why, as 11th grade student who at the same time are took formal theological

education this school year, the researchers in this study endeavor to find out how spiritual

and religious involvement take part in the development of stress coping mechanisms in

today’s modular learning system.

The desire to discover the answer to this was aroused as the researchers read on

what Abdel-Khalek & Eid, 2011; Hardy et al., 2014; and Koenig, 2009 had stated in their

research which dictates there are “beneficial effects of religious involvement outcomes

associated with stress”. For example, one study that examined the influence of religiosity

on positive and negative outcomes associated with stress among college students at a

church-sponsored school found that religious faith gives them meaning and purpose in

life’s challenges. The students’ faith provided them with comfort and inspiration that
changed their view of life, in that God is aware of their needs and will assist them

accordingly (Merrill et al., 2009). In turn, it minimizes the level of stress and promotes

feelings of confidence in one’s ability to handle personal problems.”

 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter explains various methodologies that were used in gathering data and

analysis which are relevant to the research. The methodologies will include areas such

as the location of the study, research design, sampling and sample size, types of data,

data collection method and its management.

Research Design

The design adopted for the study is Correlational Research Design .

Correlational research is a non-experimental research method used to identify a

relationship between two variables with no influence from any extraneous variable.

Locale of the Study

This study will be conducted in the premises of Irisan National High School, located

at purok 3, Irisan, Baguio City. PhilAtlas shows a 36,562 population in this Barangay as

of 2022.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of this study will be seventy-two (2) learners, all coming from the

senior high department specifically Grade 12 HUMSS.

Grade Level Number of Respondents

Grade 12 72
Instrumentation

The research study will make use of survey questionnaires containing 20 questions

about spiritual involvement and stress coping mechanisms. A questionnaire is a research

instrument consisting of a series of questions for the purpose of gathering information

from respondents. Questionnaires can be thought of as a kind of written interview. They

can be carried out face to face, by telephone, computer or post. (McCleod, 2018)

Data Gathering Procedure

As an initial step, the researchers will prepare all necessary documents for the

data gathering procedure such as letters, survey questionnaires, and of course the

consent forms for the respondents. Next, the researchers will submit the letters for

permission requests to the respective offices and people who will be involved in the

interview. Finally, when all preparatory measures are done with, the researchers will

administer the survey questionnaires to the respondents during their PR 2 schedule

(Monday, 11-12PM). The researchers will then gather the data and analyze it.

Data Analysis

For the data analysis, the researchers will gather the data and then count the responses

for each question. The researchers will then categorize these responses and with the use

of statistics illustrate the data gathered through graphs.

 References

Mendoza, 2022. A closer look in the mental health of the Philippines. Retrieved from;
https://borgenproject.org/look-at-mental-health-in-the-philippines/

Eliade, 2014. Phenomenology of Religion. Retrieved from;

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315124575-6/eliade-
phenomenological-approach-religion-myth-douglas-allen

Durbas et. Al. 2021. Anxiety and Stress Levels Associated With COVID-19 Pandemic of
University Students in Turkey: A Year After the Pandemic. Retrieved from;
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.731348/full

Wirkus, 2021. University students’ strategies of coping with stress during the
coronavirus pandemic: Data from Poland. Retrieved from;
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0255041

Lim, 2022. Assessing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, shift to online learning, and
social media use on the mental health of college students in the Philippines: A mixed-
method study protocol. Retrieved from;
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0267555

Thao, 2020. Relationships Between Religious Involvement, Stress, Depression, and

Academic Performance of Graduate Students in Education. Retrieved from;
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4696&context=uop_et
ds

Defitions Retrieved from;

https://www.britannica.com/topic/spirituality
https://www.britannica.com/topic/hierophany
https://www.britannica.com/topic/theophany
https://www.britannica.com/topic/sacred