Socio - Economic Status

In January 2020, Philippines recorded its first case of COVID-19 infection. In

March, the country was under severe social isolation, restricting freedom of movement and

business activities, although these measures reduced the spread of COVID-19 among the

population (The World Bank 2021). Nationwide lockdowns imposed by the government have

adversely impacted people’s livelihood (Sanchez 2020). The COVID-19 outbreak has not

only created an unprecedented health crisis but triggered serious economic downturns

globally (UN Development Programme 2021).

The impacts of COVID-19 are diverse and spread across different sectors and

regions. According to estimates of Sumner et al (2020), COVID-19 impact the poor mostly

in the regions of South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and East Asia. Socio-economic factors

impact all facets of human functioning, including health-related quality of life (Hawkins

2020).

American Psychological Association (n, d.) define socio - economic status as the

social status or class of an individual or group, usually measured by a combination of

education, income, and occupation. In addition, Oxford (2021) stated that socio - economic

status was a descriptive term for the position of persons in society, based on a combination of

occupational, economic, and educational criteria, usually expressed in ordered categories, that

is, on an ordinal scale. Also Carillo (2020) explained that socioeconomic status (SES) is a

complex and multidimensional construct, encompassing both independent objective

characteristics (e.g., income or education) and subjective people’s ratings of their placement

in the socioeconomic spectrum.

Apart from that, IresearchNet stated that individuals with low SES (socio -

economic status) ratings tend to have low-status occupations, such as service industry jobs;
income at or below the poverty level; and low levels of formal education. These individuals

have limited access to the kinds of financial, educational, and social resources that could

promote their own health and well-being and that of their families while individuals with high

SES ratings are likely to work in prestigious positions, such as in medicine or law; have

higher salaries; and have more advanced education. These individuals have greater access to

resources that can contribute to their success and to the perpetuation of similar benefits for

their families.

Some studies have founded that socio - economic status had a big impact on

the mental health of an individual. From the current study of Smith (2020) above and beyond

present stress and other relevant demographics, socioeconomic status was adversely related to

involvement in health-risk behaviors and life stress. In addition, Hailemichael et al., (2019)

stated that households with a greater level of SMD (severe mental disorder) earned less

money and had much fewer assets than households without SMD. Moreover, households with

a greater level of disability and depression had lower-income and less spending. According to

the study of Yang, T., Yang, X.Y., Yu, L. et al., (2017) lower family income and GDP in the

original location were also linked to a greater frequency of severe uncertainty stress.