DETERMINING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF THE

HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND ITS EFFECTS ON THEIR WORKING

CAPACITIES

A research presented to

The Faculty of Sto. Niňo Academy of Bamban, Inc.

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements in

Applied Research II

CANLAS, Juan Sebastian D.

MARISTELA, Princess Yin O.

MULDONG, Dianna Gwenn G.

RIVERA, Antonio P.
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Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Over the last few years, people are compulsorily put into strict conditions due to

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The crisis that is striking the world and its

dwellers placed massive impact and seized a lot from the world to its people in all aspects

including a horrific amount of lives, work opportunities, and face-to-face contact. It has

put a heavy weight of responsibility on the government, officials, health care system, and

health care workers.

The Philippines' health care system is walking through a rough path as they face

challenges as the pandemic hits the country. It also has been creating controversies and is

receiving criticisms and backlash from the citizens of the country. Public healthcare in

the Philippines is administered by Philhealth, a government-owned corporation.

Philhealth subsidies a variety of treatments including inpatient care and non-emergency

surgeries, although it does not cover all medical treatments and costs.  

The healthcare workers are crucial and significant during this crisis. Community

health workers (CHWs) are frontline public health workers who have a close

understanding of the community they serve. This trusting relationship enables them to

serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to

facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service

delivery. Community health workers go by many titles, depending on where they work,
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who they work for, and what they do. Common titles include health coach, community

health advisor, family advocate, health educator, liaison, promoter, outreach worker, peer

counselor, patient navigator, health interpreter, and public health aide. Community Health

Worker. (n.d.). explorehealthcareers.org. https://explorehealthcareers.org They are

needed in improving access and quality health care for the masses. The health workers

provide and deliver essential health care from individuals, families, and communities

based on the primary health care approach. (World Health Organization, n.d.)

The pandemic is straining the country’s healthcare system badly due to the rapid

increase in the amount of COVID-19 cases. Hospitals become overwhelmed with the

concern of their capacity to accept patients. The dominant strain of coronavirus in the

Philippines is the more transmissible and contagious delta variant is challenging for the

Filipino healthcare system. Filipino hospitals are stretched to extremum capacity, and

daily COVID infections are mounting rapidly. (Treston, 2021) As of July 16, 2021, the

Philippines on Friday reported its first local cases of the more infectious delta

coronavirus variant. (Calonzo, 2021) The Delta variant of COVID-19 has been called a

variant of concern by WHO because of its increased transmissibility and increased ability

to cause a severe form of the disease. Where the Delta variant is identified, it quickly and

efficiently spreads between people. (UNICEF, 2021)

 Health workers who are on the front lines continue to suffer from poor working

conditions and delayed benefits. They are overworked, underpaid, and exceedingly

pushed to their limits. Filipino health workers are begging the government to release their

long-due COVID-19 benefits. At the House of Representatives’ deliberations on the

proposed 2022 budget of the Department of Health on Wednesday, September 1, 2021,

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the DOH said some 526,727 health workers were eligible to receive special risk

allowance (SRA). Of these, a total of 399,395 had received theirs. And 127,332 health

workers are still waiting for their SRA. (Magsambol, 2021) .. According to the

Department of Budget and Management. 2020. FAQs-on-COVID-Hazard-Pay-and-SRA,

Public health workers (PHWs) are qualified to receive COVID-19 Special risk allowance

(SRA). Refer to medical, allied medical, and other personnel assigned in hospitals and

healthcare facilities and who are directly catering to or in contact with COVID-19

patients, persons under investigation (PUIs), or persons under monitoring (PUMs).

Not only the health workers are worn out physically, but their mental health is also

on the line. As they are exposed to the virus, the possibility of them developing mental

health problems is high. Five articles discussed mental health’s impact on healthcare

providers. In one study, out of 230 healthcare workers who responded to the mental

health assessment scales, 53 (23.04%) had psychosocial problems. (Shaukat, Ali, &

Razzak, 2020). 

Aside from a lack of personal protective equipment, our frontline workers are

underpaid and undervalued. They answer “to the call of duty while battling fear and

anxiety”. They also endure pressure, tension, insomnia, denial, rage, and terror, among

other things. However, frontline workers may still experience "post-traumatic stress

disorder, depression, and substance use disorders" as a result of the pandemic all over the

world. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers have already been

experiencing shift fatigue. The current outbreak has exacerbated the problem. (Biana &

Joaquin, 2020)
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 This study focuses on the challenges and struggles of healthcare workers during the

pandemic that aims to determine their psychological well-being and its effects on their

working capacities with the assistance of the Senior High School researchers of Sto. Niño

Academy of Bamban, Inc. from the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

(STEM).

Statement of the Problem

The objective of this study is to determine the current psychological well-being of

the medical workers in Tarlac and Pampanga, and how it affects their working capacities

during the Covid-19 pandemic. It strongly desires to answer the following questions: 

1. How is the profile of the respondents described in terms of

· Gender

· Age

· Role

· Years of Experience

2. What are the factors that determine the psychological well-being of the health

workers?

