Psych Educ, Document ID: 2022PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.

7152766, ISSN 2822-4353

Research Article

Stories from the Frontline: Construals, Anxiety Level and Coping Strategies of
Essential Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Charibel C. Matalang*
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.

Abstract
This study aimed to explore the work experiences, anxiety level and coping of COVID 19 essential workers. Specifically, it
identified the anxiety level, impact of the pandemic, coping strategies and work experiences of front liners. A total of 100
medical and non – medical essential workers from the cities of Ilagan, Santiago and Tuguegarao served as participants of the
study. They were grouped according to sex, location of work, nature of work, marital status, religion, educational attainment
and status of employment. Among them, 10 front liners were chosen to participate in the qualitative part which aimed to
explore their work experiences during the pandemic. Mixed type of research method (quantitative – qualitative) was used in
gathering and analyzing the data of this study. For the quantitative part, the researcher made used of both standardized
questionnaire and semi – structured interview questionnaire to elicit information related to demographic profile, coping
strategies, impact of the pandemic, and distress level. The researcher formulated a semi-structured questionnaire which
elicited the respondent’s demographic profile, impact of the pandemic, coping styles, and their work experiences. Also,
Coronavirus Pandemic Anxiety Scale (CPAS 15), a 15 – item standardized test was used to measure the distress level of
essential workers during the pandemic. Participants were asked to indicate how frequent they experience the 15 anxiety
symptoms using 0 - never / not at all, 1 - several days in the past two weeks, 2 - more than half the days in the past two weeks
and 3 - nearly every day in the past two weeks. Results showed that majority of the essential workers who work during the
COVID19 pandemic experienced severe anxiety. Also, it appeared that the pandemic impacted the essential workers in the
performance of their jobs. For physical impact, respondents experienced changes in their eating and sleeping pattern.
Likewise, they experienced fatigue and feelings of exhaustion at work. For cognitive impact, respondents reported high level
of mental stress, worry about safety of their family and overthinking. Lastly, for socio-emotional impact, essential workers
experienced higher level of fear and anxiety. This may be due to the unseen threat of the virus and the difficulty controlling its
widespread. They also miss their working environment and way of life before the pandemic. They long for the company of
their friends and families since most of them have to be isolated and quarantined after work to make sure that they are not
infected with the virus. In battling with these effects of the pandemic, this study revealed that the coping mechanisms of the
essential workers mostly revolved around leisure activities and social support. For problem-focused coping, respondents
engaged in activities such as watching TV and movies, cooking and gardening to cope with stress. For emotional coping,
essential workers choose to talk with a family member or a friend, spend time with family and play with their kids to stay
calm and relax. Lastly, for avoidance coping, most of the respondents prefer to sleep, consume most of their time in social
media and drink alcohol when they feel stressed and anxious due to their work. These activities are considered to be leisure
activities and it was found from previous studies that they are effective in dealing with stress. Lastly, the work experiences of
essential workers during pandemic can be described from the four themes which emerged based on the respondents’ narrative
experiences. These themes are namely a) Personal appraisal of their role as front liners (additional responsibility, commitment
to work, call of duty) b) Physical, cognitive and socio-emotional impact of the pandemic on wellbeing (constant fear, stress,
overthinking, feelings of isolation) c) Learning to cope (adaptive coping, maladaptive coping) d) Appraisal of their social
support system (family support, workplace support). COVID 19 pandemic has rapidly affected people’s day to day life
particularly those who are working in the front line as they provide social, economic and health services to the public. The
experiences of front line workers during COVID-19 are not unprecedented. Interventions to prevent and address mental health
distress among them need to be developed and the timing, effectiveness and acceptability should be carefully evaluated.

