Volume 6, Issue 8, August – 2021 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

The Students’ Experiences of Mental Health Crisis

Author: Ruth Ann L. Musngi, RGC, Rpm
Co-author: Desiree Santiago

Abstract:- This research is a qualitative study that vaccines, people seemingly became a bit confident that the
involves seeing patterns, themes, and holistic features country can survive this pandemic. The community
revealed through secondary data of the selected 23 quarantines were adjusted depending on the number of
students aged 16 to 25. Cool and warm analyses of the COVID-19 cases in the city or region. However, the danger
data were the mental health continuum and the is still not over. The new Delta variant has entered the
categories of mental disorders indicated in the country. This is coupled with the occurrence of what they
Diagnostic of Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders call second or third surge in some cities in the country.
(DSM V). Findings revealed five faces of mental health
distress categorized either as mild, time-limited distress, The halt in the routinary activities and the imminent
or chronic condition. The ability of the subjects to glide danger that the new variant can bring may cause what
from one condition to another was based on factors sociologists call collective trauma (Onwuachi-Willig, 2016),
related to one’s roots, innermost self, and connections. which is accompanied by feelings of anxiety or fear of dying
The study revealed the importance of the quality of due to COVID-19. Mental health crises are real during this
family connectedness, social support, the individual’s pandemic, although reactions to the situations varied
realistic capacity to hope, and the locus of control in depending on personal and probably institutional and
addressing mental health concerns during the pandemic. environmental factors. It implies that a crisis for one may
Future interventions and research focusing on the not be considered as such by another.
clients’ factors were recommended by the researchers.
The challenge now is to maintain healthy well-being
Keywords:- Mental Health Conditions, Individual And despite the threat brought about by the COVID 19 and the
Environmental Factors, Counseling. recently spreading Delta variant. Being healthy does not
only pertain to one aspect, but it encompasses all aspects of
I. INTRODUCTION one’s person, including mental health.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the world faces a As an initial attempt towards maintaining mental
health crisis that led to many deaths and economic health, the Counseling and Career Services Center (CCSC)
difficulties. A year ago, the United Nations (UN) monitored engaged in assessing the students’ well-being at the start of
how the different countries responded to this crisis. Last the schoolyear 2020-2021. The Self-Assessment, which was
July 2020, the UN noted how South Korea responded adapted from Beck’s Depression Inventory, was distributed
effectively while others, including the United Kingdom, to students to understand their experiences during the
deployed the worst response to address the problem (Lu, pandemic. Based on the analysis of these data, the CCSC
2020). Today, many efforts are made to provide vaccines categorized students under mild, moderate, and chronic
to people to solve the health crisis that had led to personal, mental health conditions (Lancet Commission, 2019). The
economic, and trauma. The crisis is real, but the whole results guided the counselors in identifying at-risk students
world continues to find the best solution. Meanwhile, and providing mental health services such as counseling,
people from all walks of life are continuously trying to cope consultation, psychoeducation, training of teachers on
by engaging in drastic changes in their lifestyles and Psychological First Aid, and referral to other mental health
decisions. This health crisis seemingly led to mental health professionals. Since the pandemic is far from over yet, it is
crises as well. fitting that CCSC continuously revisits its services and sees
how else it can serve its clientele considering the new
By the time President Duterte declared the whole challenges brought about by the ‘new normal. A research-
country under enhanced community quarantine on March based intervention was targeted for this purpose.
16, 2020, businesses and educational institutions were
closed. Many people were forced to stay home while the This research undertaking was meant to look at what
medical practitioners, IT professionals, and other clients considered mental health issues as revealed through
“frontliners” did their job and struggled to stay safe. They counseling sessions, self-assessments, and group sessions.
tried to make sure that essential health care and services are The researchers engaged in an analysis of the nature of
constantly available. There came a disruption in the routine concerns as well as the factors that they claimed to have
lives of people due to experiences of isolation and caused their ability or inability to be mentally healthy.
separation from social groups to make sure that the viral Being able to name the students' experiences would
infection is contained. Likewise, hearing the news death hopefully lead to a deeper understanding of the "faces" of
cases due to the COVID 19 infection, brought emotional and mental health crises experienced by the students. An
psychological reactions to many. With the entrants of the evaluation of the appropriateness of the existing

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Volume 6, Issue 8, August – 2021 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
interventions and the creation of an improved set of services V) as a guide in understanding the severity of the
for the clients would be conceptualized after. experiences of the clients.