3. How is the level of the health workers’ mental stability described

· Before the pandemic

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· During the pandemic

4. How does the current psychological well-being of the health workers affect their

work performance or working capacities?

Conceptual Framework

The paradigm of the study is shown in Figure 1. This study makes use of a system

approach (input-process-output). It was used in describing the conceptual framework of

the study to visualize the flow and/or the process of the study in order to obtain concrete

results.  First, the researchers seek to find the respondents, the factors related to this study

and gather data from related literature and studies. The profile of the respondents will be

described in the areas of age, gender, role, and years of experience. The researchers will

carefully plan the structure and flow of their research including collecting the data from

the questionnaires that will be answered by the respective respondents regarding the

study that may help the researchers to obtain credible results. From the data collected, the

findings of the study sought to determine the effects of the current psychological well-

being of the health workers on their working capacities.

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Figure 1. The Paradigm of the Study

a. The researchers seek

respondents and gather
data. 1. Planning: Creating
b. Problem:  How does structure for the research

the current psychological 2. Problem Analysis

well-being of the health
  3. Collection of the data A study in which
workers affect their work through questionnaires findings could be of
performance or working and survey questions. utilization to
  healthcare workers.
capacities? 4. Analysis and
c. Demographic Profile interpretation of the data.
  the Respondents:  
of 5. Developing an
-Gender outcome or result based
  - Age on the collected data.

- Role
- Years of
experience

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

The study focused on determining the psychological well-being of the health

workers and its effects on their working capacities. The study sought to focus on the view

of how well the hearth workers are getting through this pandemic. It is also focused on

the mental stability of the health workers before and during the pandemic. The

respondents were delimited to and centered only on health workers in any gender, age,

role and with at least 3 years of working experience. The respondents of the study were a

total of 60 health workers from Tarlac and Pampanga.

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Significance of the Study

This study will be undertaken to determine the psychological well-being of the

health workers and its effects on their ability to fully serve their patients. 

The following various sectors may benefit from the findings of this study:

The society at large, this research will be beneficial to society on account of the

fact that health workers play a great role in our society. It will raise one’s awareness

towards the circumstances and struggles that the health workers have been facing.

The findings of this research may be instrumental to the Department of Health

(DOH) as a tool to determine the current psychological well-being of the health workers. 

 The Health Workers, they will benefit from this study. This study will give data

for them to learn about other health workers' perceptions.

The Researchers, this will enable them to look for strong pieces of evidence and

by engaging in this research, they would improve their skills and knowledge.

The Future Researchers, this study will give the information needed by future

researchers if they choose to conduct a related, similar, or duplicate study. This will be

beneficial to them as it may serve as a guide to gather data and also a piece of great

equipment for their study.

Definition of Terms

The terminologies used in this study were specified to provide readers with

background information and a more complete understanding of this research. 

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 Absenteeism - the practice of regularly staying away from work or school without

good reason.

 Alleviated - make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.

 Allied medical - a broad field of healthcare professions made up of specially trained

individuals who are typically licensed or certified but are not physicians, dentists, or

nurses —often used before another noun allied health sciences the allied health.

 Burnout -  is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by

excessive and prolonged stress.

 Community Health Advisor - is for anyone working to improve community health.

 Community health workers - trained individuals with limited to no formal medical

education who provide patient-facing support and services in primary care.

 Compulsorily - in a way that is required by law or a rule. 

 Contagious - spread from one person or organism to another by direct or indirect

contact.

 Corona Virus - any group of RNA viruses that cause a variety of respiratory,

gastrointestinal, and neurological diseases in humans and other animals.

 Delta variant - causes more infections and spreads faster than early forms of SARS-

CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

 Denial - the action of declaring something to be untrue.

 Depression - feelings of severe despondency and dejection.

 Distress - extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain.

 Efficiently - in a way that achieves maximum productivity with minimum wasted

effort or expense.
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 Eligible - having the right to do or obtain something; satisfying the appropriate

conditions.

 Exacerbate - make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse.

 Extremum - the maximum or minimum value of a function.

 Family advocate - are to create, provide, and coordinate services.

 Health coach - is a trained professional who works with clients in a group or 1-2-1

setting.

 Health educator - is someone who teaches people how to incorporate positive and

healthy habits into their lives.

 Health interpreter - is one who interprets in healthcare settings of any sort,

including doctor's offices, clinics, hospitals, home health visits, mental health clinics,

and public health presentations.

 Health workers - are people whose job is to protect and improve the health of their

communities.

 Healthcare - the organized provision of medical care to individuals or a community.

 Healthcare system - refers to the institutions, people, and resources involved in

delivering health care to individuals.

 Inevitable - a situation that is unavoidable.

 Infectious - likely to be transmitted to people, organisms, etc., through the

environment.