Keywords: Anxiety, Coping Strategies, Work Experiences, Essential Workers

Introduction or sings. Common symptoms include fever, cough,

Since the end of December 2019, the Chinese city of
Wuhan has reported an internationally spreading novel
pneumonia caused by coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19). Specifically, it is an infectious disease
triggered by a newly discovered coronavirus which
causes mild to moderate respiratory illness.The disease
spreads most often when people are physically close. It
spreads very easily and sustainably through the air,
primarily via small droplets and sometimes in aerosols,
as an infected person breathes, coughs, sneezes, talks,
fatigue, breathing difficulties, and loss of smell. On
January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization
finally declared the global COVID-19 outbreak a
public health emergency of international concern.
Since then, countries around the globe have started
combatting in the COVID19 battle ground. To date,
Philippines has already reported significantly
increased rate of 500,000 positive cases. Provinces and
cities in the different regions have been adhering to
strict health protocols and closed monitoring due to the
heightened number of virus transmission. Among the
high – risk areas in virus transmission is Cagayan

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Research Article
Valley Region. Specifically, Tuguegarao City, Ilagan
City and Santiago City has been reporting increased
rate of positive cases in the region. The Southern
Isabela General Hospital in Santiago City, Cagayan
Valley Medical Center in Tuguegarao City and San
Antonio City of Ilagan Hospital are among the
licensed COVID 19 testing laboratory in the
Philippines. The local government’s main preventive
measure is to limit people directly contacting each
other especially in public places to lessen the
possibility of virus transmission. Strict confinement
measures implemented to contain the spread of the
virus, including extensive restrictions on travel and
mass gatherings, and the closure of schools and non-
essential businesses, and “stay-at-home” orders.
Majority of people, both young and old, were forced to
stay home to prevent the spread of the disease.
However, while many of us are keeping ourselves safe
and healthy at home, there are those who still make
their way out in order to provide us essential needs and
services during the crisis.
Essential workers are individuals whose jobs are in the
frontline service, who are at a high risk of contracting
the virus and physical ailments, and higher risk of
experiencing psychosocial problems. They are the
ones most at risk to health-related problems due to
overwhelming experiences they face as they perform
frontline jobs. These workers are the ones tasked to
provide support, safety and protection to the public
amidst pandemic. Among these personnel are the
medical doctors, nurses, medical technologists,
radiologists, barangay workers, local government
officers, military and police officers, staff in
supermarkets, grocery or drugstore, food delivery
service crew, workers in the gasoline station, teachers,
bank tellers, security guards, skeleton workforce in
private and government offices, staff in money
remittance center and utility workers.
Facing this critical situation, essential workers on the
front line who are directly involved in the COVID-19
response have significant changes and experiences
with their lives. The ever-increasing number of
confirmed and suspected cases, overwhelming
workload, depletion of personal protection equipment,
widespread media coverage, public exposure, and
feelings of fear, worry and inadequacy may all
contribute to the burden of these workers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has vividly highlighted how
much society depends upon the frontline workers. But
behind their heroic acts to protect and support the
public during this health emergency, they are silently
fighting other battles we cannot see. For instance, front
Charibel C. Matalang
liners are consistently reporting physical and mental
exhaustion manifested by fatigue, overthinking,
extreme sadness, chronic fear and anxiety and stress.
Medical doctors appeal to the government for timeout
because they are already physically and mentally tired.
Nurses experience depression because they are not
able to stay with their families. Healthcare workers
feel afraid and extremely anxious with the possibility
of carrying the virus because they are not provided
with complete and quality personal protective
equipment. Teachers and police officers are also
infected while having their duty. This means that they
have to be isolated from their families for a period of
time while they are being treated. Workers who
provide essential services experience burnout and
stress due to sudden changes in schedule and
workload, long working hours and risk of infection.
Barangay workers endure sleepless nights just to make
sure people are strictly following quarantine protocols.
Local government workers have to double their time
and effort in implementing rules and procedures to
lessen the number of positive cases in their respective
communities. They guarantee proper and timely
distribution of food, medicines and protective kits
especially to their poorest constituents. Staff in
