Group 5 Corona Virus Disease

ST. ANTHONY COLLEGE OF ROXAS CITY, INC.
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
CORONA VIRUS DISEASE 2019 PANDEMIC: STRESS LEVEL AND

COPING ACTIONS OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS OF ROXAS
MEMORIAL PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL DURING THE PANDEMIC
A Descriptive-Correlational Research Submitted to the

Faculty of St. Anthony College of Roxas City, Inc.
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Senior High School
By
YSABEL S. BLANCAFLOR
SHAIRA D. MAGNO
RONELJAY L. MORALES
JACOB JEFFREY D. SIMEON
2021
SHS
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL 2021
APPROVAL SHEET
This is to certify that this research paper entitled “Corona Virus Disease 2019
Pandemic: Stress Level and Coping Actions of Health Care Workers of Roxas
Memorial Provincial Hospital During the Pandemic.” prepared and submitted by
Ysabel S. Blancaflor, Shaira D. Magno, Roneljay L. Morales, Jacob Jeffrey D.
Simeon to fulfill part of the requirements for the Senior High School was successfully
defended and approved on January 27, 2021.
___________________________________
MARK ANTHONY B. BLACANO, LPT
Research Adviser
ORAL EXAMINATION COMMITTEE
_____________________________ _____________________________
TERESITA A. KATIGBAK, LPT, MaEd CARLA JEAN B. DELFIN, LPT
Member Member
___________________________________
RUBILYN B. SUMAYLO, RN, MSN, LPT
Chairman
The research paper is hereby officially accepted as partial fulfilment of the requirement
for the completion for the Research Subject in Senior High School.
_________________ _____________________________________
DATE RUBILYN B. SUMAYLO, RN, MSN, LPT
SHS Principal
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This worked study would have not been accomplished with the researchers
alone, but with the support and help of many people, the researchers would like to
express their gratitude to the following:
To Mr. Mark Anthony Blacano, research subject teacher, for the knowledge you
instilled upon us, for your guidance and support, for putting trust to us to conduct our
study, and for being there with us when we most need academic advice and
understanding in making this study.
To Ms. Rubilyn Bulquerin-Sumaylo, Principal of the Senior High School
Department, for providing us insights on what our study lacks, for allowing us to
conduct the study, and supporting our research activities.
To Mrs. Teresita Katigbak, for helping us in validating our research instrument
and correcting our grammatical errors for the improvement of our study during the final
defense.
To Mrs. Amphy Mae Das and Ms. Pearlie Joy Fajanil, members of the research
panel, for the suggestions and recommendations.
To Ms. Carla Jean Delfin, statistician of this study, for giving us corrections on
our tables, for computing and helping us interpret our data.
To Mr. Jason Flaviano, research adviser, in helping the researchers throughout
the study, for guiding us in the journey of this study, from formulating the title to helping
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interpret the data. And also for giving us his time and knowledge despite his busy
schedule.
To Mrs. Edmarie M. Tormon, Chief of Hospital of Roxas Memorial Provincial
Hospital for allowing us to conduct our survey.
To Grade 12-St. Louise de Marillac, classmates of the researchers, who have
been with them, whether in cheers or tears.
To Mrs. Lida D. Magno, for being our representative and helping us distribute
and retrieve the questionnaires for our study.
To Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Blancaflor, Mr. and Mrs. Jose Ruel Magno, Mr. and
Mrs. Nelson Morales, and Mr. and Mrs. Jayson Simeon, parents of the researchers, who
have endlessly motivated and supported, may it be financial, moral, and emotional. Your
love made the researchers inspired to finish this study even when there are times that
they are losing hope and is about to give up.
And last but not the least, the Almighty Father, who is omnipotent and the source
of strength and intelligence. By your grace, the researchers accomplished this study and
to You this endeavor we humbly offer.
The Researchers,
Y.B
S.M
R.M
J.J.S
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ABSTRACT
This study aimed to determine the Stress Levels and the Coping Actions of the
Health-Care Workers of the Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital. It is a descriptive
correlational study which utilizes two researchers’ made questionnaires. Stress Scale
was made to measure the levels of stress and the Coping Inventory which was divided
into three categories- problem-focused coping, emotional-focused coping, and
dysfunctional coping actions is utilized to observe the scale of coping actions of the
health-care workers. The respondents of the study 168 out of 296 Health-Care Workers
of the hospital whom are designated to non-CoVid-19 stations and CoVid-19 stations.
The statistical tools used were frequency and percentage, mean, t-test, ANOVA, and
Spearman.
This study concludes that the majority of the Health-Care Workers of Roxas
Memorial Provincial Hospital are female non-CoVid-19 station workers who are in their
Early Adulthood (22-34) who may be either single or married. These Health-Care
Workers showed moderate stress but male Health-Care Workers and those who are
working in CoVid-19 stations showed higher levels of stress than other respondents.
Age and marital status showed no influence to the Stress Levels of the Health-Care
Workers. The scale of the coping actions of the respondents is described to be
satisfactory. Among the three coping actions, problem-focused coping actions are
frequently used, followed by emotional-focused coping action and the dysfunctional
coping actions are found out to be the least used. Males showed higher scale of coping
actions than the female Health-Care Workers. The findings implied that age, marital
status, and clinical area holds no influence to the scale of coping actions of the health-
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care workers. There is a significant relationship between the Stress Levels and the
coping actions of the Health-Care Workers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Approval Sheet i
Acknowledgement ii
Abstract iv
Table of Contents v
List of Tables ix
List of Figures xi
List of Appendices xi
CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction 1
Background of the Study 2
Statement of the Problem 5
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Theoretical Framework 7
Conceptual Framework 10
Hypotheses 11
Significance of the Study 11
Scope and Limitations 13
Definition of Terms 14
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Corona Virus Disease 2019 Pandemic: 17
Effects to Health-Care Workers
Stress Levels and Coping Actions: 21
Definition and Relation
The Variation of the Stress Levels and 24
Coping Action due to the
Demographic Profile
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design 28
Population Frame and Sampling Technique 28
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Research Instrument 29
Validity and Reliability of Research Instrument 31
Data Gathering 32
Statistical Treatment of Data 32
CHAPTER IV: PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION, AND ANALYSIS
OF DATA
Demographic Profile of the Health-Care Workers 37
Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers 41
Difference in the Stress Levels of the Health-Care 43
Workers When Grouped According to
Demographic Profile
Scale of Coping Actions of the Health-Care 50
Workers
Difference in the Scale of Coping Actions of the 55
Health-Care Workers When Grouped According
to Demographic Profile
Relationship between Stress Levels and 59
the Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers
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CHAPTER V: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary 61
Conclusion 63
Recommendations 65
References 66
Appendices 72
About the authors 87
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LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Description Page
1 Total and Sample Population of the Study 29
2 Score and options of survey questionnaires 30
3 Interpretation of Numerical Rating of the 33
Stress Scale
4 Interpretation of Numerical Ratings of the 34
Coping Inventory
5 Spearman’s Coefficient of Rank of Correlation 35
6 Demographic Profile of the Health-Care Workers 37
7 Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers 41
8 Difference in the Stress Levels of the 43
Health-Care Workers When Grouped
According to Age
According to Sex
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According to Marital Status
According to Clinical Area
12 Scale of Coping Actions of the 50
Health-Care Workers
13 Difference in the Coping Actions of the 55