Statement of the Problem Inclusion criteria were students aged 16 to 25 who had
This study aimed to look deeper into the students' entries on the Personal Information Form pertaining to
experiences of mental health crises during this pandemic. mental health issues, those who took for counseling, and
Specifically, the study sought to answer the following: those who took any of the assessments related to mental
1. What are the "faces" of mental crises experienced by the health (i.e., Self- Assessment, Multidimensional Scale of
subjects? Perceived Social Support, and Brief Resilient Coping Scale).
2. What significant factors allow the subjects to glide from
mild to time-limited distress up to severely disabling Subjects
conditions or vice-versa. The subjects of this study comprised a total of
twenty-three students who availed of the counseling services
Significance of the project (i.e., assessments, counseling, and group sessions) from
This study would provide a deeper understanding of across grade and year levels and programs enrolled
the clients regarding what they consider a mental health specifically during the start of the pandemic up to the
crisis and the possible factors that help or hinder them from present.
being mentally healthy. It would help the mental health
professionals identify the effectiveness of the existing Data Collection and Procedures
mental health interventions and possible improvements. Data included in this study were from the Personal
Information form that students accomplished at the start of
Research Paradigm the school year. Only questions pertaining to mental health
The continuum of school mental health services concerns were considered relevant for analysis. Data
adapted by the National Association of School Psychologists coming from counseling notes were also included,
shows that all mental health conditions can glide from mild particularly the records of clients’ responses during the
to severe. Hence, students can avail of school-based session. Assessment results from Self-Assessment (Adapted
prevention and universal interventions to maintain or from BDI), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social
address mild mental health conditions. Meanwhile, targeted Support, and Brief Resilient Coping Scale) were also
school interventions with community support are given for included. Student Feedback responses by those taken for
those at-risk students. Following the framework by the counseling and group sessions were taken as relevant data
National Association of School Psychologists (2006), the for analysis.
researchers were guided in the conduct of analyzing
available data of students who availed of the counseling Data Analysis
services and categorized as having mild, time-limited Cool and warm analysis was done to come up with
distress to chronic, progressive and severely disabling significant answers to the research problem. The cool
conditions (Patel, Saxena, Lund, Thornicroft, Baingana, analysis involves identifying significant statements of the
Bolton, Chisholm, Collins, Cooper, Eaton, Herrman, respondents, while warm analysis involves categorizing
Herzallah, Huang, Y., Jordans, Kleinman, Medina-Mora, these data into themes that evolved.
Morgan, Niaz, Omigbodun, Prince, Rahman, Saraceno,
Sarkar, De Silva, Singh, Stein, Sunkel, Unutzer, 2018). Ethical Considerations
Patterns and themes that evolved from the analysis of Students who accomplished the Personal Information
available data would yield to the “faces” of the mental form were informed that the data gathered would be handled
health crises experienced by students as well as the factors with confidentiality and be used for the center’s
that facilitate change of mental health condition from mild psychosocial support services. Consent forms created by the
to time-limited distress to chronic or severely disabling researchers were sent to students who took counseling,
conditions or vice-versa. group sessions, and assessments.