 Insomnia - a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay

asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep.

 Lethal - harmful or destructive.

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 Liaison - communication or cooperation which facilitates a close working

relationship between people or organizations.

 Mounting - to increase in amount.

 Outreach worker - a person who does work designed to help and encourage

disadvantaged members of the community.

 Overworked - having to work beyond their capacity or strength.

 Pandemic - prevalent over a whole country or the world.

 Paradigm -  meaning "to show"

 Patient navigator - is an individual who guides patients through and around barriers

in the complex healthcare system to help ensure timely diagnosis and treatment.

 Peer counselor - it refers to people who stutter helping each other by listening,

sharing common experiences.

 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in

people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event.

 Pressure - continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by something in

contact with it.

 Promoter - a person or company that finances or organizes a sporting event or

theatrical production.

 Psychological sequelae - a mental condition resulting from a disease, injury,

therapy, or other trauma.

 Psychological well-being - refers to inter and intraindividual levels of positive

functioning that can include one's relatedness with others and self-referent attitudes

that include one's sense of mastery and personal growth.

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 Psychosocial problems - refer to the difficulties faced by adolescents in different

areas of personal and social functioning.

 Public health aide - is a conglomeration of all organized activities that prevent

disease, prolong life, and promote the health and efficiency of its people.

 Rage - feel or express violent uncontrollable anger.

 Robust - strong and healthy; vigorous.

 Severe - strict or harsh.

 Stability - the state of being stable.

 Stigmatization - the action of describing or regarding someone or something as

worthy of disgrace or great disapproval.

 Substance - the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which

has a tangible, solid presence.

 Tension - mental or emotional strain.

 Terror - extreme fear.

 Transmissibility - the quality of a disease or trait being able to be passed on from

one person or organism to another.

 Triage - (in medical use) the assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or

illnesses to decide the order of treatment of a large number of patients or casualties.

 Turnover - the rate at which employees leave a workforce and are replaced.

 Underlying - significant as a cause or basis of something but not necessarily

manifest or obvious.

 Underpaid - are not paid enough money for the job that they do.
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 Variant - a form or version of something that differs in some respect from other

forms of the same thing or from a standard.

 Vicinity - the area near or surrounding a particular place.

 WHO - abbreviation for the World Health Organization.

 Wuhan, China - a city in China.

 Yersinia pestis - it is a facultative anaerobic organism that can infect humans via the

Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis).

Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

The researchers were able to collect various relevant data from sources such as

books, medical journals, research articles, and other studies conducted in the past. In this

chapter, the readers will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the study as the

researchers will make use of studied literature as the basis of the current study.

Related Literature

A year has already passed since an infectious disease was first discovered in the

Philippines. This took place on January 30, 2020, when a 38-year-old lady came home

from Wuhan, China. On February 1, 2020, the country recorded the first death outside of

China. This fatal virus is called Corona Virus Disease, commonly known as Covid-19.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 2, 613, 070

confirmed cases with 38, 828 fatalities from January 2020 to September 2021. 
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Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe

acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Most people infected with the

virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring

special treatment. The virus can spread from an infected person’s mouth or nose in small

liquid particles when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breathe. (WHO, 2020) 

The world readied itself for the effects of Covid-19, which the World Health

Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020, has declared as a global pandemic. (Cucinotta

and Vanelli, 2020) Our nation, the Philippines, is still fighting an unseen, lethal adversary

that threatens our lives and livelihoods. The latest information on its spread and

countermeasures is being watched with bated breath. Because of the virus' global spread,

every Filipino is confronted with the pandemic and its negative consequences from many

locations and in various ways.

The pandemic has created a worldwide health catastrophe that has had a profound

influence on how we see our world and our daily lives. The figures are increasing rapidly,

posing a serious threat to human health, yet the preventive measures put in place to

control the virus' spread also need social distance by refraining from going outside and

avoiding physical contact with people.

This extraordinary situation has given people a great deal of anxiety, dread, and

uncertainty. It causes Filipinos to feel physically and emotionally exhausted. Examine the

rates of despair, suicide, and mental illness and how they have risen dramatically.

Consider the millions of people who have lost their employment, suffered financial
 14

difficulty, or lost assets or property. Consider the millions of families who have lost loved

ones due to Covid.

The medical working environment has been running near its capacity since the

pandemic hit the world. Every time a pandemic or an epidemic arises, healthcare workers

(HCWs) represent the defense front lines who take care of patients. Healthcare workers

need to be in close contact with these virus-infected patients and their contaminated

environments at work, so they are at great risk of job exposure.

According to a study (Hernandez et al., 2021), a contemporary understanding of

frontline nurses' mental health is essential to analyze the impact of this most recent

pandemic and consider the resources needed to protect the mental health of the nursing

workforce.