According to Age
According to Sex

17 Relationship between Stress Levels and the 59
Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No. Description Page
1 The Paradigm of the Study 10
LIST OF APPENDICES
A Letter of Permission to Conduct the Survey 73
B Questionnaire 75
C Pilot Testing Results 82
D SSPS (Final Survey) 84
E Pilot Testing Documentation 91
F Actual Survey Documentation 93
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CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
Corona Virus Disease 2019 or SARS-CoV-2, a new type of virus
Coronavirus that was first identified in Wuhan, China on December 2019 has taken
a global scale. By 24 October 2020 42, 439,636 confirmed cases and 1,148,492
deaths are recorded from 217 countries. This pandemic is currently a major public
health emergency and does not only bring risks of infection and death but also severe
psychological pressure. It has produced and community anxiety in connection to the
escalation of cases, media and uncertainty of cure.
The outbreak of Corona Virus Disease 2019 has put significant amount of
pressure on different countries’ healthcare systems. The rising number of patients
infected by CoVid-19 and the lack of information on its cure brings heavy physical
and mental toll to the Health-Care Workers. The heavy load of work, lack of cure,
and the movement of society amidst the pandemic brings a great amount of stress to
Health-Care Workers. During this pandemic, Health-Care Workers find ways to let
out their stress and cope to this situation in order to function properly in their duties.
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Background of the Study
A pandemic is a world-wide spread of disease. Starting from Wuhan, China
in December, 2020 as an epidemic, Corona Virus Disease 2019 quickly spread
throughout the world in such a short time. COVID-19 is a complex and
heterogeneous disease. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are known
to cause a wide range of illness from the common cold to more severe diseases such
as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS) (Aylie, Mekumen, Mekuria, 2020). It is declared by WHO as a
global pandemic on 11 March 2020 (Flesia et al., 2020) which still continues to
spread around the world and give psychological pressure to the society. 365,799
confirmed cases and 6,915 deaths are recorded here in Philippines as of 24 October
2020.
The ones who took brunt of this CoVid-19 situation are the Health-Care
Workers due to the fact that the health-care system of the country is not prepared for
this kind of critical health and security crisis (Torrentira, 2020). It is evident that at
this serious times Health-Care Workers are at great risk of contagion and it is evident
that there still remains absence of adequate points of reference because of the
exceptional nature of the pandemic, the rate of the spread of infection, the
seriousness of the patients’ health condition and the mortality index (Vagni et al.,
2020). This category of workers during the outbreak, facing conditions that had
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never occurred before, with very hard working shifts, social distancing, isolation
from family and friends, and facing against a new type of Coronavirus with no drugs
or vaccines that were ready or effective during the first wave of the pandemic
(Babore et al.,2020). Faced to this stressful event which they lack on previous
experience and knowledge, the Health-Care Workers are placed in a situation where
they cannot help but procure higher levels stress than the usual.
According to Selye, stress is an individual’s bodily processes that results
from circumstances that place physical or psychological demands on the individual
(Babore et al., 2020). Under the pressure of stress, individuals engage in a coping
thought or action. Lazarus and Folkman identified coping is used in an attempt to
manage internal and/or external stressors perceived to exceed their personal
resources.
In order to combat the spread of CoVid-19 in Capiz, the government
identified Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital as a CoVid-19 hospital (Burgos,
2020). It is truly evident that the Health-Care Workers of this hospital would
experience greater stress than other Health-Care Workers of other hospitals due to
the fact that they are more frequently involved to the infected patients of the virus
(Torrentira, 2020). This study is expected to raise awareness and initiate
preparedness to the aspiring Health-Care Workers as realistically speaking, this
pandemic might not be the last which stood as the reason for the researchers to
conduct this study. A vast amount of literature have observed how Health-Care
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Workers cope with the Stress Levels they possess during this CoVid-19 pandemic
and the researchers wants to focus to Roxas Provincial Memorial Hospital as it
houses most of the CoVid-19 cases here in Capiz. To the best of our knowledge,
there is no specific study that analyzed the Stress Levels and Coping Actions of the
Capiznon Health-Care Workers during the CoVid-19 pandemic. Specifically, this
study will find out the Stress Levels and Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers
who administers both CoVid-19 and non-CoVid-19 patients in the hospital whilst
exploring the association of their demographic profile namely; gender, age, marital
status, and clinical area. The present theories and literatures will help the assessment
of the perceived stress of the medical workers and the coping actions they manifest
in order to alleviate the stress.
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Statement of the Problem
This study aims to determine the stress level and coping actions of Health-Care
Workers of Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital during the Corona Virus Disease
2019 pandemic for the year of 2020.
Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions:
1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents?
a. Age
b. Sex
c. Marital Status
d. Clinical Area
2. What is the Stress Level of the respondents?
3. Is there a significant difference between the Stress Levels of the respondents
when grouped according to age, sex, marital status, and clinical area?
4. What is the scale of coping actions of the Health-Care Workers in each
category?
a. Problem-focused coping
b. Emotion-focused coping
c. Dysfunctional coping
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5. Is there a significant difference between the Coping Actions of the
respondents when grouped according to their age, sex, marital status, and
clinical area?
6. Is there a significant relationship between Stress Levels and the Coping
Actions?
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Theoretical Framework
Stress and coping are well connected. Selye determined it to be “the bodily
processes that results from the circumstances that place physical or psychological
demands on an individual and a certain degree of stress can facilate in every job.
Lazarus and Folkman determined that it becomes problematic when demands
outweight the perceived resources to cope (Babore et al.,2020). Therefore it is
obvious that the degree of stress will affect what coping actions an individual may
take. It must be also noted that there are numerous factors that might interfere in this
stress and coping interaction, like demographic variables. This stres and coping
interplay is described as a dynamic yet basic process by Lazarus and Folkman. They
conceptualized a linear sequence flowing from the stress itself going towards the
coping actions an individual had taken (Goh et al., 2014). This conceptualization is
known to be the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping.
In the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping by Lazarus and Folkman, stress is
represented to be a product of a transaction between a person and his/her environment
(Walinga, 2014). The theory consists of three elements. The stressor (source of stress),
cognitive appraisal (the evaluation of the event if it’s a harm, threat, or challenge), and
the coping actions (García et al., 2018). The theory states that a potentially stressful
event will trigger an appraisal process in which an individual will assess the damage
the potential stressful event might bring. In this cognitive appraisal, if the potential
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stressful event is proven to create a damage an individual will procede to check what
resources he/she have to help him/her combat this stressful event. Coping actions will
then be iniated after these appraisals (Goh et al., 2010). Coping actions refers to efforts
that will help to reduce the pressure of the stressful situation and are used when its
demands exceed inviduals’ resources (Babore et al., 2020).
The level of stress experienced in the form of thoughts, feelings, emotions
and behaviors, as a result of external stressors, depends on appraisals of the situation
which involves a judgment about whether internal or external demands exceed
resources and ability to cope when demands exceed resources. For the medical
workers, the risk of getting infected by the virus, the work load and other personal
factors bring stress to them. This is where coping actions take place, individuals have
different actions that they utilize in order to cope with the situation they are in.
Lazarus and Folkman categorized this coping actions into two categories
termed problem-focused coping which are actions aimed to eliminate the stress of
reduce its impact and emotional-focused coping which are the actions aimed to
prevent, minimize, or reduce the emotional anguish caused by the stressful situation.
Using his COPE scales, this two categories were further expanded by Carver adding
another category which is the dysfunctional coping which are considered as negative
coping actions (García et al., 2018).
These coping actions are composed of subscales that further expounds the
actions of each coping categories. Carver categorized this subscales in his Brief-
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COPE inventory (García et al., 2018). The acceptance (accepting the reality that has
happened/ learning to live with it), emotional support (obtaining comfort and
understanding), humor (making jokes and making fun of the situation), positive
reframing (making the situation look positive), and religion (praying and meditating)
falls under the category of emotion-focused coping action. The category of problem-
focused coping action is composed of active coping (taking actions to make the
situation better), instrumental support (getting advice from people on what to do),
and planning (thinking hard about what steps to take) and actions that involves
deflecting the problem. The last category is the dysfunctional coping. The coping
actions tha initate behavioral diengagement (giving up in dealing the situation),
denial (refusing to believe the situation happened), substance use (usage of alcohol
and drugs), and venting (saying unpleasant things and expressing negative feelings).
It is further evaluated that gender could influence the stress level and choice
of certain strategies. It was found out that women suffer more distress than men and
are more emotionally focused. Women showed a tendency to focus out and vent
emotions, and men were using alcohol or drugs as a way of coping (García et al.,
2018). The findings of Liu et al. (2020) shows that older age also results to higher
levels of stress due to the association between older age and higher CoVid-19
mortality. In addition to the demographic differences in Stress Levels and coping
actions, Liu et al.’s (2020) findings observed that there is an association between
Stress Levels and marital status. The results of stress level scales and coping action
scales shall further evaluate the differences in accordance to the variables and data
gathered from the respondents.
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Conceptual Framework
Independent Variables Dependent Variables
Demographic Profile of
Senior High School Stress Levels