II. METHODOLOGY Related Literature and Studies

The succeeding paragraphs provide a deeper
Research Design understanding of the concept of mental health, including the
This research is a qualitative study that involves seeing various studies of authors that explored the topic of mental
patterns, themes, and holistic features revealed in the health from the start of the pandemic up to the present.
narrative statements of the subjects in questionnaires and
after availing of counseling services. The researchers Concept of Mental Health
reviewed the clients’ data recorded from counseling notes, Understanding mental health can be easily understood
student feedback after group guidance sessions, self- by knowing how the mental disorder is defined. Diagnostic
assessments through survey questionnaires, as well as the and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V)
review of the data from the Personal Information Form defines a condition as a mental disorder if there is already a
based on the framework of the mental health continuum as a clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emotion
reference in categorizing them as well as the use of regulation, and behavior, reflecting dysfunction in the
Diagnostic of Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM psychological, biological, or developmental processes

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ISSN No:-2456-2165
underlying mental functioning. The presence of significant change that happens in the student during the counseling
distress or disability in social, occupational, or other session. It can be attributed to the client’s factors or
activities is equivalent to a mental disorder. On the other whatever they bring to the counseling relationship, such as
hand, a person may respond culturally or as expected to a but not limited to resilience, values, social support,
stressor like the death of a loved one, but this does not mean perceptions, goals, strengths, and other resources.
the person has a mental disorder. Moreover, socially Approximately 30% of the change in a student is due to
deviant behavior (e.g., political, religious, sexual) and related factors such as respect that the client experienced,
conflicts between society and individuals are not mental collaboration, acceptance, and validation from the
disorders except when the deviance or conflicts result in counselor. Of the remaining variance, 15% is due to the
dysfunction. client’s positive expectancy and anticipation of change,
while 15% is due to the counselor’s theoretical model and
Frankish, Boyce & Horton (2018) emphasized the intervention techniques.
importance of identifying the risk factors of mental health
disorders as early as childhood or adolescents, including the Studies on Mental Health
experiences of violence, neglect, parental mental health The pandemic has brought new challenges to mental
issues, maltreatment, and poverty. They reiterated the health due to the controls in movement and activities on
urgent need to implement the recommendations of the people of all walks of life. Gines (2020) revealed several
Lancet Commission, which recognized that mental health is types of research on isolated or quarantined children and
a global public good and it exists along a continuum from adults who had experienced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
mild, time-limited distress to chronic, progressive, and (PTSD), parents, and caregivers having increased stress
severely disabling conditions (Patel et al., 2018). levels by 35%, resulting in fussiness and disruptive
behaviors.
Similarly, Rayco (2020) of the Philippine Mental
Health Association explained that mental health is not a one- Nurunnabi (2020) studied the coping strategies of
type condition but instead, it exists in a continuum. It means university students in China as he found out that 66.90% of
that a person can have a mild mental health condition that the students reported experiencing "normal" anxiety, and
can limit distress and severely disturbing situations if not 23.80% reported it as "severe to the extreme." Findings of a
appropriately addressed through intervention such as narrative review of cross-sectional articles on the impact of
counseling, psychoeducation, psychotherapy, or referral to COVID-19 and lockdown on mental health of children and
professionals who can provide specialized intervention. The adolescents revealed that the quality and magnitude of the
goal of mental health practitioners is to ensure that the impact are determined by age, educational status, pre-
person can actualize his full potential, cope with the normal existing health condition, being economically
stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and underprivileged, or being quarantined due to infection and
contribute to the community (WHO). The critical element fear of infection (Singh, Roy, Sinha, Parveen, Sharma, &
is early detection of the problem so that appropriate Joshi, 2020).
intervention can be provided.
During the early phase of the pandemic in our country,
Factors Related to Change researchers Tee, Tee, Anlacan, Aligam, Wincy,
Counseling is said to be an effective intervention, Kuruchittham, & Ho (2020) studied the prevalent
especially if it leads to change in the student’s overt psychiatric symptoms the factors contributing to the
behavior, improvement of the student’s ability to make psychological impact of the pandemic to 1879 Filipino
decisions, modification of beliefs or values, or reduction of respondents. Of those who participated, 68% reported
the level of emotional distress (Patterson & Welfel, 2000). having minimal impact. 15.8% rated mild psychological
Morawetz (2006) pointed out four factors that can explain impact, while 16.3% reported a moderate to the severe
the changes in the student: a) client’s factors which include psychological impact. Male respondents were found to have
personal strengths, weakness, and other characteristics; b) a significantly lower level of anxiety than the female
relationship factors or therapeutic relationship which include respondents. The youth is aged 12-21 years, single people,
empathy, warmth, and acceptance perceived by the client; c) and those with no children had exceptionally high stress,
hope factors or the client’s realistic hope that improvement anxiety, depression, and Impact of Events Scale-Revised
or change is possible; and d) model or technique of (IES-R) ratings.