essential establishments are not properly compensated
despite extended work schedule and additional
workload. Front liners are being discriminated and
feared of for possibly carrying the corona virus. These
unseen struggles are being experienced by workers as
they risk their lives in order to provide essential needs
and services to the public amidst quarantine and
lockdown.
As an essential worker and member of the helping
profession, the researcher considers this topic very
timely and relevant. By analyzing the COVID19
workers’ experiences, the researcher may be provided
a clear picture of the real situation faced by these
individuals. It provides an opportunity to identify
specific issues and challenges they are dealing with at
work, as well as their anxiety level. It also aids in
identifying effects of the pandemic, crisis general
responses and ways of coping from this group of
individuals. Finally, information gathered may serve as
inputs in determining appropriate psychosocial
intervention to help them manage the impact brought
by the crisis.
In this way, essential workers are helped to stay
efficient and resilient as they ensure public health and
safety during and after the crisis. They are motivated
to keep a healthy and stable well – being while they
are performing their jobs in the middle of a threat.
Most importantly, through the data which are gathered
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from them, members of the community, regardless of
sex, age group, education, status and employment
would understand the work experiences of essential
workers as they perform their jobs and they are
enlightened about the wide scope and importance of
mental health and well-being particularly in these
trying times.
Research Questions
This study aimed to explore the work experiences,
anxiety level, impacts of pandemic and coping of
COVID 19 essential workers. Specifically, it sought to
answer the following research questions:
1. What is the socio-demographic profile of essential
workers in terms of:
1.1. sex
1.2. location of work
1.3. nature of work
1.4. marital status
1.5. religion
1.6. educational attainment
1.7. status of employment
2. What is the anxiety level of essential workers during
the COVID 19 pandemic?
3. What is the impact of the pandemic on the essential
workers’ well-being relative to:
3.1. physical
3.2. cognitive
3.3. socio-emotional
4. What are the coping strategies of the essential
workers during the pandemic relative to?
4.1. Problem – focused coping
4.2. Emotion – focused coping
4.3. Avoidance coping
5. What are the work experiences of essential workers
relative to the following?
5.1. job – related challenges
5.2. impact of pandemic on their well-being
5.3. coping
Literature Review
COVID 19 as a Health Crisis
Some of the experiences and the psychosocial impacts
of infectious disease outbreaks have been highlighted
by researchers. For instance, Maunder et al. (2003)
found negative lived experiences, stigmatization,
anxiety and stress as the common complaints
presented by patients with severe acute respiratory
syndrome coronavirus (SARS-COV). This was further
shared in Gardener and Moallef’s (2015) review which
Charibel C. Matalang
established that stigmatization, psychotic
presentations, fear of survival and infecting others,
PTSD and reduced quality of life among other
symptoms were apparent across all stages of post-
SARS.
Furthermore, literature has also demonstrated that
during infectious disease outbreaks, those particularly
vulnerable to mental health problems were shown to
be the front-line health workers treating patients
affected by the SARS-COV outbreak. Nickell et al.
(2004) further supported this argument in their
findings which established that half of the nurses
working with patients of SARS-COV displayed
emotional distress during the SARSCOV outbreak.
Quite differently, it has been argued that both
healthcare workers and the general public were shown
to constitute more than one fifth of the total number of
persons who experienced mental issues resulting from
the SARS-COV outbreak. In a similar argument, Chua
et al. (2004) reported that stress, fatigue and worries
were among the major mental health impacts
experienced by healthcare workers and the general
public during SARS outbreak. Overall, this is
suggestive that there is a need to consider the lived
experiences and protection of the general public and
specific vulnerable groups in the research and policies
surrounding infectious disease outbreaks.
Infectious disease outbreaks have also been shown to
require preventive and control measures which often
cause changes in our lifestyles and environments
(Taylor, et, al, 2008). These changes are often more
impactful to our mental health than they are to our
physical health (Wu et al. 2008). Quarantine and self-
isolation are common control measures that are
implemented during infectious disease outbreaks.
Further, increased hygiene precaution (i.e. increased
hand washing, wearing face masks, cleaning surfaces
etc.) is another common control measure taken during
infectious disease outbreak. Given the impacts of these
control measures that are adopted to protect the
general public’s physical health from infectious
diseases, consideration of the implications of these
measures on the mental health of public is paramount