Stress Levels
Age
students in terms of:
Sex
a. age
Marital Status
b. sex
c. marital status
Clinical Area Coping
Coping Actions
d. clinical area
Figure 1. The Paradigm of the Study
This study will measure the Stress Levels and scale of Coping Action of the
Health-Care Workers of the Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital who are
directly involved in clinical practices. The schematic diagram in figure no.1
shows the variables covered in this study. The diagram shows the dependent
variables which Stress Levels and Coping Actions are influenced by the
Independent variables which are the demographic profile of the respondents such
as Age, Sex, Marital Status and Clinical Area.
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Hypotheses
Based on the questions stated above, the following hypotheses will be
formulated:
1. There is no significant difference between the stress levels of the respondents
when grouped according to age, sex, marital status and clinical area.
2. There is no significant difference between the coping actions of the respondents
when grouped according to age, sex, marital status and clinical area.
3. There is no significant relationship between the stress levels and coping actions
of the respondents.
Significance of the Study
This study will be conducted to determine the stress levels and coping actions
of Health-Care Workers of Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital.
Specifically, the result of this study is believed to be meaningful and useful
to Health-Care Workers, their families, government officials and hospital heads,
health-care students, health- care schools, hospitals and the future researchers.
Health-Care Workers. The findings of this study will help the Health-Care
Workers identify their stress levels. With this study they will be informed of what
kind of coping action they are using to lessen their stress. This will serve as an
evaluation to their stress and coping habits and may help them to assess what
coping actions are to be made in response to their Stress Levels.
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Families. It is expected that the result of this study will serve as feedback
mechanism to the families of the Health-Care Workers. In this way, they shall
know the how much stress the Health-Care Workers are accumulating and also
help them in the coping process.
Government officials and Hospital heads. The findings will give the
government officials and hospital heads a firsthand information on the stress
levels and coping actions of the Health-Care Workers. On the basis of these data,
they can devise a campaign regarding on ways to alleviate stress and proper
coping actions.
Health-Care Students. This study will be an instrument to raise awareness to
those who aspire to be Health-Care Workers. The findings will provide insights
to what circumstances Health-Care Workers undergo during a serious situation
like a pandemic.
Health-Care Schools. This study will greatly benefit the schools who have
courses regarding Health-Care. The findings may serve as their base for actions
and programs they may take to increase the preparedness of their students to
situations like this. With this study, they can devise plans in order to promote
lower stress levels and proper coping actions among their students.
Hospitals. As this study only focuses on one specific hospital, other hospitals
may use this study as a reference if they ever try to conduct one in theirs. This
study will also give them insights on what their Health-Care Workers feel and
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experience during the pandemic. As higher levels of stress and improper coping
actions may hinder the workflow in the hospital, each hospital can devise a way
that may help the Health-Care Workers to own proper coping actions in response
to their Stress Levels.
Future Researchers. The results of the study will serve as input if they intend
to conduct similar studies.
Scope and Limitation of the Study
This study was conducted to the 296 Health-Care Workers of Roxas
Memorial Provincial Hospital located in Arnaldo Boulevard Roxas City, Capiz.
The chosen Health-Care Workers are directly involved in clinical practice
(doctors, nurses, nursing attendants, midwives, medical technicians and radio
technicians) for the year 2020 – 2021. It aimed to describe the profile of
respondents, to identify their stress levels and coping actions. It also seeks to
determine if age, sex, marital status and clinical area have significant
relationships with their stress levels and coping actions. Furthermore, this study
will determine if there is significant connection between the stress levels and
coping actions.
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Definition of Terms
To facilitate understanding of the contents of this study, the researcher
deemed it necessary to define the following terms conceptually and operationally:
Age refers to the entire period of life or existence. (Aguirre et al. 2020)
In this study, age is categorized as early adulthood, early middle age and late
middle age
Sex refers to a set of biological attributes in humans and animals. It is
primarily associated with physical and physiological features including
chromosomes, gene expression, hormone levels and function, and
reproductive/sexual anatomy (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2015).
In this study, sex is categorized as male and female.
Marital Status is the are the distinct options that describe a person's
relationship with a significant other (Wikipedia, 2020)
In this study, marital status is classified into single, married, widowed, and
separated.
Clinical Area refers means a specific geographic area of the Hospital
devoted to the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients on an in-patient, out-patient
or day-care basis (Law Insider, 2020)
In this study, clinical areas are classified as CoVid-19 stations (E.R, CoVid-
19 ward, and Triage) and non-CoVid-19 stations (Surgical, OB, Pediatrics, Medical,
ICU, LR/DR, NICU and OR).
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Corona Virus Disease 2019 is an infectious disease caused by a newly
discovered coronavirus. Observed symptoms of the infected person are mild to
moderate respiratory illness (WHO, 2020).
Corona Virus Disease 2019 serves as the root problem of the study.
Stress Level is defined as the levels of state of mental or emotional strain
caused by adverse circumstances (Healthline, 2018).
In this study, Stress Levels are classified as low stress, moderate stress and
high stress.
Coping Actions refers to behavioral and cognitive efforts that help to reduce
the pressure of a stressful situation and are used when its demands exceed
individuals’ resources (Babore et al., 2020).
In this study, coping actions are classified into Problem-focused coping,
Emotional-focused coping, and Dysfunctional coping.
Problem-focused coping refers to the coping actions done in attempt to
eliminate the stress factor or reduce its impact (García et al., 2018).
In this study, problem-focused coping is further classified to active coping,
instrumental support, self-distraction, and planning. These classifications can be seen
in the survey questionnaires.
Emotion-focused coping refers to coping actions that aims to prevent,
minimize, or reduce the emotional anguish caused by the stressful situation (García
et al., 2018).
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In this study, emotion-focused coping is further classified to acceptance,
humour, positive reframing, and religion. These classifications can be seen in the
questionnaires.
Dysfunctional coping is defined as those coping styles that employ
avoidance, denial, self-blame, or detrimental ways of coping such as alcohol or drug
abuse (Simpson, 2016).
In this study, dysfunctional coping is further classified to denial, behavioral
disengagement, substance use and venting. These classifications can be seen in the
questionnaires.
Health-Care Workers is one who delivers care and services to the sick and
ailing either directly as doctors and nurses or indirectly as aides, helpers, and
laboratory technicians (Joseph and Joseph, 2016).
In this study, Health-Care Workers are the chosen respondents. Particularly
the Health-Care Workers directly involved in the clinical practices during the
pandemic.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Corona Virus Disease 2019 pandemic: Effects to Health-Care Workers
The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (CoVid-19), or the acute respiratory disease
caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began
spreading in China at the end of 2019 and to date, represents an international health
emergency without precedents in terms of its health, economic, and organizational
effects on people’s lives (World Health Organization, 2020). Thobaity and
Alshammari (2020) further elaborated that this situation presented an immediate
danger to the functioning of communities around the world with impacts that causes
great changes in people’s lives. It must be noted that pandemics like this are not new.
Torrentira (2020) presented that the first pandemic occurred in 1580, followed by a
lot of influenza outbreaks and epidemics. In the last century, the Spanish flu
pandemic and the Asian flu pandemic has swept all over the world. Pandemics in
this scale may not be new yet this global health crisis is something the world is
prepared for and has not previously experienced in the modern times.
Well-documented psychological reactions to epidemics includes rise in
stress levels. Several countries experienced epidemics of viruses mostly under the
Corona Virus family-Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and Middle East
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Respiratory Virus (MERS). Large scale disease epidemics pose various challenges
to individuals of all ages and cultures but the emotional stress experienced by the
Health-Care Workers is severe and can be enduring (Cabarkapa et al., 2020).
Cabarkapa et al. (2020) defined a pandemic to be a worldwide spread of a new
disease, otherwise considered to be an epidemic that spread over numerous countries
and/or continents. A pandemic like CoVid-19 outbreak is considered as a major
stressor, as it is unexpected situation that created major impacts on health and
brought unprecedented social restrictions.
This unprecedented pandemic has brought a big impact to the unprepared
health care of the country thus the stress of the Health-Care Workers is predicted to
increase (Babore et al., 2020). Most of the health-care systems are not prepared for
this kind of critical health and security crisis adding up to the confusion and anxiety
brought by the pandemic itself. With this reason and in addition of the increase in
workload, the extension of working hours, and the frequent exposure to the suffering
and death of their patients has subjected Health-Care Workers to psychological and
physical stress (Vagni et al., 2020). Vagni et al. (2020) also noted that in situations
as uncontrollable as the pandemic as it is now, Health-Care Workers are forced to
take individual decisions with a heavy burden of responsibility due to the absence of
specific action protocols and limited resources available.
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Flesia et al. (2020) cited two main stressors in the pandemic, first relates to
danger and second to the rapid changes to social, working and familiar habits.
During the 2003 SARS outbreak, studies have reported adverse psychological
reactions among Health-Care Workers. Studies showed that those Health-Care
Workers feared contagion and infection of their family, friends, and colleagues, felt
uncertainty and stigmatization (Lai et al., 2020). It may as well be added that despite
of encouragement received by the Health-Care Workers from the general populace,
they later have experienced demonstrations of stigma and isolation (Vagni et al.,
2020).
Levkovich and Shinan-Altman (2020) confirms that researches about viruses
and their impacts shows that pandemic situations exert an emotional impact on
people’s level of stress and resilience. Although Health-Care Worker are expected
to be calm and holistic in their jobs as they acquired and is equipped with essential
knowledge and skills, a crisis like CoVid-19 which is so widespread already may
provide hinder to their usual workflow (Thobaity and Alshammari, 2020). Even if
the pandemic is identified to be a severe global disaster and this novel pathogen
produces high degree of uncertainty, it must be pointed out that there are also hidden
opportunities for the Health-Care Workers in this threat. Cabarkapa et al. (2020)
stated that positive changes such as better team coordination and cautions
instrumented by the leaders of nations can lead to strengthening preparedness against
future biological disasters.
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Recent literature and findings explains that Health-Care Workers who are
subjected to such situations are exposed to the risk of developing dysfunctional
reactions that can be identified at different levels — physical and/or physiological;
emotional; cognitive; and relational (Vagni et al., 2020). This circumstances causes
a shift in the Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers which leads them to
executing the coping action that is well-fitted to the circumstance they are in as well
as their personalities.
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Stress Levels and Coping Actions: Definition and Relation
Stress is natural, especially for Health-Care Workers. A certain degree of
stress can facilitate task performance, it becomes problematic when the demands
outweighs the perceived resources to cope. Goh et al. (2010) defined stress as per
Lazarus and Folkman’s theory as a relational concept. Lazarus and Folkman viewed
stress as an association between individuals and their environment, “Psychological
stress refers to a relationship with the environment that the person appraises as
significant for his or her well-being and in which the demands tax or exceed
available coping resources.” As the theory states, when faced to stress, an individual
primarily appraises the stress as either threatening or non-threatening, and
secondarily in terms of whether he or she has the resources to respond to or cope
with the challenge effectively (Walinga, 2014). Goh et al. (2010) also states that
stress and coping are of relational concept. They cited Lazarus and Folkman’s
conceptualization of stress and described it to be a linear sequence of stress and
coping, branching from the stress itself to the cognitive appraisals and lastly the
coping actions.
Coping is an element used to battle, overcome, or lessen the stress
experienced by an individual. It is explicated by Lazarus and Folkman that coping
is something complex and is a sequence of behaviors that a stressor will elicit (Goh
et al., 2010). Studies pointed out the importance of executing coping actions to avoid
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excessive levels of stress from affecting work and compromising the Health-Care
Workers’ performance. The process of identifying the stressor and the process of
producing an action to cope up with the stress is connected as per Transactional
Theory of Stress and Coping by Lazarus and Folkman. In greater detail, the coping
theory of Lazarus and Folkman speaks of coping as “a constantly changing cognitive
and behavioral effort which are undertaken by an individual in order to deal with
demand which are especially challenging and are probably exceeding individual
capacities and/or resources.
The authors presented two categories of coping, which was further
elaborated by Carver. Carver cited three categories of coping actions- problem-
focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and dysfunctional coping (García et al.,
2018). García et al. (2018) elaborated the subscales under the categories that Carver
has presented in his studies. They named actions such acceptance, emotional
support, humor, positive reframing and religion under emotional-focused coping
actions. The problem-focused coping actions consists of active coping, instrumental
support and planning and the dysfunctional coping actions have behavioral
disengagement, denial, substance use, and venting subscales under it.
Babore et al. (2020) found out in their research that the levels of stress is
associated with the type of coping actions individuals choose to take. Although the
strategies used to cope with stress may differ among individuals, they can also vary
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according to the profession and the features of the stressful event (Vagni et al., 2021).
Obiora (2015) affirms to this stating that the choice of coping action adopted by an
individual is usually subjective to the source, nature of stress and resources available
to an individual. Although each of coping actions may differ to each individual,
Walinga (2014) proposed that if an individual feels that the situation makes him/her
lack in control, they may turn to emotional-focused coping actions. Problem-focused
coping actions are employed if an individual have the power to manage the situation.
Dysfunctional coping actions in the other hand, is done when an individual wants to
escape the situation that is causing he/she stress.
The findings of Babore et al. (2020) and Vagni et al. (2020) shows the
relationship of coping strategies and the stress level of the Health-Care Workers.
They stated that positive coping styles represent lower Stress Levels. It was
particularly stated in the study of Obiora (2015) that among those who handle health-
care services effective coping is needed in order to face the strenuous nature of the
job and render quality health-care services at the same time. Existing literature
highlights the relation of stress to coping actions and their significance to the Health-
Care Workers while facing a stressful situation caused by the CoVid-19 pandemic.
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The Variation of the Stress Levels and Coping Action due to the Demographic
Profile
The connection of the stress scale and coping action might vary due to the
demographic profiles of the Health-Care Workers. Spoorthy underlined that socio-
demographic variables, such as age, gender, profession, and workplace affect the
stress level experience by the Health-Care Workers (Vagni, 2020). The severity of
this levels are influenced by more factors like role, specialization, type of activity
performed and exposure to patients with CoVid-19 (Vagni, 2020).
It has been set in the stone that there are differences when Stress Leveels are
influenced by the gender variable. Various literatures presents that females usually
are the ones that possesses higher levels of stress. The historically acclaimed fact
agrees to this, it is reported that women have higher levels of stress than men
(American Institute of Stress, 2011). It was emphasized on the same study that men
are less concerned about stress and more likely will say that they are fine, whilst
women place more emphasis on matters thus producing higher levels of stress.
Age has also been frequently studied whether it changes the Stress Levels of
a Health-Care Worker during the pandemic. It has been revealed that older age
increases the risk of mortality of an individual (Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2021). Due to this reason, they are reported to have higher levels of
stress (Liu et al., 2020). Yet several studies seem to disagree with this findings. The
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study of Flesia et al. (2020) found out that old age comes with wisdom and higher
self-control and calming skills which leads to lower levels of stress. Klaiber et al.
(2020) stated that younger adults nowadays experience more and different types of
stressors aside from the pandemic raising their Stress Levels. They proclaimed that
despite the fact that older adults faces the stressors such as higher rates of disease
contraction and severe complications if they are infected by CoVid-19, they
experience increased positive emotions thus lowering their stress levels.
Marital Status must also be taken in consideration when it comes to studying
the Stress Levels of an individual during the pandemic. As it is feared to contact the
disease, the fear rises significantly if an individual thinks that their spouses, children,
and family might contact the disease. In the Indian population, married people is
associated to higher levels of stress (Doshi et al., 2020) . Yet Liu et al. (2020)
considered being single in this situation as a mark for higher Stress Levels due to the
increased loneliness with the isolation during the pandemic. However, the findings
of Babore et al. (2020) shows that there is no observed association with the stress
and the marital status which stands in disagreement to the previously mentioned
studies. They further acclaimed that there is a lack of studies that will examine the
association of Stress Levels and marital status among Health-Care Workers and
implied that further and in-depth studies must be done on the conjecture.
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It is a common fact that associating with CoVid-19 patients will increase the
stress levels of an individual. This study mentioned two categories of clinical areas,
the Non-CoVid-19 stations and CoVid-19 stations. Various researches affirmed that
having contact with CoVid-19 patients increases the Stress Levels of an individual
significantly. The virus is spread primarily between people through direct, indirect,
or close contact with infected people through infected secretions such as saliva and
respiratory secretions, or through their respiratory droplets, which are expelled when
an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks or sings (WHO, 2020). The findings of
Babore et al. (2020) stands in agreement with the mentioned statement. They found
out that working with CoVid-19 patients initiates higher Stress Levels which they
deemed as self-explanatory.
These variations in terms of demographic profiles of the Health-Care
Workers applies to coping actions as well. A few studies have considered the ways
in which gender influences the level of stress in emergency situations and the choice
of coping action. García et al.’s (2018) explored the coping strategies of the Chilean
population with the Brief-COPE inventory as well as the validity of the instrument
used and found out that women tend to focus on and vent emotions which is in line
with Carver et al.’s (1989) theories as well. This shows that women tend to do more
coping actions that men as they experience a lot more stress than the other sex.
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Despite the low number of literatures found, the age was also said to give
variation to the way an individual handles their coping actions. As young adults are
expressed to have higher levels of stress it is expected for them to use more coping
actions yet the study of Klaiber et al. (2020) showed that older adults copes much
better and uses various coping actions in order to negate the Stress Levels they are
experiencing. Flesia et al. (2020) also noted that older age is associated to higher
usage of Coping Actions because they have a lot more experience in life which leads
them to knowing a lot of ways to lessen their Stress Levels.
It is still not further elaborated if there indeed is a connection between the
marital statuses when it comes to Health-Care Workers during the pandemic. It is
notable that the difference between the clinical area of the Health-Care Workers.
Babore et al. (2020) identified that more functional coping actions are used by those
who engage their selves with CoVid-19 patients. They emphasized that Health-Care
Workers are more likely to use more coping actions so that they will be able to
function properly during the pandemic.
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
The emphasis and discussion in this chapter includes the method of research
used, population frame and sampling technique, research instrument, data gathering
and statistical treatment of data.
Research Design
This is a descriptive correlational study utilizing the survey questionnaire
method of Stress Scale which aimed to measure the degree to which situations in
one's life are appraised as stressful and Coping Inventory which seeks assess the
different coping actions people use in response to stress. The survey method was
used to gather data from Health-Care Workers who are directly involved in clinical
practices in their stress levels and coping actions during the pandemic. This design
is substantially utilized on similar studies that have their significant purpose.
Population Frame and Sampling Technique
The population of Health-Care Workers that are involved in clinical practices
in Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital is 296. Utilizing the online sample size
calculator by Raosoft Inc. with 5% margin of error, we determined 168 as the sample
size. 168 is 56.76 % of 296 and the population of each clinical area will be multiplied
to .5676. Subsequently the sample sizes needed in CoVid-19 stations which has the
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population total population of 139 are 79 and on non-CoVid stations which has the
total population of 157-89. In selecting the respondents, stratified proportionate
sampling will be utilized. Stratified sampling refers to the selection of subgroups of
the population. After the selection of subgroups, random sampling will be applied to
each subgroup.
Table 1. Total and Sample Population of the Study
Health-Care Workers Total Sample