counseling or the use of the right approach for a particular
client or situation. Similarly, when Zhang, Ye, Fu, Yang, Luo, Yuan, &
Tao (2020) studied the psychological impact of COVID 19
Similarly, Tallman & Bohart (2011) pointed out that on 493 Junior High School and 532 High School students in
“the client’s capacity for self-healing is the most potent China, they found out that for both high school and junior
common factor in psychotherapy. It is the “engine” that does high school students, male respondents were found to have
therapy works…therapists function as support systems and higher resilience than female respondents. Resilience was
resource providers” p 91. It is the client and not the significantly associated with the father's college education
therapist or the technique that makes a successful therapy. (p = .035), whereas negative coping was significantly
They seem to validate an earlier theory by Lambert and associated with COVID-19 patients (p = .024) among the
colleagues (Asay & Lambert, 1999), stating that 40% of junior high school students. Resilience was associated with

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Volume 6, Issue 8, August – 2021 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
the mother's college education (p = .007) and siblings (p = revealed five pandemic-related factors that contributed to
.013) for high school students. These findings suggested the mental health deterioration, namely: a) feeling safe but
importance of resiliency and positive coping strategies in isolated at home; b) disruption to mental health
addressing the psychological impact of the pandemic. services;c)uncertainty and lack of control; d) canceled plans
Positive coping strategies such as positive appraisal and and changed routines; and e) rolling media coverage.
thinking, distancing, problem-solving and help protect one Previous experiences of adversity, social comparison and
from anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. Negative accountability, engagement in hobbies and activities,
coping was also seen as a threat to mental health since it is maintaining the connection with others, and perceived social
taken as a risk factor for anxiety, depression, and stress support were identified coping strategies.
symptoms in both groups.
Research conducted during the pandemic period point
As to the impact of social support on mental health, out the challenges to mental health as well as the factors and
Qi, Zhou, Guo, Zhang, Min, Li, & Chen (2020) explored strategies adapted to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
how the strength of social support received impacted the Most of the studies gathered were quantitative in design
level of depression and anxiety. The results revealed that (Nurunnabi, 2020; Gines, 2020; Singh et al., 2020; Tee et
more than half of the adolescents receiving low social al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020; Qi et al., 2020; Qin et al.,
support manifested more depression and anxiety symptoms. 2021; Hynn et al., 2021; Forte et al., 2021), and one
This implies that strong social support is necessary to qualitative (Burton et al., 2021). Tee et al., Zhang et al.
prevent mental health problems. Just like in previous (2020), and Qi et al. revealed that gender impacts the ability
studies discussed, female respondents had a higher of the respondents to be resilient when they showed that
prevalence of depression and anxiety than males. Exposure female respondents had a higher incidence of distress,
to COVID 19 was also seen as significantly related to the depression, and anxiety symptoms than male respondents.
occurrence of depression and anxiety symptoms. Qi et al. (2020), Hynn et al., and Forte et al. (2021) revealed
the impact of family or social support on one's susceptibility
A cross-sectional study on the self-reported to depression, anxiety, or psychological distress. Others
psychological distress among children and adolescents in pointed out the importance or impact of resiliency and
Guangdong province, China, revealed that high school coping strategies (Zhang et al., 2020), age, educational
students had increased psychological distress compared to status, pre-existing health condition, social, economic status,
primary school pupils. Moreover, the frequency of wearing the experience of being quarantined, and fear of infection on
masks and engaging in exercise were factors associated with mental health concerns (Singh et al., 2020).
psychological distress (Qin, Shi, Xue, Lin, Zhang, Liang,
Lu, Wu, Chen, Zheng, Qian, Ouyang, Yi & Zhang, 2021). Among the studies gathered, the study of Burton et al.