(Taylor et al. 2008).
Research has further indicated negative outcomes in
relation to the measures implemented during infectious
disease outbreaks. For instance, Bai, et al. (2004)
determined the presence of acute stress disorders in
persons who experienced quarantine during the SARS-
COV outbreak. It was further determined that, such
persons were also likely to report detachment from
others, irritability, decreased work performance, and
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consideration of resignation. Sprang and Silman,
(2013) embarked on a comparative study between
parents and children quarantined, and those not. They
found that anxiety, depression, and PTSD scores were
higher in children who experienced quarantine than in
those who did not experience quarantine. In that same
study, over a quarter of quarantined parents met the
classification for PTSD compared to six percent of
those not quarantined. The longitudinal impact of
having experienced restricted movement during
infectious disease outbreak was highlighted in Wu, et
al. (2008) study which demonstrated that three years
after the SARS outbreak, alcohol dependency was
positively correlated with having been quarantined and
self-isolated. Overall, this demonstrates that peoples’
experiences of the preventive and control measures
implemented during infectious disease outbreaks plays
a crucial role on their mental wellbeing. It is therefore
important to explore people’s experiences of both the
novel COVID-19, and its control/ preventive
measures.
Previous literature has further shown that apart from
the impact of peoples’ experiences of control measures
during infectious disease outbreaks, the awareness of
and preparation for infectious disease outbreaks
triggers mental health disturbances of anxiety (Lau et
al. 2010). In some other studies, the levels of concern
and knowledge of infectious disease outbreaks have
also been identified to have impacts on mental health
during such outbreaks and this makes knowledge
measurement of infectious disease an important
concern during times of disease outbreaks. In another
study, Taylor, et al. (2008) ascertained that greater
anxiety levels were common quite early in the general
public during infectious disease outbreaks, given the
high levels of concern from the general public about
the outbreak. The greater anxiety levels were further
found to worsen by increased social distancing during
infectious disease outbreaks. Therefore, this also
supports our argument that the outbreak of infectious
diseases have negative effects on the mental health of
people. This underscores the urgency for studying the
lived experiences, and mental health impacts from the
novel COVID-19 pandemic (Xiang, et al. 2020).
Methodology
Research Design
Mixed method design (quantitative – qualitative) was
used in gathering and analyzing the data of this study.
For the quantitative part, the researcher made used of
both standardized questionnaire and semi – structured
Charibel C. Matalang
interview questionnaire to elicit information related to
demographic profile, coping strategies, impact of the
pandemic and distress level. Specifically, the
researcher made used of the explanatory design, a two-
phased mixed – method research. The purpose of this
design is that qualitative data helps explain or build
upon initial quantitative results. The initial anxiety
level results, impact of the pandemic among workers
and coping strategies which were measured
quantitatively were supported by qualitatively
exploring the work experiences of the front liners.
Through this method, the researcher formed groups
based on quantitative results and made a follow – up
through subsequent qualitative research. The
characteristics or inclusion criteria of the quantitative
participants guided the purposeful sampling for the
qualitative phase. Among the 100 respondents who
participated in the quantitative method, the researcher
chose 10 to participate in the qualitative method.
Virtual, face – to- face and phone interview using a
semi – structured guide was individually conducted to
the ten respondents. This helped the researcher
understand their subjective work experiences. This
scientific approach guarantees the authenticity of the
collected work experiences of the subjects in order to
construct a more meaningful interpretation of their
work experiences.
Research Instrument
The researcher formulated a semi-structured
questionnaire which elicited the respondent’s
demographic profile, impact of the pandemic, coping
styles, and their work experiences. Also, Coronavirus
Pandemic Anxiety Scale (CPAS 15), a 15 – item
standardized test was used to measure the distress level
of essential workers during the pandemic. Participants
were asked to indicate how frequent they experience
the 15 anxiety symptoms using 0 - never / not at all, 1 -
several days in the past two weeks, 2 - more than half
the days in the past two weeks and 3 - nearly every day
in the past two weeks. The total CPAS score which is
the sum of all 15 items is the total individual score.
Each participant's score was interpreted referring to the
instrument’s suggested cut-off range (below 9-normal
level, 9-15 low/mild, 16-20 moderate and 21-45
severe).
This scale was developed and initially validated in a
sample of adults from different regions across the