Population Population
CoVid-19 Stations 139 79
Non-Covid-19 Stations 157 89
Total 296 168
Research Instrument
The research instrument used in this study is a survey questionnaire. In order
to measure the stress levels of the respondents, Stress Scale was made. The
researchers derived content from the Perceived Stress Scale by Cohen et al. (1983)
and modified it to suit the aim of the study. The same applies with the researchers
made questionnaire for coping actions- Coping Inventory. The researcher’s made
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questionnaire derived and modified content of the Brief-COPE inventory by Carver
et al. (1997).
Each item raised under each aspect gives the respondents five options for the
stress level scale and four options for the coping scale to choose for their answer.
The options were as follows:
Table 2. Score and options of survey questionnaires
Stress Scale
Score Options
0 Never
1 Almost Never
2 Sometimes
3 Fairly Often
4 Very Often
Coping inventory
Score Options
1 I haven’t been doing this at all
2 A little bit
3 A medium amount
4 I’ve been doing this a lot
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Validity and Reliability of Research Instrument
Before administering the test questionnaire and the checklist to the
respondents, these were subjected to content and face validation by the teachers who
are experts in the field of mathematics. All the members of the committee and other
expert were asked to critic and validate the instrument. Some item was modified
based on the corrections and suggestions carried and incorporated in the final copy.
After it was validated, copies of the instrument were reproduced for pilot testing.
A pilot testing was administered to non-respondents of the study which were
30 Health-Care Workers and the reliability of checklist were then determined. The
Cronbach’s Alpha value of 0.743 was obtained suggesting an acceptable measure of
reliability.
The split-half method was used to test the reliability of a test questionnaire
resulting to Gutmann’s Split-Half coefficient of 0.795 implying that the test
questionnaire was reliable.
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Data Gathering
After securing the approval of the research panel during the proposal defense,
a letter was made to request permission from the Principal of St. Anthony College
of Roxas City Inc. and the Chief of Hospital of Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital
to conduct the study.
The letter was submitted to the office of the principal and the office of the
chief of hospital for approval. Due to the CoVid-19 pandemic, the questionnaires
will be delivered and administered by the researchers’ representative which is also
health-care worker of Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital to the respondents.
The researchers’ representative herself will the retrieve the accomplished
questionnaire. The data will be tallied, tabulated and computed via statistical
package for social sciences (SPSS).
Statistical Treatment of Data
The data gathered will be tabulated and computed using appropriate statistical
tools.
To determine the profile of the Health-Care Workers, frequency and percentage
will be used.
To determine the stress levels of the Health-Care Workers, mean will be used.
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Table 3. Interpretation of Numerical Rating of the Stress Scale
Numerical Descript- Mean

Interpretation
Rating ion Range
4 Very Often 4.21-5.00 The stress level of the
Health-Care Workers is
very high.
3 Fairly Often 3.41-4.20 The stress level of the

high.
2 Sometimes 2.61-3.40 The stress level of the

moderate.
1 Almost 1.00-1.80 The stress level of the

Never Health-Care Workers is
low.
0 Never 1.00-1.80 The stress level of the

very low.
To determine the coping actions of the Health-Care Workers in each of the
following classifications- Emotion-focused coping, Problem-focused coping, and
Dysfunctional coping, mean will be used.
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Table 4. Interpretation of Numerical Ratings of the Coping Inventory
Numerical Descript- Mean

Interpretation
Rating ion Range
4 I have been 3.26-4.00 The level of coping

doing this a lot actions of Health-Care
Workers is very high.
3 A medium 2.51-3.25 The level of coping

amount actions of Health-Care
Workers is high.
2 A little bit 1.76-2.50 The level of coping

actions of Health-Care
Workers is moderate.
1 I haven’t been 1.00-1.75 The level of coping

doing this at all actions of Health-Care
Workers is low.
To determine the stress levels, frequency and percentage will used.
To determine the significant difference in the coping actions when grouped
according to different categories, ANOVA will be used.
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To determine the significant difference in the Stress Levels and coping actions
when grouped according to their age, sex, marital status, and clinical areas, T-test and
ANOVA will be applied.
Table 5. Spearman’s Coefficient of Rank of Correlation
VALUES OF COEFFICIENT OF VERBAL INTERPRETATION

CORRELATION
± 0.01 — ± 0.20 Very Weak Linear Correlation
± 0.21 — ± 0.40 Weak Linear Relationship
± 0.41 — ± 0.60 Moderate Linear Relationship
± 0.61 — ± 0.80 Strong Linear Relationship
± 0.81 — ± 0.99 Very Strong Relationship
1 Perfect Linear Relationship
0 No Linear Relationship
To determine the significant relationship between the stress levels and coping
actions, Spearman will be used. To interpret the strength and direction of the
correlation between the variable, the scales above were used (Pallant, 2007).
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CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
This chapter presents the gathered data in terms of the results, analysis and
interpretation conducted. The findings gathered among Health-Care Workers with
their experience during the pandemic. This chapter will provide the discussion,
descriptions and theories that will support the findings. It will show the gathered
data from the questionnaires, Stress Scale and Coping Inventory. It consists of two
parts: descriptive data analysis and inferential data analysis that will study on the
demographic profile of the respondents, the stress level of the respondents, and their
scale of coping actions.
Furthermore, the significant difference between the Stress Levels of the
respondents when grouped according to age, sex, marital status, and clinical area,
difference between the Coping Actions of the respondents when grouped according
to their age, sex, marital status, and clinical area, and the relationship between Stress
Levels and the Coping Actions can be derived from the result of the study and were
discussed in this chapter.
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Demographic Profile of the Health-Care Workers
Table 6. Demographic Profile of the Health-Care Workers
VARIABLES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE
Age:
Early Adulthood (22 – 34) 94 56.0%
Middle Age (35 – 44) 56 33.3%
Late Middle Age (45 – 64) 18 10.7%
TOTAL 168 100%
Sex:
Male 63 37.5%
Female 105 62.5%
TOTAL 168 100%
Marital Status:
Single 82 48.8%
Married 82 48.8%
Widowed 4 2.4%
TOTAL 168 100%
Clinical Area:
CoVid-19 Stations 79 47.0%
Non-CoVid Stations 89 53.0%
TOTAL 168 100%
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Table 6 displays the distribution of the 168 respondents covered in this study
according to selected variables, namely: age, sex, marital status, and clinical area.
Statistics revealed that 94 of them (56.0%) were with ages between 22 - 34 years old
which belongs to the early adulthood.
Most of the courses which relates to Health-Care ranges from two to four
years. This batch of Health-Care Workers has not been under the K-12 education
program, it is only safe to assume that the usual age for a Health-Care Worker to
graduate a four-year course is 20. Courses with four year span dominates the Health-
Care field. Afterwards there will be exams and certifications needed to be acquired
to be a full-pledged Health-Care Worker. It must be noted that the nursing migration
rate of Philippines is quite high and the situation works this way. They graduate,
after years of experience, they migrate to other countries which will provide them
higher salary than what they acquire here in the country.
Abrigo and Ortiz (2019) determined that the health-care force ages ranging
from 28-32. Torrentira (2020) expounded the reason why Philippines is having a
hard time with the pandemic despite the fact that Philippines produces a lot of
Health-Care Workers every year. He noted that due to the Health-Care Workers
going overseas, the current ratio between the remaining Health-Care Workers and
the population can never be ideal. The population of the Health-Care Workers are
dominated by new board passers which ranges from ages 22-34.
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Statistics also revealed that out of 168 respondents, majority of the
respondents are female. It shows that 105 out of 168 respondents or 62.5% are
female.
The data gathered on the gender of the Health-Care Workers showed a
difference. The finding shows that the Health-Care Worker’s population is
dominated by females. It is a notable sight when entering hospitals that females
mostly composes the hospitals’ workforce.
The health-care work force are composed of physicians, nurses, attendants,
technicians, and midwives. In the study of Szabo et al. (2020), physicians are found
out to be mostly males. The study of Abrigo and Ortiz (2019) affirmed this fact as
well, labeling physicians and physiotherapists to be a male dominated job. However,
the jobs that mostly compromise the health-care force-nurses, attendants, technician,
and midwives are found out to be a female-dominated filed (Abrigo and Ortiz, 2019).
Szabo et al. (2020) labeled the health occupation to be highly gendered, affirming
that most of the Health-Care Workers are women.
Also, most of the respondents are single (48.8%) and married (48.8%). This
findings shows that there is an equal distribution in terms of marital status among
Health-Care Workers. This contradicts the socio-demographical findings of Abrigo
and Ortiz (2019) and Li et al. (2020), for they have found that the married Health-
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Care Workers dominate the field. It is to be understood that the demographical
variables in each cultural and geographic setting.
The result also shows that most of the respondents which is 89 out of 168
respondents (53.05) were assigned at non-CoVid-19 stations. This showcases that
majority of the Health-Care Workers are assigned to clinical areas belonging which
facilitates non-CoVid-19 patients.
The Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital may be declared as a CoVid-19
hospital but the only portion of the hospital that is sealed off is the third floor.
Limited patients are allowed to enter and there is a need to sign a waiver but the
other clinical areas of the hospital functions like usual. The other stations of the
hospital that does not facilitate CoVid-19 patients are numerous thus are in more
need of Health-Care Workers. The Health-Care Workers under the CoVid-19
stations are minimized in the efforts of lessening the potential large scale spread of
the virus in the hospital. Thus, lowering the number of Health-Care Workers in the
CoVid-19 stations.
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Stress Level of the Health-Care Workers
Table 7. Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers

VERBAL
STATEMENTS M
INTERPRETATION
1. I have been upset. 2.7143 Moderate

2. I have felt I am unable to control
2.9405 Moderate
the important things in my life.
3. I felt nervous and stressed. 2.8988 Moderate
4. I have felt confident about my
ability to handle my workload and 3.1726 Moderate
anxiety.
5. I have felt that things are just
3.2560 Moderate
going fine.
6. I have found that I could not cope
2.6964 Moderate
with the things I had to do.
7. I am able to control my anxiety
3.1786 Moderate
and fatigue.
8. I have felt that I was on top of
2.9167 Moderate
things.
9. I have been angered because of
things that happened outside my 2.8095 Moderate
control.
10. I have felt difficulties were piling
up so high that I could not 2.7440 Moderate
overcome them.
OVER-ALL 2.93 Moderate
Note: Interpretation is based on the following scale: 4.21- 5.00 (Very High), 3.41- 4.20 (High), 2.61-
3.40(Moderate), 1.81-2.60(Low), and 1.00 – 1.80 (Very Low)
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When all the 168 respondents were taken as a whole group, table 7 exposes
that their over-all mean score on the 10 statements on the stress level of the
respondents was 2.93. With this mean, findings implied that the Stress Levels of the
Health-Care Workers is “moderate.”
Each question presented on the survey scored moderate. Perhaps, because of
the experience that the Health-Care Workers accumulated before the pandemic, they
have already built resistance to emergency situations like this. The nature of their
job indeed is strenuous but this may also facilitate the formation of resilience. This
resilience they formed over time might have lowered their Stress Levels putting it in
a moderate state.
For the Health-Care Workers, the risk of getting infected by the virus, the
work load and other personal factors bring stress to them. An emergency such as
CoVid-19 outbreak might rightly be considered a severe stressor, as it is unexpected
situation with potentially serious impact on health that also involves social
restrictions (Flesia et al., 2020). The results are revealed to be contradicting to the
relative literature found about the Stress Levels of Health-Care Workers during the
pandemic which stated that Health-Care Workers tend to have higher levels of stress.
According to the findings of Vagni et al. (2020), Health-Care Workers experiences
higher Stress Levels which are related to the fears of contracting CoVid-19 and of
infecting family members. The results of their research correlates with the finding
of Flesia et al. (2020) which determined that their participants perceived CoVid-19
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as a highly stressful experience. Their study also implied that the perceived stress of
the participants are considerable higher compared to that of the general population
during a non-emergency condition.
However, a study conducted by Manuwar and Choudry (2020) stated that
resilience built over the span of working in hospitals are helpful in dealing with
stress. They described resilience to be the ability of a person to recover from
hardships quickly. This resilience that the Health-Care Workers developed may have
influenced and helped them to keep their Stress Levels moderate.
Difference in the Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers When Grouped
According to Demographic Profile
Table 8. Difference in the Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers When

Grouped According to Age
Sum of Mean
Variables df F p-value Probability
Squares Square
Between Groups .281 2 .141 .384 .682 NS
Within Groups 60.45 165 .366
Total 60.730 167
Note: p-value > 0.05 = not significant
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Table 8 revealed that the mean square of the between-groups estimate of the
variance is 0.141 and the within-groups estimate is 0.366. The F test statistic is 0.384
and has a p-value of 0.682 which was greater than 0.05 alpha. Thus, this result further
implied that the null hypothesis is accepted and conclude that there was no
significant difference in the Stress Level when grouped according to age.
The findings implied that p-value of the gathered data concerning the Stress
Levels of the Health-Care Workers in regards with their age has higher value than
0.05 alpha. This results to no significant differences in Stress Levels of Health-Care
Workers in terms of age. Perhaps, due to the nature of their job, the Stress Levels
are equalized in spite of the differences of age of the Health-Care Workers.
These results stands in contradiction with the literatures found. The findings
of Flesia et al. explained that the emotional self-regulation and greater self-control
of the older adults influences their stress levels and results it to be lower. However,
the results of the study of Liu et al (2020) shows that older age also results to higher
Stress Levels due to the reported higher CoVid-19 mortality. Opposite to these
findings among Italian and Chinese populace that indicates that there are age-related
differences, the Stress Levels of the respondents was the same regardless of their
age.
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Grouped According to Sex
Mean
Variables N Mean t-value p-value Probability
Difference
Male 63 3.16
0.357 3.861 0.000 S
Female 105 2.80
Table 9 revealed that there was a mean difference of 0.357 in the stress level
the respondents when grouped according to sex. This mean difference was
significant because the t-value of 3.861 had a p-value of 0.000 which was less than
0.05 alpha. This result further implied that there was a significant difference in the
stress level of the respondents when grouped according to sex.
With the mean of 3.16, the 63 male Health-Care Workers showed higher
stress than the 105 female Health-Care Workers. This findings showcased that the
males are more stressed than the women who are working in the hospital. In spite of
the popular belief, that women have higher levels of stress, the results of this study
contradicted. Perhaps, this is already product of the minimizing gap of the gender
differences brought by modernization.
The results of this study stands in contradiction to the well-documented
differences between gender and stress. It has been well established across varied
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studies that women tend to experience higher stress levels than men. In the study of
Simione and Gnagnarella (2020), it was confirmed that females tend to have a
greater perception of the risk of infection, which increases their risk of developing
symptoms of anxiety and distress (Vagni et al., 2020). Women apparently tend to
overthink and perceive events as more negative and uncontrollable resulting to
higher levels of stress. Contrary to the popular belief, our findings implied that male
respondents with a mean of 3.16 has a higher stress level than the female
respondents. The study of García et al. mentioned that there is a decline in gender
differences in socialization that has occurred during the recent decades. This may be
the product of that decline which has happened due to the modernization and
promotion of gender equality. Thus, the stress level experienced by the respondents
was not the same when grouped according to their sex, displaying males as the one
with higher stress levels between the two gender variables.
Grouped According to Marital Status
Sum of Mean
Squares Square
Between Groups 1.42 2 .709 1.973 .142 NS
Total 60.730 167
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Table 10 revealed that the mean square of the between-groups estimate of
the variance is 0.709 and the within-groups estimate is 0.359. The F test statistic is
1.973 and has a p-value of 0.142 which was greater than 0.05 alpha. Thus, the stress
level of the respondents was the same regardless of their marital status.
The results of this study shows that there is no significant difference in the
Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers when they are grouped according to their
marital status. This shows that Health-Care Workers whether single, married, or
widowed shows the same Stress Levels.
According to Liu et al.’s (2020), findings observed that there is an association
between stress levels and marital status. Previous data from studies during epidemic
highlighted that being single shows higher stress levels and depressive symptoms
among Health-Care Workers. However, among Indian populace, it was found that
married people tend to have higher stress levels due to the fear of contagion and
safety of their spouses (Babore et al., 2020, cf: Doshi et al., 2020). These findings
stands in agreement with Babore et al.’s (2020) findings. They also have not
observed any association between the Health-Care Workers’ stress levels and marital
status. This result further implied that the null hypothesis is accepted and conclude
that there was no significant difference in the stress level when grouped according
to marital status.
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Grouped According to Clinical Area
Mean
Difference
CoVid-19 79 3.06
Stations 0.237 2.58 0.011 S
Non-CoVid 89 2.82
Stations
Table 11 revealed that there was a mean difference of 0.237 in the stress level
of the respondents when grouped according to clinical area. This mean difference
was significant because the t-value of 2.58 had a p-value of 0.011 which was less
than 0.05 alpha. This result further implied that there was a significant difference in
the stress level of the respondents when grouped according to clinical area. Thus,
the stress level experienced by the respondents was not the same when grouped
according to their clinical area. This implies that respondents who were assigned at
CoVid-19 stations with a mean of 3.06 has a higher stress level than the respondents
assigned at non-CoVid-19 stations.
Associating with CoVid-19 patients is proven to be more hazardous. There
may be protective gears provided for the Health-Care Workers that do so but the risk
of infections is never gone and there will be always anxiety that will linger in them.
This circumstances will lead to higher levels of stress compared to those Health-
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Care Workers that works under stations which does not involve being in the presence
of an individual that contacted the virus.
The findings correlate with that of the existing literatures about stress levels
and its association with the exposure to CoVid-19 patients. Recent literature explains
that the severity of the stress levels is influenced by the Health-Care Workers’
exposure to patients infected with CoVid-19. Their sources of distress may include
feelings of vulnerability about health of self, health of family and others, changes in
work, and being isolated (Lai et al., 2020). Even in the past epidemics, frontline
Health-Care Workers who are directly treating infected patients considerable higher
stress levels than those who do not.
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Scale of Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers
Table 12. Scale of Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers
VERBAL
STATEMENTS M
INTERPRETATION
Problem-Focused Coping
1. Trying to get advice or help from
other people about what to do. 3.1667 Satisfactory
2. Getting comfort and understanding

from someone. 3.1905 Satisfactory
3. Concentrating my efforts on doing

something about the situation I am 3.4286 Outstanding
in.
4. Taking action to try to make the
situation better. 3.4881 Outstanding
5. Trying to come up with a strategy

about what to do. 3.4643 Outstanding
6. Thinking hard about what steps to

take. 3.4107 Outstanding
7. Turning to work or other productive

activities to take my mind off 3.3214 Outstanding
things.
8. Doing something to think about it
less, such as watching movies and 3.3155 Outstanding
TV, reading, sleeping, or shopping.
Grand 3.33 Outstanding