Occupational stress is a developing cause of work-related diseases and injury;

specifically among healthcare workers (Hassan et al. 2020). Occupational stress

associated with COVID-19 is an essential measure of mental illness as it can result in

anxiety and depression, and long work shifts with the most diverse unknowns and

demands. (Said and El-Shafei, 2020)

(Nobles et al., 2020) Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers are

experiencing fear, pressure, tiredness, ongoing emotional trauma, and isolation. This

ongoing trauma and stress impact health workers’ mental health, feeling safe and

providing the finest possible care (Cheung et al., 2020). Extreme incidents have occurred,

such as the suicide of nurses caring for critically ill patients, in Italy. In fact,

psychological problems are also common among nurses in Wuhan City, China. (Shen,

Zou, Zhong, Jing Yan and Li Li, 2020) Front-line health workers experience a huge
 15

workload, long-term fatigue, infection threat, and frustration with the death of patients

whom they care for. To add, anxiety or even misunderstanding among patients and their

family members is also experienced by them. (Hendy, Abozeid, Sallam, Fattah, and

Reshia, 2020) 

The world is not new to this situation. Pandemics have been surfacing the world

since as early as 541. The first historically documented pandemic caused by Yersinia

pestis began as the Justinianic Plague in 541 within the Roman Empire and continued as

the so-called First Pandemic until 750. (Keller., 2019) The infectious human coronavirus

disease COVID-19 has become the fifth documented pandemic since the 1918 flu

pandemic. Over the last two decades, three global viral infectious diseases, severe acute

respiratory syndrome (SARS), middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS), and

coronavirus disease (COVID-19), have occurred worldwide. SARS occurred in

November 2002, causing 8096 infected cases, as well as 774 deaths. MERS occurred in

June 2012, causing 2519 confirmed cases, along with 866 associated deaths. (Xiao, Fang,

Chen, and He, 2020) Coronavirus Disease 2019 occurred in December 2019, as of 3

November 2021, a total of 248,812,788 cases have been recorded linked with 5,036,921

deaths. 

 These several viral diseases surfaced and impacted healthcare systems

worldwide. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of acquiring some surfacing

infections while being in charge of infected patients. A 2014 case series of 255 MERS-

CoV infections in Saudi Arabia found that 31% of cases occurred among healthcare

personnel (HCP), and among case patients who were not HCWs, 87.5% had recent

healthcare exposure (Alraddadi., 2016).

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(Wu, Styra & Gold, 2020) The psychological effects of the current pandemic are

driven by many factors, including uncertainty about the duration of the crisis, a lack of

proven therapies or a vaccine, and potential shortages of health care resources, including

personal protective equipment. The psychological effects of the current pandemic are

driven by many factors, including uncertainty about the duration of the crisis, a lack of

proven therapies or a vaccine, and potential shortages of health care resources, including

personal protective equipment. Healthcare professionals are particularly concerned about

the impacts of social isolation, which must be balanced against the desire to be there for

their families and the likelihood of personal and family disease.

The global spike in demand for health care is putting health professionals under

extreme strain, resulting in frustration, tiredness, tough triage choices, and horrific patient

outcomes, which are worsened by physical separation and isolation. Furthermore, the

high risk of infection, poor protection from contamination, and illness and death in their

medical colleagues endangers their mental health, which is exacerbated by fears about

spreading infection within their families. (Armitage and Nellums, 2020)

According to WHO, between January 2020 and May of this year, between 80,000

and 180,000 healthcare workers may have died from COVID-19 worldwide. As

healthcare workers work on long shifts on demand all over COVID-19 infected environs,

being infected is inevitable. Some healthcare workers are dreading the possibility of

falling ill with the virus, this affects their psychological well-being and their mental

health is triggered. Frontline healthcare workers were found to be at a higher risk of

developing psychological issues such as chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and post-

traumatic stress disorder in studies. (Denning et al., 2021) 

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There are factors that provoke the psychological well-being of healthcare workers.

Underlying organic illness, concern about family fear of infection, lack of personal

protective equipment (PPE), and close contact with COVID-19 were all identified as risk

factors. (De Kock et al., 2021) All of these factors may result in mental exhaustion in

healthcare workers.

In 2020, a study stated that according to a brief examination of the available

research, health care professionals who are self-isolating or under quarantine report

symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, stigmatization, and fear of

financial loss. Failure to provide enough assistance may lead to under reporting of

symptoms and an increase in the risk of in-hospital transmission from people who work

while unwell against medical advice. Isolation can be alleviated with a robust social

support network. Video conversations and virtual meetings allow for the continuation of

social relationships while maintaining physical distance. (Wu, Styra & Gold, 2020)

In addition, according to a recent study, infectious illness outbreaks have been

shown to have a negative impact on the psychological well-being of healthcare personnel

(HCWs). During the SARS and Ebola epidemics, research revealed that frontline HCWs

were at a greater risk of suffering psychological sequelae such as chronic stress, anxiety,

depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Excessive workload, worries about

workplace exposure, or infection of HCWs' families are thought to have contributed to

this phenomena. Given the size of the epidemic, the psychological impact of Covid-19

may be more profound and broad than in prior pandemics. (Denning et al., 2021).