Philippines. A two-factor structure was identified and
confirmed, corresponding to somatic and non-somatic
symptoms of anxiety related to the COVID-19
pandemic. The total scale and subscales showed good
internal consistency, convergent, and discriminant
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validity. The results also show that the scale was also
more strongly correlated with established measures of
anxiety compared to the recently developed FCV-19S
(Ahorsu et al., 2020). CPAS-15 was also more
strongly correlated with measures of anxiety than of
depression and was accurate in predicting individuals
identified as having severe anxiety using the GAD-7.
All these results suggest that the CPAS-15 is a
promising tool for screening severity and frequency of
COVID-related anxiety and for identifying individuals
who might need mental health services (Bernardo et
al., 2020)
Location of the Study
The City of Ilagan, Tuguegarao City and Santiago City
are among the three biggest cities in Cagayan Valley
Region which consistently report increasing rates of
COVID19 cases. Significantly, the Southern Isabela
General Hospital in Santiago City, Cagayan Valley
Medical Center in Tuguegarao City and San Antonio
City of Ilagan Hospital are among the licensed COVID
19 testing laboratory in the Philippines. These health
facilities serve as diagnostic and treatment centers for
COVID 19 patients. Thus, it implies a need for more
medical and non-medical workers in these areas who
will provide essential services to the community while
the region is still placed under community quarantine.
This also means higher risk of psychosocial problems
to these workers as they battle against the pandemic.
The City of Ilagan, named as the Corn Capital of the
Philippines, is the capital and largest city in the
province of Isabela. The city has been known for its
significant development in terms of economic growth,
tourism, health, agriculture and education. With its
progress and expansion, the place, however, was not
spared by the threats of the COVID19. Unluckily,
despite the city government’s huge efforts to protect
the Ilaguenos from being infected with the
coronavirus, the rate of positive cases has significantly
increased.
Th e C i t y of S a n t i a g o is a f i r s t – c l a s s
independent component city in the province of Isabela.
It has been recording hike in COVID19 positive cases
as the quarantine has been eased. The Southern Isabela
General Hospital which is situated in this city caters to
patients not only from Isabela but also from its nearby
provinces like Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya and CAR.
Lastly, Tuguegarao City which is a landlocked
component city in the coastal province of Cagayan and
serves as the regional center of Cagayan Valley has
been continuously imposing hard lockdowns because
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the number of virus infections continue to rise. The
city also situates the Cagayan Valley Medical Center,
the largest medical facility for COVID 19 diagnosis
and treatment in the region. It has the newest sets of
medical equipment, complete testing laboratory and
well – trained medical specialists in response to the
COVID 19 public health emergency.
Participants and Sampling Procedure
A total of 100 randomly selected medical and non –
medical front liners from the cities of Ilagan, Santiago
and Tuguegarao served as the participants of the study.
They were equally divided among the three cities. By
using purposeful sampling method, 10 essential
workers from the sample population were chosen to
participate in the qualitative part of the research. The
participants were key workers and support staff whose
jobs are crucial to COVID19 economic and social
response in the city. Included in the study were
medical doctors, nurses, medical technologists,
barangay and LGU workers, volunteer workers, armed
officers, staff in grocery or pharmacy store, food
delivery service crew, workers in the gasoline station,
social workers, bank tellers, security guards, skeleton
workforce in private and government offices, staff in
money remittance center, maintenance and utility
workers.
Inclusion criteria for selecting participants in the
quantitative part included a) legal age b) location of
work is within the cities of Ilagan, Santiago and
Tuguegarao c) jobs are not based on a work-from-
home scheme d) physically report to work amidst
pandemic and e) no present COVID19 diagnosis or
symptoms. Also, participants possessed the ability to
express themselves both in written or verbal language,
and most importantly, they were willing to participate
voluntarily in this study. For the qualitative part, the
main criterion for choosing the ten respondents is that
they deal personally and physically with the public for
more than the typical number of working hours in a
day. They are considered to be the group which have
higher risk of virus exposure and infection because of
the nature of their work which needs personal
interaction with people.
Exclusion criteria for the quantitative research
included a) workers who are not under legal age b) not
currently residing in the three cities c) those who are
working based on a work-from-home scheme and d)
those who presently have COVID19 symptoms or
diagnosis.