Emotional-Focused Coping
1. Accepting the reality of the fact

3.4762 Outstanding
that it has happened.
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2. Learning to live with it. 3.5060 Outstanding
3. Making jokes about it. 2.9524 Satisfactory
4. Making fun of the situation. 2.9464 Satisfactory

5. Trying to see it in a different light,
3.4881 Outstanding
to make it seem more positive.
6. Looking for something good is
3.3274 Outstanding
what is happening.
7. Trying to find comfort in my
3.3690 Outstanding
religion or spiritual beliefs.
8. Praying or meditating. 3.5000 Outstanding

Dysfunctional Coping
1. Saying to myself, “this is not

2.5238 Satisfactory
real.”
2. Refusing to believe it has
2.5298 Satisfactory
happened.
3. Giving up trying to deal with it. 2.8988 Satisfactory
4. Giving up the attempt to cope. 2.7917 Satisfactory

5. Saying things to let my
3.1190 Satisfactory
unpleasant feelings escape.
6. Expressing my negative feelings. 3.0714 Satisfactory
7. Using alcohol or other drugs to
2.4226 Fair
make myself feel better.
8. Using alcohol or drugs to help
2.3036 Fair
myself get through it.
Grand 2.71 Satisfactory
OVER-ALL 3.12 Satisfactory
Note: Interpretation is based on the following scale: 3.26- 4.00 (Outstanding), 2.51- 3.25(Satisfactory), 1.76-
2.50(Fair), 1.81-2.60(Low), and 1.00 – 1.75 (Poor)
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When all the 168 respondents were taken as a whole group, table 12 exposes
that their over-all mean score on the 24 statements on the scale of coping actions of
the respondents was 3.12. This over-all mean score implied that the scale of coping
actions of the healthcare workers is “satisfactory”. Therefore, the level of coping
actions of Health-Care Workers is high.
Coping Actions are activated by Health-Care Workers to deal with the
factors that the pandemic brings. It is expected to the Health-Care Workers to have
a rise in their scale of Coping Actions. As this situation is determined to have given
Health-Care Workers hardships, they need to have resources that will let them tackle
such obstacles to keep the work flow in their own stations well. It is important to
note that due to the nature of their work, Health-Care Workers sought for coping
actions that are effective in reducing stress without hindering their work balance.
Lazarus and Folkman categorized this coping actions into two categories
termed problem-focused coping which are actions aimed to eliminate the stress of
reduce its impact and emotional-focused coping which are the actions aimed to
prevent, minimize, or reduce the emotional anguish caused by the stressful situation.
Using his COPE scales, this two categories were further expanded by Carver adding
another category which is the dysfunctional coping which are considered as negative
coping actions (García et al., 2018).
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The coping action of the respondents is “outstanding” in terms of problem-
focused coping (M = 3.33) which shows that they are aiming to modify and solve
the stressful situation through active interventions. The nature of a Health-Care
Worker’s job demand them to take actions themselves. Their jobs consists of
catering the patients’ needs and doing the utmost best to make them feel better. This
job initiates planning and taking action in order to provide quality health-care
services.
Problem-focused coping includes actions like active coping- the process of
taking active steps to try to ameliorate the effects of the stressors, planning or
thinking about how to cope with the stressor, and instrumental support wherein
individuals seek advice, assistance of information (García et al., 2018).
Emotional-focused coping (M = 3.32) which implies that the level of coping
actions of Health-Care Workers is very high. As the Health-Care Workers is not able
to eliminate the main stressor-the virus themselves, some may turn to wishful
thinking. The emotional-focused coping is centered in seeing things in a positive
light and keeping emotions in check which usually happens when an individual does
not have the capability to eliminate the main stressor.
This leads to the conclusion that most of the Health-Care Workers also
engage in coping actions that are focused on managing emotions connected to the
stressful event and regulating affective reactions such as anxiety and tension of
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response to stress (Vagni et al., 2020). They engage to coping actions such as
acceptance, emotional social support or getting moral support, sympathy and
understanding from someone, humor, positive reframing which refers to managing
emotions and seeing the positive side of the situation instead, and religion (García
et al., 2018)
Results also shows that the coping action of the respondents in terms of
dysfunctional coping is satisfactory (M = 2.71). Dysfunctional coping actions are
actions that are termed negative. This coping action usually arises when demands
are way too much for an individual which results for him/her to think of a proper
Coping Action. A situation like this pandemic leads people to worry about not only
the virus but also their financial and social upholding.
This findings shows that certain number of Health-Care Workers are
engaging to coping actions like behavioral disengagement which means giving up
in coping with the situation, denial- the opposite of acceptance, venting or saying
things to let the unpleasant feeling escape and substance use which pertains to using
alcohol or drugs to ease the stress.
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Difference in the Scale of Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers When
Grouped According to Demographic Profile
Table 13. Difference in the Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers When
Grouped According to Age
Sum of Mean
Squares Square
Between Groups .126 2 .063 .302 .739 NS
Total 34.521 167
and has a p-value of 0.739 which was greater than 0.05 alpha. Thus, the coping actions
of the respondents was the same regardless of their age.
The manner in which age influences the stress and coping process remains
poorly understood. Some studies state that older adults gain more experience and
knowledge and has developed more coping resources which are said to considerably
differ with the younger adults (García et al., 2018). This result further implied that the
null hypothesis is accepted and conclude that there was no significant difference in the
coping action of the respondents when grouped according to age.
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Grouped According to Sex
Mean
Difference
Male 63 3.26 0.213 3.009 0.003 S
Female 105 3.05
Table 13 revealed that there was a mean difference of 0.213 in the coping action
the respondents when grouped according to sex. This mean difference was significant
because the t-value of 3.009 had a p-value of 0.003 which was less than 0.05 alpha. This
result further implied that there was a significant difference in the coping actions of the
respondents when grouped according to sex. Thus, the coping actions by the respondents
was not the same when grouped according to their sex. This implies that male
respondents with a mean of 3.26 has a higher scale of coping actions than the female
respondents.
As the mentioned theoretical premise implies, stress and coping are in a linear
sequence. The male Health-Care Workers have higher Stress Scale thus it is expected
that they may will use more resources that will increase the scale of their Coping
Actions.
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This results contradicts with that of Carver which implied that women tend to
do more coping actions due to the fact that they suffer more psychological stress than
men. The study of García et al. (2018) emphasized the differences that the gender
socialization bring and its influence to the coping actions to be used. However, it is also
important to put the decline of gender differences in socialization that had occurred in
recent decades in consideration for this will shift these established differences in coping
in relation to gender (García et al., 2018). The findings of our study exposed this shift
in differences showing that men who achieved higher stress levels will do more coping
actions in order to avoid or battle with the stressors they experience as a Health-Care
Worker.
Grouped According to Marital Status
Sum of Mean
Squares Square
Between Groups 1.074 2 .537 2.649 .074 NS
Total 34.521 167
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and has a p-value of 0.074 which was greater than 0.05 alpha. Thus, the coping of the
respondents was the same regardless of their marital status.
There seems to be a lack in relationship when it comes to the Stress Levels and
Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers in terms of their marital status. Marital
status seemed to be factor that does not influenced the Health-Care Workers during the
pandemic. This result further implied that the null hypothesis is accepted and conclude
that there was no significant difference in the coping action when grouped according to
marital status.
As Favretto stated, when individuals experience situations that go beyond their
coping strategies, their vulnerability to, and risk of developing, psychopathological
reactions increases. Because of their long, intense exposure to various stressors, it is
important to note the nature of the coping strategies used by these healthcare and
emergency workers in these situations and their effectiveness in terms of reducing and
effectively coping with stress (Vagni et al., 2020). It must be highlighted that all of their
coping actions are somehow influenced by the environment and relationships they are
in. The stated results above approves the null hypothesis of the study which is
reasonable as whatever the marital status of a health care workers, each of them are
involved in a situation which may have threatened their sense of efficacy as their
freedom to solve problems and create coping actions was limited (Mariani et al., 2020).
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Grouped According to Clinical Area
Mean
Difference
CoVid-19 79 3.14
Stations 0.036 0.510 0.611 NS
Non-CoVid 89 3.11
Stations
Table 11 revealed that there was a mean difference of 0.036 in the coping actions
of the respondents when grouped according to clinical area. This mean difference was
not significant because the t-value of 0.510 had a p-value of 0.611 which was greater
than 0.05 alpha. This result further implied that there was no significant difference in
the coping action of the respondents when grouped according to clinical area.
Although just small, it must be noted that the mean of CoVid-19 stations are
greater than that of Non-CoVid-19 station. This shows that despite of the low score
difference, the Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers who involve their selves
with CoVid-19 patients is higher than that of those who are in non-CoVid-19 stations.
This small difference is reasonable for even though Non-CoVid-19 stations’ health-care
workers are not directly involved to patients who contacted the stress of being in the
same hospital as they will still bring immense stress upon them. As the p-value is greater
than 0.05 alpha it is considered as not significant.
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Through the studies of Lazarus and Folkman, it is noted that the choice of coping
strategies is influenced by the individual’s cognitive evaluation of the event, termed
secondary evaluation, which involves estimating the resources available and the most
effective strategies to deal with the situation (Vagni et al., 2020). All of this instances
relates to the environment individuals are in. The results of our study also correlates
with the study of Cai et. Al (2020) in Hubei, China which states that both categories of
health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic uses and relies same frequencies
of active coping strategies such as using security protocols, practicing social distancing
isolation methods, and seeking support from family and friends (Vagni et. Al, 2020).
Relationship between Stress Levels and the Coping Actions of the Health-Care
Workers
Table 17. Relationship between Stress Levels and the Coping Actions of the
Health-Care Workers
Variables Type of Test ρ-value Sig. (2-tailed)
Stress Level and Coping Spearman’s