(2021) is similar to the current research in terms of design
Other authors focused on psychosocial correlates of and the focus of the study. Due to the scarcity of
posttraumatic growth among U.S. young adults during the qualitative research done locally, the current research
COVID-19 pandemic and found out that resilience, family ventured on using the qualitative approach in understanding
connectedness, and distress tolerance predicted growth the students' mental experiences using secondary student
(Hyun, Wong, Levy-Carrick, Charmaraman, Cozier, Yip, data. The researchers were guided by the framework
Hahm, & Liu, 2021). discussed by Patel et al. and Rayco (2020) in terms of
looking at mental health as existing in a continuum and
Forte, Orri, Brandizzi, Iannaco, Venturini, Liberato, analyzing the students' experiences. Asay & Lambert (1999)
Battaglia, Nothen-Garunia, Vulcan, Brusic, Quadrana, Cox, and Morawetz's (2006) explanation of the factors that
Fabbri, & Monducci (2021) performed a cross-sectional influence change after counseling was used as the basis for
study in three European countries (Italy, Croatia, and analysis of the data available for this research. The findings
Romania) to explore the emotional reactions of 2105 of this current research would hopefully lead to adaptation
adolescents of secondary school students during the COVID and tailoring of existing interventions or services in answer
19 pandemic. Adolescents who believed that family support to the changing needs or the students' experiences as the
was necessary during the lockdown were less susceptible to pandemic continues.
boredom, emptiness, and anxiety. Those adolescents who
reported have the negative impact of the pandemic on Major Findings
relationships with parents were susceptible to sadness. On The significant experiences of the subjects recorded in
the other hand, adolescents who revealed spending time the counseling notes, the assessments provided, and in the
creatively during the pandemic were significantly less student feedback record after availing of counseling services
susceptible to experience of sadness, anger, and revealed the face of a mental health condition they had since
boredom/emptiness than those who spent less time in the start of the pandemic up to the present.
creative works.
"Faces" of Mental Health
Burton, McKinlay, Aughterson, & Fancourt (2021)
conducted a qualitative study on the impact of the COVID “Touch-Me-Not”
19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of 22 Some subjects can be likened to a plant called mimosa
adults with mental health conditions in the U.K. Findings pudica. Mimosa pudica is known to be a creeping or

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Volume 6, Issue 8, August – 2021 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
perennial flowing plant of the pea/legume family Fabaceae More Than Moodiness
whose compound leaves when touched even slightly by a The pandemic has resulted in adjustments to the
finger or shaken, fold inward and droop, defending teaching and learning process and the movement of
themselves form harm, and re-open a few minutes later – individuals in the community. Subjects taken for counseling
"natatakot ako baka magka panic attack na naman ako experienced a disturbance in their mood and how they
katulad ng dati". address online classes' requirements. One subject
experienced self-doubt and stress during online classes—"
Due to previous experiences of depressive symptoms "Na overwhelm ako sa online classes kasi sa age ko, eh di
or mental health condition of a family member, two subjects ko maintindihan. Gusto ko na sumuko pero sabi ng mga
seemingly try to shout to the world, "touch-me-not" for fear anak ko sayang daw”.
that they will experience the same feeling of distress or
attempt suicide again again- "Natatakot ako bumalik ang One was challenged and led him to diverse reactions
suicidal thoughts ko"; "Natatakot ako baka matulad ako sa like procrastination and absenteeism -- "Nalito ako sa
mother ko na may Schizophrenia or I might attempt suicide changes ng classes…two weeks ako nag absent; I tried to
again." They sought counseling so that they would know shift to hobbies. Pero now nakakaadjust na ng konti sa
how to handle themselves when these feelings and thoughts online classes".
come again—“Gusto ko malaman ano puede ko gawin para
di na sya mangyari ulit". Like a mimosa pudica, their mental Push and Pull
health is challenged or disturbed by the changes in their Subjects taken for group guidance sessions revealed
routine lives during this pandemic. the constant struggles equivalent to an experience of push
and pull. Mental stress results from their effort to manage
The Wolves Within their time and priorities during online classes as well as the
The story of two wolves attributed to the Cherokee pressure of setting a career goal despite the current situation
speaks of the fight of two wolves within oneself—one is evil they are in--"I struggle this SY because I can't handle my
(he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self- time." It resulted in negative thoughts, feeling of being
pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, overwhelmed by the tasks before them, and being less
superiority, and ego), and one is good (He is joy, peace, productive--- "Sometimes, I'm still confused about how to
love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, balance things to do because it's not like the usual class."