Among the 50 medical essential workers were 9
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medical technologists, 6 pharmacists, 5 physicians, 8
nurses, 7 midwives, 5 nursing aides, 4 laboratory
aides, 3 ambulance nurses and 3 radiologists. For the
50 non – medical workers, participants included 11
police officers, 9 barangay workers/volunteers, 4
delivery riders, 4 gasoline station workers, 2 bank
employees, 7 grocery / drugstore staff, 5 social
workers, 2 security guards, 2 military officers, 2
ambulance drivers and 2 hospital utility workers.
Data Gathering Procedure
Using the inclusion criteria, the researcher identified
100 medical and non-medical COVID 19 front liners
in the City of Ilagan, Santiago and Tuguegarao as
participants of the study. They were equally divided
among the three cities. Before administering the
procedure, informed consent to participate in the study
was provided to the respondents. The researcher then
floated the semi-structured questionnaire which
elicited the anxiety level, impact of the pandemic to
essential workers and coping strategies. Also,
Coronavirus Pandemic Anxiety Scale was also floated
to the participants to assess the level of their anxiety in
the context of COVID 19 pandemic. The researcher
sought the permission of the author of CPAS-15
through a written request letter to utilize the
standardized instrument. All necessary requirements
required by the author were submitted online for
evaluation. Upon approval, questionnaires were
administered to the participants through online and
face to face to determine the level of their anxiety
during the pandemic.
All data from the research instruments which included
impact of the pandemic, coping strategies and anxiety
level were tallied, organized and statistically treated.
After which, the researcher identified 10 front liners
among the 100 respondents to participate in the
qualitative part of the study. An interview during the
participants’ most convenient time was scheduled. For
face to - face interview, it took place in a separate
room in a quiet manner to avoid interruptions. The
researcher made sure that workers had their consent
and they were physically and mentally prepared before
doing the interview. Before each session, the
interviewer established a friendly rapport to promote
trust, openness, acceptance and positive influence
between the researcher and participant. The interviews
appeared to be a friendly and healthy conversation.
The researcher asked relevant questions using a semi-
structured interview guide and the participant freely
shared all his/her insight and experiences related to it.
Health protocols were strictly observed. For virtual
interview, the researcher reached the participants
Charibel C. Matalang
through video conferencing. Any recording of
interview must be with the participant’s permission.
Some conversations were recorded for clarity and
accuracy of information but were kept strictly
confidential. Other participants chose to express their
thoughts through writing to narrate their experiences
better. The researcher collated all the interview
transcriptions and written narrations of the participants
in order to come up with different meaningful themes.
Data Analysis
In analyzing the quantitative data, the researcher made
used of the frequency, percentage distribution and
weighted mean to present the respondents’ profile,
impact of the pandemic, coping strategies and anxiety
level.
For the qualitative part, after each interview, the
researcher transcribed the scripts and collated the
written narrations of the participants. Together with a
co-rater, common and meaningful statements and
answers were extracted to help the researcher in
formulating significant themes and subthemes. After
identifying the themes, an expert reviewed the results
to attest that these were constructively aligned with the
transcripts. In data analysis, the researcher moved to a
higher level of abstraction in analyzing the data and
used cross-analysis. Hill et al. (1997) suggested that
the crossanalysis can be completed either with the
primary team generating the categories as a group or
with each member doing so individually and then
bringing possible categories to the group for
discussion. In terms of characterizing the frequency of
occurrence of the categories, Hill et al. (1997)
suggested that “general” results (8-10 responses) apply
to all cases, “typical” results (5-7 responses) apply to
at least half of the cases, and “variant” results (2-4
responses) apply to at least two to four, but fewer than
half, of the cases. This study used these frequency
labels to describe the categories.
Ethical Consideration
The researcher discussed the purpose and procedure of
the study before the participants. They were assured
that all contents of the study are primarily intended for
research purposes and may not cause any form of
harm, danger, discrimination or humiliation on the part
of the participants. Before engaging in any activity
related to the conduct of this study, all selected
participants signed an informed consent. It contained
the purpose, benefits, risks and other information
necessary to allow them to make an informed and
voluntary decision to participate in the research
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Table 3. Distribution of the Respondents as to Nature