0.537** 0.000
Actions rho
Note: **correlation is significant at 0.01 level (2-tailed)
Table 12 shows the relationship between the stress level and the coping actions
of the respondents due to CoVid-19 pandemic. It shows that there is a moderate linear
relationship between the stress level and the coping actions of the respondents (ρ =
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0.537). The result suggest that the variables being correlated were considerably
associated. It suggest that if the stress level of the respondents increases, the coping
action will considerably increase.
This results shows that higher Stress Levels will lead to higher scale of Coping
Actions. This can be seen in the demographic variables of the study, the gender and
clinical area. The males in the gender variable and the CoVid-19 stations in the clinical
area variable showcased higher stress than others. This reflected to their scale of Coping
Actions as well. This proved that there indeed is a linear relationship between stress and
coping.
There are various literature explaining about the relationship between coping
strategies and the stress levels but the best one to use in explaining this relationship
would be Lazarus and Folkman’s theory. Lazarus and Folkman has emphasized that the
relationship of stress and coping are best described as a linear sequence, both are a part
of an entire process and are easily influenced by each other (Goh et al., 2010)
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CHAPTER V
SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter presents the summary, conclusions and recommendations of

this research.
Summary
1. Out of the 296 Health-Care Workers of Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital
who are directly involved in clinical practices, 168 are chosen as respondents
through stratified sampling technique. Majority of the participants belong to
the age group ranging from 22-34 which is 56% of the sample population.
Our statistics also revealed that 105 or 62.5% of the respondents are female.
When group according to marital status, it is shown that most of the
respondents are single and married, garnering both 48.8% of the sample
population. The result also shows that most of the respondents are assigned
to non-CoVid-19 stations which is 89 or 53.05% of the 168 respondents.
2. The findings shows that the stress levels of the Health-Care Workers is
moderate in an overall mean of 2.93. Each questions of the researchers’ made
Stress Scale scored moderate with the mean ranging from 2.70-3.26.
3. The statistics showed that there is no significant differences in the stress levels
of the respondents according to age. The F test statistic is 0.384 and has a p-value
of 0.682 which was greater than 0.05 alpha. Therefore, the null hypothesis was
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accepted. In terms of stress level differences according to sex, with the t-value
of 3.861 that had a p-value of 0.000 which was less than 0.05 alpha, the male
respondents scored higher with the mean of 3.16. The null hypothesis in the
difference in stress levels of the respondents when grouped according to marital
status is also accepted. It is revealed that when grouped according to marital
status the F statistic is 1.973 and has a p-value of 0.142 which is greater than
0.05 alpha. With the t-value of 2.58 which has a p-value of 0.011 which is less
than 0.05 alpha, the stress levels of the respondents according to clinical area
showed a significant difference. This results implied that respondents who are
assigned to CoVid-19 stations showed higher levels of stress with the mean of
3.06.
4. The scale of coping actions of the Health-Care Workers when they are taken
altogether is satisfactory in an overall mean of 3.12. The coping actions of the
Health-Care Workers in categories such as problem-focused coping actions and
emotional-focused coping actions are both outstanding with means ranging from
3.32-3.33. While the category of dysfunctional coping actions are described as
satisfactory with the mean of 2.71.
5. The results showed no difference in the coping actions of the respondents when
grouped according to age. The F test statistic is 0.302 and has a p-value of 0.739
which is greater than 0.05 alpha. Thus, the null hypothesis is accepted. The
coping actions when grouped according to sex however, showed difference. The
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t-value of 3.009 has a p-value of 0.003 which is less than 0.05 alpha. This implies
that male respondents with a mean of 3.26 has a higher scale of coping actions
than the female respondents. Both the coping actions when grouped according
to marital status and clinical area showed no difference. With the F test statistic
of 2.649 and has a p-value of 0.074 which was greater than 0.05 alpha, the null
hypothesis with the marital status and coping actions is accepted. The coping
actions was found to be the same regardless of the clinical area of the
respondents, the results displayed 0.510 as a t-value that had a p-value of 0.611
which is greater than 0.05 alpha which guarantees that the null hypothesis is
accepted.
6. The findings implied that there is a moderate linear relationship between the
stress levels and the coping actions of the Health-Care Workers. With the p-value
of 0.537, the results suggests that both variables are associated.
CONCLUSION
1. Majority of the Health-Care Workers of Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital are
female who are in their early Adulthood (22-34) who may be either single or
married. Most of them are assigned to clinical areas that are considered as non-
CoVid-19 stations.
2. The stress levels of the Health-Care Workers of Roxas Memorial Provincial
Hospital is moderate.
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3. Male Health-Care Workers and those who work in the CoVid-19 stations of the
hospital displayed higher levels of stress.
4. Age and marital status do not influence the stress levels of the Health-Care
Workers.
5. The scale of the coping actions of the Health-Care Workers of the hospital is
described to be satisfactory. The most frequent used type of coping actions
belong to the problem-focused coping actions. The emotional-focused coping
actions comes second in terms of usage and the dysfunctional coping actions are
the least used type of coping actions.
6. Male Health-Care Workers showed higher scale of coping actions than the
female Health-Care Workers.
7. Age, marital status, and clinical area do not influence the scale of coping actions
of the Health-Care Workers.
8. There is a significant relationship between the stress levels and the coping
actions of the Health-Care Workers. The increase of the stress level of the
respondents will result to the increase to the increase of the scales coping actions
as well.
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Recommendations
In the light of the findings and conclusions derived from the study, the following
recommendations and plan of actions were formulated.
1. The Health-Care Workers of the hospital must continue to work while finding
a proper coping action that will minimize their stress levels without
disrupting their work balance.
2. The government should provide better services and salary processing for the
Health-Care Workers. As this may also greatly influence their stress levels
and the scale of their coping strategies.
3. Despite of the results showing that the stress levels of the Health-Care
Workers is moderate, it is still necessary for the hospital management to think
and plan programs specifically dedicated to the mental and physical well-
being of the Health-Care Workers.
4. Another study, using a bigger sample and a more robust statistic, is perhaps
recommended in order to test observations made in the present study. It is also
recommended to introduce another set of variables such as income, period of
time working in the hospital, and number of children.
5. Due to the limitations brought by the pandemic, further research on the
topic is needed, considering that future pandemics may be more frequent
than in the past.
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APPENDICES
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APPENDIX A
Letter of Permission to Conduct the Survey
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APPENDIX B
Questionnaire
CORONA VIRUS DISEASE 2019 PANDEMIC: STRESS LEVEL AND
COPING ACTIONS OF HEALTH-CARE WORKERS OF ROXAS
MEMORIAL PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL DURING THE PANDEMIC
Questionnaire on Stress level and Coping actions of the Health-Care
Workers of Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital
Part I. Socio – Demographic Profile of the Respondent
Name (optional): ________________________________
Sex: Male Female
Age: Early Adulthood (22-34)
Early Middle Age (35-44)
Late Middle Age (45-64)
Marital Status: Single Married Widowed Separated
Clinical Area:
Non-CoVid-19 Stations (Surgical, OB, Pediatrics, Medical, ICU,
LR/DR, NICU and OR)
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CoVid-19 Stations (E.R, CoVid-19 ward, and Triage)
Part II. Questionnaire Proper
Direction: Kindly answer this questionnaire with sincerity and honesty that the
best describes you and your emotional characteristics during the pandemic using
the code below. Put a check on the appropriate number in the column desired.
A. Stress Scale
Score Description
0 Never
1 Almost Never
2 Sometimes
3 Fairly Often
4 Very Often
Rating Scale
During the pandemic, 4 3 2 1 0
Very Fairly Sometimes Almost Never
Often Often Never
1. I have been upset.
2. I have felt I am
unable to control the
important things in
my life.
[77]
SHS
3. I felt nervous and

stressed.
4. I have felt confident
about my ability to
handle my workload
and anxiety.
5. I have felt that things
are just going fine.
6. I have found that I
could not cope with
the things I had to do.
7. I am able to control
my anxiety and
fatigue.
8. I have felt that I was
on top of things.
9. I have been angered
because of things that
happened outside my
control.
10. I have felt
difficulties were
piling up so high that
I could not overcome
them.
[78]
SHS
B. Coping Inventory
Score Options
1 I haven’t been
doing this at all
2 A little bit
3 A medium amount
4 I’ve been doing this

a lot
Coping Actions Rating Scale

I. Problem-focused 4 3 2 1
coping I’ve A A little I haven’t
In response to the stress been medium bit been
brought by the pandemic I doing amount doing this
have been, this a lot at all
1. Trying to get advice or

help from other people
about what to do.
2. Getting comfort and
understanding from
someone.
3. Concentrating my
efforts on doing
[79]
SHS
something about the

situation I am in.
4. Taking action to try to
make the situation
better.
5. Trying to come up with
a strategy about what to
do.
6. Thinking hard about
what steps to take.
7. Turning to work or
other productive
activities to take my
mind off things.
8. Doing something to
think about it less, such
as watching movies and
TV, reading, sleeping,
or shopping.
II. Emotion-focused 4 3 2 1
coping I’ve A A little I haven’t
In response to the stress been medium bit been
brought by the doing amount doing this
pandemic I have been, this a lot at all
1. Accepting the reality of

the fact that it has
happened.
[80]
SHS
2. Learning to live with it.
3. Making jokes about it.
4. Making fun of the

situation.
5. Trying to see it in a
different light, to make
it seem more positive.
6. Looking for something
good is what is
happening.
7. Trying to find comfort
in my religion or
spiritual beliefs.
8. Praying or meditating.
III. Dysfunctional Coping 4 3 2 1