Burnout is a common concern among healthcare workers, and it's linked to a drop

in job satisfaction, as well as an increase in absenteeism, turnover, and illness. Healthcare

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workers are vulnerable to burnout due to long hours of shifts and sometimes extended

when required. (Adriaenssens, De Gucht, & Maes, 2015) Burnout can be caused by

traumatic events or poor conditions such as natural disasters, conflict, or pandemics. 

(Hernandez et al., 2021) Nurses working on the front lines of the COVID-19

epidemic have a significant risk of traumatic stress because they operate in understaffed,

underequipped, high-acuity conditions. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur

as a result of trauma or stress, and it is characterized by depressive symptoms, flashbacks,

and mood disruption.

Related Studies

Foreign Studies

The results of a study conducted in 2021, show a significant incidence of traumatic

stress among frontline nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic surge, as measured by the

TSQ. The TSQ is a clinically valid screening tool that is used as an initial screening for

PTSD. With 58.7 percent of nurse participants in this survey having a good TSQ score,

the authors suggest that more research and improved awareness of nurse mental health in

the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic would be beneficial. Nurses' mental health is

critical to providing safe, patient-centered care. The study's findings give a first

assessment on the frequency of traumatic stress among American nurses who were on the

front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite the study's small sample size and

homogeneity, it confirms earlier results that nurses working in an acute care setting

during infectious disease outbreaks are more likely to experience severe stress, increasing

their chance of acquiring PTSD. (Hernandez et al., 2021).

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Local Studies

De los Santos and Labrague (2021) conducted a study which they believe that it is

the first study to investigate the welfare of nurses deployed in a community setting. The

major purpose of the study was to evaluate nurses' fear of COVID-19 and its impact on

work-related stress and turnover intentions when caring for and managing COVID-19

patients outside of the hospital environment. The findings found that community nurses

are relatively young and have worked for the government since the beginning of their

careers. This pandemic's unprecedented health catastrophe generated a dilemma of worry

and psychological discomfort, particularly among nurses in both hospital and community

settings. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a great deal of fear for nurses in various

countries, including China (Hu et al., 2020), Taiwan (Feng etal., 2020), Italy (Bagnasco

et al., 2020), Singapore, and India (Chewet al., 2020), and, in particular, the community

nurses in the Philippines. Nurses in the field display moderate fear of COVID-19 even

when caring for asymptomatic to mild cases. This suggests that fear of COVID-19 is

universal to all nurses. Studies have also presented that hospital nurses on COVID-19

care reported to be afraid mostly of the fear of transmission and the consequences of

inflicting it on their patients (Apisarnthanarak et al., 2020;Sun et al., 2020). This supports

the report that all health workers, especially nurses at the forefront of this difficult time,

are challenged regardless of their institutional setting (Boyraz & Legros, 2020;Jackson et

al., 2020).
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Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter will cover the study methodologies, population and sample,

instruments used in gathering data, expanded research processes, and statistical treatment

that were utilized by the researchers to gather the necessary data and information.

Research Design

In this study, descriptive research design is used, which aims to determine the

psychological well-being of the health workers and its effects on their working capacities.

This study's research methodology seeks to collect surveys from 60 selected participants

with accuracy and emphasis on understanding the challenges of the health workers

currently experiencing. A quantitative research method was used to accomplish this.

Population (Respondents of the Study)

Population refers to individuals or objects that is the focus of the study. The

research study focused a targeted population of about 488,800 health care workers in the

Philippines (Census 2015). Data are to be collected from conducting surveys of 60 health

workers in any gender, age, role and with at least 3 years of working experience from

Tarlac and Pampanga to participate in the study.

Sampling Design

The researchers will use the Opportunity sampling technique by selecting 60

participants who are willing to take part in this study. An opportunity sample is gathered
 21

by asking individuals of the target population whether they would be willing to

participate in your research (McLeod, 2019). The researchers utilized this sampling

approach in order for the respondents to be convenient and willed to respond in the study

in their available time. Respondents in an opportunity sample are collected by asking

members of the population of interest whether they are willing to participate in your

research. The population of interest were the health workers that have a common attribute

in recognizing the circumstances and struggles that they have been facing.

Research Instrument

The instrument employed in this paper was a research-created questionnaire to

collect the necessary data for the investigation. The questionnaire draft was created based

on the researchers' readings, past studies, and published and unpublished dissertations

pertinent to the topic. Researchers gave open-ended alternatives in the study's preparation

to permit free-formatted viewpoints on the topic or issues. The survey questionnaire that

has been used as a tool for data-gathering in this research is guided by a 4-point Likert

scale. The survey questions were adapted from a study entitled, Determinants of burnout

and other aspects of psychological well-being in healthcare workers during the Covid-

19 pandemic: A multinational cross-sectional study - 2021. The questions from this

instrument that are most applicable to this research were adapted and slightly modified to

suit the level of understanding of respondents and for better outcomes in the collection of

data. Furthermore, the instrument was tested using Cronbach Alpha reliability test and

was validated by the research adviser of the researchers, a grammarian and expert in this

field for the sake of effective data collections.