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith). The tale
tells us that this fight is going on inside every person. Some struggle to pursue what they wish to and follow
what their parents tell them to do. The tension becomes real,
This tale seemed to be true in some of the subjects of especially now that they are expected to make decisions –
this study when they revealed their lingering guilt, self-hate, "Before the session, it was tough for me to decide what I
or anger towards themselves. These resulted in irritability, want for the future. My family always tells me that I don't
anxiety, restlessness, sleep disturbance, and even self- have any dream for myself, but the truth is I want to be a
injurious acts – "naguguilty, nahihiya at naiinis na ako sa doctor. I'm just afraid that they will not accept it because it
sarili kasi di na ako natuto"; "Bakit ganito ako?"; "May will cost a lot of money". The constant need to manage the
kaya ba akong gawin? Mananatili na lang ba akong ganito? push and pull situations sometimes led to panic and
May duda ako sa sarili ko". cramming as well as laziness to some –"paano ko mapipilit
ang sarili ko na gawin ang bagay."
Scarred
Since the subjects have no choice but to stay home Factors That Facilitate or Hinder Mental Well-being
with the family members, one revealed that the scars of the The stories shared in counseling and the subjects'
past hurt linger still, especially now that the lockdown has responses on the brief resiliency coping scale and the
exposed her anew to more abusive acts and the wrath of her perceived social support have revealed significant themes
mother, who seems to be reacting as well to the impact of and patterns related to the experiences of mental wellness
the pandemic—"binubugbog ako ni Mama noon, hanggang and distress.
ngayon"; "lagi ako sinasaktan ni kuya ko…close ako sa
mommy ko pero dahil ngayong pandemic, nasa probinsya Their roots
sya”. The family is where individuals have the first
experience of love and affection, which become the
The pandemic has also disrupted available medical foundation of one's ability to deal with the complex
help due to the lockdown. Some subjects had to transfer demands of life. In the case of the majority of the subjects
residence which resulted to the loss of support groups that who underwent counseling, they related their stories of
used to be the source of their strength—"I experienced physical violence, hurtful words, traumatic events involving
witnessing a violent act…nagigising sa gabi, may a family member, and growing up in an abusive
flashback…Nawala nung lumipat ako …kasi may pinsan ako environment. They revealed that these have left them
sa medical profession pero nitong lockdown, nagsimula wounded for a long time. Although it happened earlier in
ulit". their lives, the effects remain intrusive, especially when the
current health crisis triggers similar feelings. One subject
even revealed that the abuse is still done until now--

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"…hanggang ngayon binubugbog ano ni Mama, kinukurot, III. DISCUSSION
binabatukan…". Predisposition to mental health conditions
was valid for one subject who revealed that his mother was Rayco (2020) explained that one could have a mental
diagnosed with mental health disorder—"ang mother ko health condition at any given time, and it comes in a
may schizophrenia dati". continuum. Findings of this study revealed mental health
conditions that can be categorized as mild (i.e., "touch me
Some subjects perceived or experienced the lack of not," "push and pull" experiences), time-limited distress
social support as expressed in the assessments. One issue (i.e.,"wolves within," "more than moodiness" experiences),
that frequently availed of counseling revealed that she and chronic conditions (i.e., "scarred").