of Work
process. Their personal identity may or may not be
disclosed. They were allowed to withdraw their
permission at any time. Also, the researcher made it
sure that there will be no academic misconduct such as
plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification or repeated
publication of the research. And finally, for the welfare
of everyone, the researcher considered full honesty,
confidentiality, respect and sincerity in performing all
important areas of the study. Marital Status. Table 4 presents that majority of the
participants are single. Thirty – seven of them are
married and six are single parents. Lastly, there is only
Results one widower and one widow among the essential
workers.
Socio-demographic Profile of the Participants Table 4. Distribution of the Respondents as to Marital
Status
Sex. Table 1 shows that there are more female
participants with a total frequency of 67 compared to
male participants which only represent 33 percent of
the total population.

Table 1. Distribution of the Respondents as to Sex

Religion. The table below shows that most of the

respondents are Roman Catholic (73%), Born Again
Location. It can be seen from Table 2 that there are 35 Christian (15%) and Iglesia ni Cristo (8%).
essential workers from the City of Ilagan, 32 from
Tuguegarao City and 33 from Santiago City who Table 5. Distribution of the Respondents as to Religion
participated in the study. In all, a total of 100
respondents among the three cities in Region II were
included in the research.

Table 2. Distribution of the Respondents as to

Location of Work

Educational Attainment. Table 6 presents that 92%

Nature of Work. As shown in Table 3, half of the
respondents were members of the medical staff and the
remaining half were from the non-medical staff.
of the total population are college graduate, 7%
reached their college level and only one participant is a
graduate of vocational course.