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Procedure

After a comprehensive brainstorming session for ideas, the researchers proceeded

to defining the problem, conducting a research and collecting literature and papers

relevant to the study they were undertaking. After collaboratively studying related

literature to gain deeper understanding of the topic, they calculated set of steps while also

choosing designs and frameworks to serve as guides in the study. The researchers

employed an opportunity sampling method to gather information needed for the study. To

ensure the reliability of the instrument used, the researchers first conducted a pre-survey

to gather results to be used for running the test using the SPSS software. When the

reliability was guaranteed, the researchers seek respondents and sought permission if they

were willing and available to partake during the duration of the data gathering which

lasted for two weeks. The health workers who agreed and were available were then

oriented about the study. For answering the survey questionnaires, the respondents were

given the choices of strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree that

corresponds to their situation. The researchers made sure that the respondents who agreed

to be involved in the study will feel secure knowing that the responses they would give,

their identity, and other information would be kept with utmost confidentiality.

After gathering the needed data, the researchers examined the information by

analyzing it in a statistical and mathematical manner to produce results and a conclusion.

In the conclusion, we explain what the results mean and how to view them in our

research.
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Ethical Consideration

Among the most significant process in making research is to adhere to the ethical norms

because it will promote the aims of the research, such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance

of errors along the research. The following principles were upheld: stating the authors

and works of literature used in the study, prioritizing respect for and dignity of all

research participants, obtaining full consent of the participant prior to the study,

protecting and privacy of the respondents involved in data collection, and any type of

communication related to the study was done with honesty and transparency. Any

misrepresentation or exaggeration of the research's goals and objectives was avoided.

Prior to the making of the research, the researchers asked permission from the school and

teachers to allow the researchers to conduct surveys and to float questionnaires via

online. The researchers will also explain the purpose and objectives of the study.

The confidentiality of the study's respondents was addressed, especially when the

decision was made to remain anonymous. This is in compliance with Republic Act No.

10173, often known as the 2012 Data Privacy Act. The researchers utilized just the

information that was willing to be shared. The information obtained would avoid any sort

of misleading information, as well as the biased depiction of main data results.

Furthermore, the researchers saw no conflict of interest and would not benefit personally.

The respondents of the study were healthcare workers. The researchers

acknowledged that their time was precious since they play a vital role to relieve suffering

and save lives. Also, they were possibly occupied by their work or other personal

reasons. Hence, the researchers made sure to communicate with their respondents to
 24

know about their availability and preferred times to take part in the survey. This way, it

was ensured that answering the survey questions did not, in any way, disrupt important

activities of the health workers..

Data Analysis

For the analysis of data from gathered survey questionnaires from various

respondents, the researchers used frequency to measure counts the number of times a

variable appears in a given set of data. The researchers used this to determine the

demographic description in terms of age, gender, roles, and years of experience. The

researchers computed it by counting the responses to the survey questions. To assure the

accuracy of the counting, the researchers used the capabilities of Microsoft Excel and

Google Forms to calculate the mean score. Percentages were also used by the researchers

to interpret the percentages of demographics and the data gathered from the survey. In

this method, values are derived by multiplying the rating to the number of responses and

dividing it by the number of respondents. The formula for this is as shown below:

Whereas in this study:

x – Number of responses

P(x) – Rating
 25

n – Number of respondents

The following scale was used as a pointing system for each response.

1 - Strongly Disagree

2 - Disagree

3 - Agree

4 - Strongly Agree

The following scale served as a guide in interpreting the resulting mean scores:

0.00-1.00 – Very Low

1.01-2.00 – Low

2.01-3.00 – High

3.01-4.00 – Very High

Chapter 4
 26

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The data for this study were collected, processed, and interpreted after the

researchers performed a digital survey using the Google Forms platform as a

precautionary measure to avoid interaction with other people during a pandemic. The

outcomes and findings that were produced in line with the problem statements were

presented in this chapter.

Demographics 

Figure 1.0

Figure 1.0 shows that there were more females who participated in the study than

males. 78 % of the respondents were identified to be female while 21.7 % were males.
 27

Figure 2.0

  This figure illustrates the age distribution of the respondents. 1.7% are 23 years old,

27 years old, 33 years old, 37 years old, 41 years old, 43 years old, 47 years old, 48 years

old, 51 years old, 55 years old, 56 years old, 57 years old, 58 years old, 60 years old, 64

years old, and 65 years old; 3.3% are 24 years old, 25 years old, 34 years old, 35 years

old, 38 years old, 40 years old, 46 years old, 50 years old, and 54 years old; 5% are 22

years old, 30 years old, 42 years old, 44 years old, 45 years old, and 49 years old; 6.7%

are 29 years old and 32 years old.