neither agrees nor disagrees when it comes to whether or not
her family tries to help her or gives her the emotional help This study revealed that some subjects went to
and support she needs. She answered "neutral" on these two counseling not because they were experiencing mental
items in the assessment on social support. Another subject health crisis as described in the DSM V. But because the
likewise, expressed in counseling and of the evaluation current situation tends to trigger certain emotions similar to
given her that she very strongly disagrees that her family what they had before when their mental health was first
tries to provide her with the emotional help and support she challenged. They were fearful that they might again
needs—"I felt neglected; not given attention so may time na succumb to depression, anxiety, or distress—provided
gusto ko na magpakamatay; lumayas ako dati at pumunta validation of their feelings as well as psychoeducation to
ako sa auntie ko". On the other hand, those who regarded help them process their experience.
their family as a source of help and emotional support
related their struggles but focused on their goals to help the An experience of inner conflict is that experience of
family. wanting to do what is perceived as good, yet a part of
oneself makes it difficult ("wolves within"). It caused
Their innermost self distress leading to varied reactions like thoughts of hurting
Three subjects who took counseling showed difficulty self and the like. The "push and pull" experience is similar
and struggles in coping with their concerns. One who said to this brought about by the seemingly overwhelming
that they do not get the emotional help and support from demands of learning and surviving new ways. This
their family also revealed that she does not look for creative experience led to the surfacing of thoughts of giving up and
ways to alter difficult situations. She does not believe she even behavioral reactions like laziness and absences. The
can grow in positive ways by dealing with difficult counselor assumed an active role in guiding them to
situations. She does not actively look for ways to replace the accomplish behavioral contracts. The cognitive-behavioral
losses encountered in life. On the other hand, one subject approach refutes dysfunctional thoughts and empowers them
seemed unable to decide if she has creative and positive through tasks that would test their sense of responsibility.
ways of dealing with difficult situations. Her response to
whether or not she actively looks for ways to replace the Being scarred appeared to be one of the most
losses she encounters in life remains neutral. The subject challenging conditions revealed. Some subjects related their
prefers to be alone and feels sad for no reason at all. experiences of being scarred due to the abusive environment
they had while growing up. The effects of these experiences
There is a typical pattern in how subjects can glide of neglect, abuse, violence, and bullying linger and still
from time-limited distress to mild mental state conditions. causing distress in the subjects, especially at the start of the
Despite their seeming struggles in coping, they all revealed pandemic, especially for those who had no choice but to stay
their recognition of their ability to look for creative ways home with their family members. As Frankish, Boyce &
and positive ways of dealing with difficult situations. One Horton (2018) pointed out, the childhood or adolescents
still hopes to have a good life after she finishes her studies. experience of violence, neglect, parental health issues,
It makes her patiently endure the pain inflicted by maltreatment, and poverty can become risk factors
circumstances in the family—"Kailangan kong makatapos contributing to mental health disorders.
para makasimula ako ng sarili ko at makaalis sa sitwasyon
ko ngayon." The findings of this study showed the impact of
resiliency, one's ability to cope creatively, and social support
Their connections such as the family and special people or friends on the
When asked if they have friends who try to help them power of the subjects to overcome mental health distress.
and with whom they can share their joys and sorrow, some This claim validates what Qi et al. (2020), Zhang et al.'s
subjects who continue to struggle with their mental health (2020), Hynn et al. (2021), and Forte et al. (2021) said about
concerns revealed that they strongly disagree that there is a the impact of family and social support as well as
particular person to whom they can ask help and share their psychological factors such as resiliency and coping
joys and sorrows. strategies in the experience of boredom, emptiness, and
anxiety.
Subjects who were pliant enough to accept directions
through counseling revealed that they had identified at least Although subjects experienced mental health distress,
a particular person there when they need help, one with their ability to engage in creative ways of handling difficult
whom they can share their joys and sorrows. situations facilitates their movement along the mental health

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ISSN No:-2456-2165
continuum. It proves what Asay & Lambert (1999) As Bernardo (2013) explained, the theory assumes that
theorized, stating that 40% of change that happens in the individuals are driven to attain their goals if they possess
student during the counseling session can be attributed to hope, but they need to manage the challenges that may be
client's factors or whatever they bring to the counseling present. Hope served as a protective factor for people in
relationship such as but not limited to resilience, values, distress. Morawetz (2006) pointed out that with hope factors
social support, values, perceptions, goals, strengths, and or the client's realistic hope, improvement or change is
other resources. Moreover, Morawetz (2006) pointed out possible.