In response to the I’ve A A little I haven’t
stress brought by the been medium bit been
pandemic I have been, doing amount doing this
this a lot at all
1. Saying to myself, “this is
not real.”
2. Refusing to believe it has
happened.
[81]
SHS
3. Giving up trying to deal

with it.
4. Giving up the attempt to
cope.
5. Saying things to let my
unpleasant feelings
escape.
6. Expressing my negative
feelings.
7. Using alcohol or other
drugs to make myself feel
better.
8. Using alcohol or drugs to
help myself get through
it.
[82]
SHS
APPENDIX C
Pilot Testing Results
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha
.743 34
Reliability Statistics
Value .540
Part 1 N of
17a
Items
Cronbach's Alpha Value .598
Part 2 N of
17b
Items
Total N of Items 34
Correlation Between Forms .662
Spearman-Brown Equal Length .797
Coefficient Unequal Length .797
Guttman Split-Half Coefficient .795
a. The items are: A1, B1, VAR00001, VAR00011, A3,
B3, VAR00003, VAR00013, A5, B5, VAR00005,
VAR00015, A7, B7, VAR00007, VAR00017, A2.
[83]
SHS
b. The items are: A4, A6, A8, B2, B4, B6, B8,
VAR00002, VAR00004, VAR00006, VAR00008,
VAR00009, VAR00010, VAR00012, VAR00014,
VAR00016, VAR00018.
APPENDIX D
SPSS (Final Survey)
Frequency and Percentage of Demographic Variables
VARIABLES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

Age:
Early Adulthood (22 – 94 56.0%
34)
Middle Age (35 – 44) 56 33.3%
Late Middle Age (45 – 18 10.7%
64)
TOTAL 168 100%
Sex:
Male 63 37.5%
Female 105 62.5%
TOTAL 168 100%
Marital Status:
Single 82 48.8%
Married 82 48.8%
Widowed 4 2.4%
TOTAL 168 100%
[84]
SHS
Clinical Area:
CoVid-19 Stations 79 47.0%
Non-CoVid Stations 89 53.0%
TOTAL 168 100%
Mean of the Stress Levels of Health Care Workers
STATEMENTS M VERBAL
INTERPRETATION
1. I have been upset. 2.7143 Moderate
2. I have felt I am unable to 2.9405 Moderate
control the important things in
my life.
3. I felt nervous and stressed. 2.8988 Moderate
4. I have felt confident about my 3.1726 Moderate
ability to handle my workload
and anxiety.
5. I have felt that things are just 3.2560 Moderate
going fine.
6. I have found that I could not 2.6964 Moderate
cope with the things I had to
do.
7. I am able to control my anxiety 3.1786 Moderate
and fatigue.
8. I have felt that I was on top of 2.9167 Moderate
things.
9. I have been angered because of 2.8095 Moderate
things that happened outside
my control.
[85]
SHS
10. I have felt difficulties were 2.7440 Moderate

piling up so high that I could
not overcome them.
OVER-ALL 2.93 Moderate
Difference in the Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers When Grouped According
to Age
Variables Sum df Mean F p-value Probabili

of Square ty
Squa
res
Between .281 2 .141 .384 .682 NS
Groups
Total 60.730 167
to Sex
Variables N Mean Mean t-value p-value Probabili

Differen ty
ce
Male 63 3.16 0.357 3.861 0.000 S
Female 105 2.80
to Marital Status
[86]
SHS

of Square ty
Squa
res
Between 1.42 2 .709 1.973 .142 NS
Groups
Total 60.730 167
to Clinical Area
Variables N Mean Mean t-value p-value Probabilit
Differen y
ce
CoVid-19 79 3.06 0.237 2.58 0.011 S
Stations
Non-CoVid 89 2.82
Stations
Mean of Stress Levels

STATEMENTS M VERBAL
INTERPRETATION
Problem-Focused Coping
9. Trying to get advice or help from 3.1667 Satisfactory

other people about what to do.
10. Getting comfort and 3.1905 Satisfactory

understanding from someone.
11. Concentrating my efforts on 3.4286 Outstanding

doing something about the situation I
am in.
12. Taking action to try to make the 3.4881 Outstanding

situation better.
[87]
SHS
13. Trying to come up with a strategy 3.4643 Outstanding

about what to do.
14. Thinking hard about what steps to 3.4107 Outstanding

take.
15. Turning to work or other 3.3214 Outstanding

productive activities to take my mind
off things.
16. Doing something to think about it 3.3155 Outstanding

less, such as watching movies and
TV, reading, sleeping, or shopping.
Emotional-Focused Coping
9. Accepting the reality of the fact 3.4762 Outstanding

that it has happened.
10. Learning to live with it. 3.5060 Outstanding
11. Making jokes about it. 2.9524 Satisfactory
12. Making fun of the situation. 2.9464 Satisfactory
13. Trying to see it in a different light, 3.4881 Outstanding

to make it seem more positive.
14. Looking for something good is 3.3274 Outstanding
what is happening.
15. Trying to find comfort in my 3.3690 Outstanding
religion or spiritual beliefs.
16. Praying or meditating. 3.5000 Outstanding
Dysfunctional Coping
9. Saying to myself, “this is not 2.5238 Satisfactory

real.”
10. Refusing to believe it has 2.5298 Satisfactory
happened.
11. Giving up trying to deal with it. 2.8988 Satisfactory
12. Giving up the attempt to cope. 2.7917 Satisfactory

13. Saying things to let my 3.1190 Satisfactory
unpleasant feelings escape.
[88]
SHS
14. Expressing my negative feelings. 3.0714 Satisfactory

15. Using alcohol or other drugs to 2.4226 Fair
make myself feel better.
16. Using alcohol or drugs to help 2.3036 Fair
myself get through it.
Grand 2.71 Satisfactory
OVER-ALL 3.12 Satisfactory
Difference in the Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers When Grouped

According to Age

of Square ty
Squa
res
Between .126 2 .063 .302 .739 NS
Groups
Total 34.521 167

According to Sex
Variables N Mean Mean t- p- Probability

Difference value value
Male 63 3.26 0.213 3.009 0.003 S
Female 105 3.05

[89]
SHS

of Square ty
Squa
res
Between 1.074 2 .537 2.649 .074 NS
Groups
Total 34.521 167

Variables N Mean Mean t-value p-value Probabili
Differen ty
ce
CoVid-19 79 3.14 0.036 0.510 0.611 NS
Stations
Non-CoVid 89 3.11
Stations
Relationship between Stress Levels and the Coping Actions of the Health-Care
Workers
Variables Type of ρ-value Sig. (2-tailed)

Test
Stress Level and Coping Spearman’s 0.537** 0.000
Actions rho
[90]
SHS
APPENDIX E
Pilot Testing Documentation
Photos taken on 10th of January 2021 at Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital
[91]
SHS
[92]
SHS
APPENDIX F
Actual Survey Documentation
Photos taken on 17th of January 2021 at Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital
[93]
SHS
[94]
SHS
CURRICULUM
VITAE
[95]
SHS
I. PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name: Ysabel S. Blancaflor
Age: 18
Sex: Female
Civil Status: Single
Nationality: Filipino
Religion: Roman Catholic
Date of Birth: July 5, 2003
Place of Birth: Panay, Capiz
Home Address: Bonga, Panay, Capiz
Parents’ Name:
Mother’s Name: Lorna S. Blancaflor
Father’s Name: Edwin B. Blancaflor
II. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Elementary: Panay Central School (2015)
Junior High School: Commissioner Luis R. Asis National High
School (2019)
Senior High School: St. Anthony College of Roxas City, Inc.
(2021)
[96]
SHS
Name: Shaira D. Magno
Age: 18
Sex: Female
Date of Birth: February 19, 2003
Place of Birth: Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital
Home Address: Tanza Sur, Panay, Capiz
Parents’ Name:
Mother’s Name: Lida D. Magno
Father’s Name: Jose Ruel M. Magno

Elementary: Panay Central School (2015)
Junior High School: Capiz State University (2019)
(2021)
[97]
SHS
Name: Roneljay L. Morales
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Date of Birth: June 24, 2002
Place of Birth: Manila Doctors Hospital
Home Address: Malipayon Village, Roxas City, Capiz
Parents’ Name:
Mother’s Name: Rozel Marie L. Morales
Father’s Name: Nelson L. Morales

Elementary: West Plaridel Elementary School (2015)
(2021)
[98]
SHS
Name: Jacob Jeffrey D. Simeon
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Date of Birth: March 5, 2002
Place of Birth: Capiz Doctors Hospital Roxas City
Home Address: Cagay, Roxas City, Capiz
Parents’ Name:
Mother’s Name: Rommela D. Simeon
Father’s Name: Jayson B. Simeon

Elementary: Filamer Christian University (2015)
(2021)
[99]

Group 5 Corona Virus Disease

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Group 5 Corona Virus Disease

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ST. ANTHONY COLLEGE OF ROXAS CITY, INC.

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

CORONA VIRUS DISEASE 2019 PANDEMIC: STRESS LEVEL AND

A Descriptive-Correlational Research Submitted to the

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

ORAL EXAMINATION COMMITTEE

express their gratitude to the following:

understanding in making this study.

To Ms. Rubilyn Bulquerin-Sumaylo, Principal of the Senior High School

conduct the study, and supporting our research activities.

To Mrs. Teresita Katigbak, for helping us in validating our research instrument

panel, for the suggestions and recommendations.

our tables, for computing and helping us interpret our data.

To Mr. Jason Flaviano, research adviser, in helping the researchers throughout

To Mrs. Edmarie M. Tormon, Chief of Hospital of Roxas Memorial Provincial

Hospital for allowing us to conduct our survey.

To Grade 12-St. Louise de Marillac, classmates of the researchers, who have

been with them, whether in cheers or tears.

and retrieve the questionnaires for our study.

they are losing hope and is about to give up.

to You this endeavor we humbly offer.

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Background of the Study 2

Statement of the Problem 5

Significance of the Study 11

Scope and Limitations 13

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Corona Virus Disease 2019 Pandemic: 17

Effects to Health-Care Workers

Stress Levels and Coping Actions: 21

Definition and Relation

The Variation of the Stress Levels and 24

Coping Action due to the

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Population Frame and Sampling Technique 28

Validity and Reliability of Research Instrument 31

Statistical Treatment of Data 32

CHAPTER IV: PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION, AND ANALYSIS

Demographic Profile of the Health-Care Workers 37

Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers 41

Difference in the Stress Levels of the Health-Care 43

Workers When Grouped According to

Scale of Coping Actions of the Health-Care 50

Difference in the Scale of Coping Actions of the 55

Health-Care Workers When Grouped According

Relationship between Stress Levels and 59

the Coping Actions of the Health-Care Workers

CHAPTER V: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND

About the authors 87

Table No. Description Page

1 Total and Sample Population of the Study 29

2 Score and options of survey questionnaires 30

3 Interpretation of Numerical Rating of the 33

4 Interpretation of Numerical Ratings of the 34

5 Spearman’s Coefficient of Rank of Correlation 35

6 Demographic Profile of the Health-Care Workers 37

7 Stress Levels of the Health-Care Workers 41

8 Difference in the Stress Levels of the 43

Health-Care Workers When Grouped

9 Difference in the Stress Levels of the 45