 28

Figure 3.0

In terms of their role as a Health Worker, results showed that 1.7% is a Medical

Attendant; 1.7% is a Midwife; 1.7% is a Physical Therapist; 1.7% is a Physician; 1.7% is

a Respiratory Therapist; 6.7% of the respondents are Medical Technologists; 6.7% are

Pharmacists; 8.3% of the respondents are dentists; 11.7% of the respondents are Nurses;

21.7% of the respondents are Medical Team. The sampling method used for the final

stage was Opportunity sampling, i.e. entails having only respondents that are Health

Workers who were free and willing to participate during the time the study was

conducted.
 29

Figure 4.0

Figure 4.0 depicts the number of years of experience that health care personnel have.

20.4% of respondents have three years of experience; 8.5% have four and five years of

experience; 6.8% have 20 years of experience; 5.1% have 21 years of experience; 3.4%

of healthcare workers have 22 years, 19 years, 16 years, 11 years of experience; 3.3%

have 15 years of experience; and 1.7% have 42 years, 17 years, and 10 years of

experience.
 30

Figure 5.0

This figure illustrates the days that Health Workers spent in the last 7 days. 48.3%

of the respondents spent five days; 16.7% spent six days; 11.7% spent three days; 8.3%

of the respondents spent all seven days; 8.3% spent four days; 6.7% of the respondents

spent two days.

 31

Figure 6.0

In terms of their average duration shift, results showed that 41.7% of healthcare

workers work 5-10 hours, 31.7% work 10-15 hours, 16.7% work more than 15 hours,

10% work 1-5 hours.

Figure 7.0
 32

According to the graph above, the majority of respondents treated COVID-19;

51.7% of Health Care Workers answered yes, while 48.3% answered no.

Which of the following factors have you experienced since the pandemic started?

Results

High Workload

Lack of Sleep
Results
Delayed Salary

Increased Working Hours

Lack of Personal Time (Day Off,Self-care, Proper

Rest)
Dreading the possibility of beinginfected by the
virus
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Figure 8.0

Figure 8.0 depicts what the respondents experienced since the pandemic started.

60% of the respondents are dreading the possibility of being infected by the virus; 48.3%

are experiencing high workload; 41.7% had increased working hours; 40% are

experiencing lack of personal time; 35% are having lack of sleep; and 18.3% of the

respondents are having delayed salary.

 33

Figure 9.0

Figure 10.0
 34

Figure 9.0 shows that 66.7% of the respondent are anxious while they are on their

duty, whereas 33.3% are not concerned while on duty. Figure 10.0 illustrates the

respondents who feel anxious while they are on their duty. 33.3% experience anxiousness

often and occasionally; 20.5% experience it rarely; and 12.8% of the respondents

answered nearly always.

Figure 11.0
 35

Figure 12.0

Figure 11.0 & 12.0 shows the health difficulties health workers experiencing during

work hours. 53.3% of the respondents answered 'yes' and 46.7% answered 'no'. For those

who answered 'yes', 87.5.% were experiencing stress; 43.75% were experiencing fatigue;

28.13% were experiencing mild or severe headache; 25% were experiencing body

discomfort; and 3.13% were experiencing difficulty in breathing.

 36

No. Statements SD D A SA Total Mean Interpretation

Q1 I like my job. 1 0 37 22 60 3.33 Very High

Q2 When my 8 18 31 3 60 2.48 High

workload
becomes
excessive, my
performance is
impaired.
Q3 I am less 2 15 38 5 60 2.77 High
effective at
work when
fatigued.
Q4 I am more likely 9 16 32 3 60 2.48 High
to make errors
in tense or
hostile
situations.
Q5 Fatigue impairs 4 19 32 5 60 2.63 High
my performance
during
emergency
situations.
Q6 The levels of 6 15 28 11 60 2.73 High
staffing in the
place I work are
sufficient to
handle the
number of
patients.
2.74 High

Mean per factor

Figure 13.0

The figure shows the mean score for each questions pertaining to the

psychological well-being of Health Workers. Health workers like their job because Q1

got the mean score of 3.33 which can be interpreted as “Very High” in terms of

circumstance level. Q2 and Q4 had the same mean score of 2.48 which can be interpreted

as “High” in terms of circumstance level wherein the health workers workload becomes
 37

excessive; their performance is impaired and more likely to make errors in tense or

hostile situations. Q3 got the mean score of 2.77 which can be interpreted as “High” in

terms of circumstance level wherein health workers are less effective at work when

fatigued. Q5 got the mean score of 2.63 which can be interpreted as “High” in terms of

circumstance level wherein fatigue impairs their performance during emergency

situations. And lastly, Q6 got the mean score of 2.73 which can be interpreted as “High”

in terms of circumstance level wherein the levels of staffing in the place are sufficient to

handle the numbers of patients.