that the client's factors, including personal strengths, The external support may power the capacity to hope
weaknesses, and other characteristics, may explain the received from family or friends. Whatever internal conflict
change process after counseling. Tallman & Bohart (2011) and wounds the subjects of this study experienced, external
likewise acknowledged that the client's capacity to engage in controls may have significantly provided the push towards
self-healing is the most critical factor in psychotherapy. The change. It further validates what Burton, McKinlay,
role of the helper or the therapist is to provide the support Aughterson, & Fancourt's (2021) findings revealed the
system and resource provider. importance of connecting with others and support systems.
In their study, mental deterioration was associated with the
The findings resonate with the role of one's locus of lack of connection with people at home but in isolation).
control when it comes to the ability to overcome mental
health distress. Locus of control was based on Rotter's As in the case of those who were scarred and who
social learning theory which looks at personality as an continuously experience the violence and abuse in the
expression of the interaction of the individual with the family, the capacity to hope may become more challenging
environment and that it is changeable. He posits that if you since the family or unique persons or friends who expected
change how a person thinks or changes the environment, to push them towards change may not be there. There might
they are responding to, the behavior will change (Rotter, be a pinch of strength or sign of internal locus of control that
1954). allowed them to survive the pandemic. Unless they find a
particular person or a friend who can ignite that inner
Rinn & Boazman (2014) based their discussion of the strength, the changes that may be happening in their
locus of control in Rotter's learning theory saying that the environment may continue to affect their way of responding.
locus of control can either be internal or external and that They might continue to see failures and successes or joys
individual with an internal locus of control sees failures and and pains as dependent on how others or life treat them.
successes as the product of own's effort while those with an
external locus of control regard failures and successes as due IV. CONCLUSION
to something outside of their control. Subjects who revealed
that they were scarred and still experience the abuse of their The study focused on understanding the faces of
family members might have acquired an external locus of mental health of the subjects included and the factors that
control. They consider themselves the victim of what others facilitated or hindered them from gliding within the mental
do and are not capable of saying no to violence or abuse. health continuum –mild to time-limited distress to a severe
Another way of understanding their behavior is to look into or chronic mental condition.
the possible interplay of Filipino values, particularly that of
being family-oriented and having a high regard for Indeed, the study revealed the faces of mental health
authority. These can be considered strengths of Filipinos, distress that can be categorized as mild, limiting, and
but they can also become the source of weakness if the high chronic. Mild mental health distress was experienced by
respect for the family and authority leads an individual to those who feared that previous experiences of mental health
become passive and lacking initiative (Davis, 2018). These disturbance would again occur. Others experienced a more
same individuals were the ones who revealed not engaging disturbing condition in the form of inner conflict ("wolves
in creative ways of coping with difficulties. On the other within"), moodiness, and more, as well as the push and pull
hand, those subjects who have experienced mental distress experience as they seemed to be overwhelmed by the
in the past but remained hoping that they will not share demands of the situation. Some revealed the scars brought
again what they had before continued to try to cope about by their past experiences of violence and abuse, which
creatively, even seeking help from the counselor. It implies sometimes are still present since the pandemic started.
that they are operating based on an internal locus of control,
recognizing that they can do something to avoid recurrence Three significant themes were revealed when it comes
of mental health conditions. to the factors that facilitate or hinder one from gliding
within the mental health continuum: a) from their roots—
Similarly, Briones & Bernardo (2016) explored the these are those related to one's experiences with their loved
concept of hope among three adolescents with end-stage ones or their family; b)from their innermost self-- these are
renal disease. He pointed out how hopefulness associated those that they possess, their capabilities and limitations as
with a positive sense of self enabled them to achieve goal well as weaknesses; and c) from their connections- these are
attainment. those that point to their social support including friends and
particular persons in their lives. Some subjects responded to
mental health distress based on what they have experienced
in their family, their ability to cope and respond to

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Volume 6, Issue 8, August – 2021 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
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