20.00%

18.00%

16.00%
0
14.00% 1
2
12.00% 3
4
10.00%
5
8.00% 6
7
6.00% 8
9
4.00% 10
2.00%

0.00%
How is the level of your mental stability described BEFORE the pandemic?

Figure 14.0

The graph above indicates the level of the mental stability of the respondents before

the pandemic. 18.3% of the respondents’ mental stability level before the pandemic is 0

and 5; 13.3% of the respondents’ mental stability level before the pandemic is 2 and 3;
 38

10% of the respondents’ mental stability level before the pandemic is 1 and 8; 6.7% of

the respondents’ mental stability level before the pandemic is 4; 3.3% of the respondents’

mental stability level is 4,5, and 6; and 0% of the respondents’ mental stability level

before the pandemic is 9.

30%

25%
0
1
20% 2
3
4
15%
5
6
7
10%
8
9
5% 10

0%
How is the level of your mental stability described DURING the pandemic?

Figure 15.0

This figure shows the mental stability level of health workers during the pandemic. 

5% of the respondents’ mental stability level during the pandemic is 0; 5% of the

respondents’ mental stability level during the pandemic is 1; 5% of the respondents’

mental stability level during the pandemic is 2; 10% of the respondents’ mental stability

level during the pandemic is 3; 1.7% of the respondents’ mental stability level during the

pandemic is 4; 16.7% of the respondents’ mental stability level during the pandemic is 5;

10% of the respondents’ mental stability level during the pandemic is 6; 15% of the

respondents’ mental stability level during the pandemic is 7; 26.7 of the respondents’
 39

mental stability level during the pandemic is 8; 3.3% of the respondents’ mental stability

level during the pandemic is 9; and 1.7% of the respondents’ mental stability level during

the pandemic is 10.

Chapter 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

In this chapter, the conclusions drawn by the researchers from the study they have

conducted are presented and the key findings are highlighted. The researchers

investigated various ways to address the findings of the conducted study and ideas from

which viable solutions that may be of assistance to the community could arise, in

accordance with the conclusions reached.

Conclusions

The spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines is not only life-threatening but also a

scare for the health care workers that has been in service for the virus infected and ill

patients. The pandemic has put the health care workers into the responsibility of being the

front-line workers, in which they are at utmost risk. The pandemic triggered the health

care workers’ psychological well-being and the drastic effects of their mental health

stability have been visible.

The researchers have concluded that not only the health workers are worn out

physically, but their mental health is also on the line. In every town in the Philippines,

there are problems and effects on mental stability of health workers before and during the

pandemic that have been established on a variety of concepts ranging from high to very
 40

high. In this study, it was found that the health workers mental stability can affect the

ability to fully serve their patients, and there is more struggles to fix and to take care the

psychological well-being and mental stability of the health workers.

Most of the health care workers were found to be mentally stable before the

pandemic started. The mental health stability of the health care workers have been

unsteady, the pandemic has put visible effect wherein most of them were reportedly

stable and as the pandemic has been taking place the number of the health care workers

who were reported to be unstable has risen up.

The result of the study shows that COVID-19 has a large impact on the

psychological well-being of health care workers and it has greatly affected their working

capacities. Not only their working performance is affected but also psychological factors

such as developing anxiety, trauma, and, other mental disorders.

Recommendations

The occurring pandemic is pestering our lives for almost two years already. It seems

like a never-ending battle for the people of the world. Every single human being is

affected and has been put into agony since the novel COVID-19 has hit the world. The

health care workers have been suffering in terms of physical, emotional, and especially

mental health. It will never be not important to consider and heed the needs of our health

care workers.

The researchers would like to recommend to the Department of Health (DOH), to

raise awareness regarding the psychological well-being of the health care workers in
 41

different areas in the Philippines, and take advance mental health care measures and

services.

Sto. Niño Academy of Bamban Inc, one of the most reputable educational

institutions in Bamban. The researchers believe that SNA can give mental health care

assistance for the health care workers of Bamban. The administration, faculty and staff,

and students could make a efficacious impact that would benefit not just their

stakeholders but the rest of the town of Bamban.

To future researchers, the present-day student researchers who put together this

study recommend the formation of further more investigation regarding the psychological

well-being of the health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic for advance factual

information and data. Through these further studies, the measures that will be taken will

be thoroughly thought-through and stronger evidences will be recorded.

Finally, the researchers suggest that the society should begin to open their eyes

towards mental health-related matters. It is all-important for the society to gain even the

midget amount of knowledge of how critical mental health is and its effects especially

during the pandemic. The researchers also would like to recommend that the citizens in

Tarlac and Pampanga would give even the slightest consideration, like spreading factual

and concrete information towards the health care workers and their overall well-being.
 42

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