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Table 6. Distribution of the Respondents as to
Educational Attainment
Status of Employment. It can be seen from this table
that most of the participants which occupy 61% of the
population have regular/permanent employment status.
There were only thirty – three of them who belong to
the contract-of-service status, two volunteers and
casuals and one part-time and job order employee.
Table 7. Distribution of the Respondents as to Status
of Employment
Anxiety Level of Essentials Workers during
COVID19 Pandemic
Looking at the individual total scores of the
participants, the following table reveals that 29% of
the population experienced normal levels of anxiety.
During the pandemic, normal anxiety among essential
workers is usually short-term and related to a
particular stressor which is the threat of coronavirus
infection. Normally, it does not cause significant
distress and the fear is resolved in a short time.
Workers who experience normal anxiety levels are still
able to perform their jobs in the face of crisis and their
symptoms do not negatively interfere with daily
functioning.
Likewise, the table reflects that 24% of the essential
workers felt mild anxiety during the pandemic.
Although often described as clinically non-significant,
mild anxiety can impact emotional, social and
professional functioning of front liners. It is typically
motivational, meaning it helps people focus on seeking
a solution to the challenges they face. Mild anxiety is
anxiety that is manageable without any additional
techniques, meaning front liners can still get through
Charibel C. Matalang
the day without panicking, enjoy a social life and can
even find hobbies and activities fun. They tend to have
irritating symptoms due to work demands but
otherwise do not control them. They also feel worry
about their health and their loved ones but they
generally control and ignore them. They may still even
think positively about the future and believe that the
world can still recover from the effects of the
pandemic. However, if the symptoms are left
unaddressed, mild anxiety can lead to maladaptive
coping strategies or more severe mental conditions
(Abraham, 2020).
It was also revealed that least of the participants or
only 15% of the population experienced moderate
levels of anxiety as they perform their jobs in the
middle of pandemic. This is similar with the results of
a study entitled Impact of COVID-19 on the
Psychological Well-Being and Turnover Intentions of
Frontline Nurses in the Community: A Cross-Sectional
Study in the Philippines (Delos Santos et al., 2020). It
aimed to assess fear of COVID-19 among nurses in a
community setting. This study employed a cross-
sectional design using self-report questionnaires.
Results revealed that nurses display moderate fear of
COVID-19 and that the female gender is correlated to
fear of the virus. Moreover, the nurses’ fear influences
their psychological distress and organizational and
professional turnover intentions. Conclusively, fear of
COVID-19 is universal among healthcare workers and
other staff. There is a need to assess the factors
associated with the fear to better address the workers’
psychological wellbeing and to avoid turnover
intentions.
Also, a study which support this finding is conducted
by Caroline Bell and her colleagues (2022) regarding
the challenges facing essential workers. Those in
healthcare and those in ‘other’ essential work were at
71% and 59% greater risk respectively, of moderate
levels of anxiety than those in nonessential work.
During the pandemic lockdown, essential workers
(those in healthcare and those providing ‘other’
essential work) were at increased risk of anxiety
compared with those in nonessential work, with those
in healthcare also being at increased risk of poor well-
being. This highlights the need to recognize the
challenges this vital workforce faces in pandemics.
These workers with moderate levels of anxiety have
more frequent or persistent symptoms than those with
mild anxiety, but still have better daily functioning
than those with severe anxiety. Front liners who
reported moderate anxiety may report experiencing
symptoms such as feeling on edge, being unable to
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control their worrying or being unable to relax several
days or the majority of days in a week, but not every
day. Although symptoms are disruptive, people with
moderate anxiety may still have success in managing
their anxiety with the help of therapist or self-help
strategies (Dash, S.2022).
Lastly, most of the participants which represent 32%
of the population reported severe levels of anxiety
while working in the face of the COVID-19 threat.
Front liners from different countries also reported
severe anxiety in the middle of global health crisis. A
study conducted in Malaysia found that non-frontline
healthcare providers have higher anxiety levels than
frontline healthcare providers. This result was similar
to those of a study in Singapore that used the
Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21).
However, a study in China that used the Beck Anxiety
Inventory reported higher anxiety levels in frontline
medical workers than in non-frontline ones. Similarly,
a study in Oman that used the DASS-21 reported
higher anxiety levels in frontline than non-frontline
healthcare workers. The different outcomes of these
studies may be partially accounted for by the
countries’ policies and differences in the tools used to
conduct the assessments (Noor, et, al, 2020).
People with severe anxiety typically score higher on
scales of distress and lower on functioning. Symptoms
also frequently co-occur with depression which can
contribute to greater disability. These signs are
frequent and persistent and may include increased
heart rate, feelings of panic and social withdrawal.
These symptoms can result in loss of work and
increased health care costs. In addition, individuals
with severe anxiety may turn to unhealthy coping as
means to cope with their condition.
For those who recounted feeings of severe anxiety,
avoiding contact with other people is not an
option. Social distancing may only happen some of the
time, and going to work each day presents significant
obstacles and challenges, both physically and
emotionally. It is no wonder this heightened level of
uncertainty is already taking a toll on the physical and
mental health of front liners.
Table 8. Percentage Distribution of the Respondents
with their Corresponding Anxiety Levels
Charibel C. Matalang
Impact of COVID19 Pandemic Among Essential
Workers
Physical Impact. Given the nature of their work and
due to the limited resources, essential workers felt
overworked this pandemic. As observed from the data
presented in Table 8, most of the physical impact of
pandemic among them are feelings of tiredness and
sickness, sleeping problems and eating problems. In
line with these symptoms, (Segerstrom, 2004) it was
suggested that a high level of stress can lead to a
weakened immune system. Another recent study also
added that most essential workers experience physical
exhaustion, sleep disruption, and eating disturbances
(Li et al., 2020).
Furthermore, based on the data from Table 9, it can be
inferred that essential workers reported an increase in
food consumption as an effect of the pandemic
situation. To support, a study conducted by
Khubchandani and colleagues (2020) found out that
stress levels were statistically higher for those who
engaged in unhealthy eating habits than those who
indicated that their diet had deteriorated. Furthermore,
APA (2021) also released data claiming that about
50% of the medical workers in the USA had
experienced an unwanted increase in weight. When it
comes to physical impacts of stress, nearly 3 in 4
essential workers (74%) reported unwanted changes in
weight since the pandemic started, with 50% saying
they gained more weight than they wanted to. Of this
group, the average amount of weight gained was 38
pounds (median of 20 pounds). Additionally, 80% of
essential workers reported sleeping more or less than
they wanted to and 39% said they have been drinking
more alcohol to cope with stress during the pandemic.
Table 9. Physical Impact of the Pandemic Among
Essential Workers
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Cognitive Impact. Table 10 shows that majority of
the respondents experienced mental stress while
working during the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with
this finding, recent studies claimed that although even
before the pandemic, the workload of essential
workers, especially those who are working in the
medical field has always been stressful, they have
always found ways to cope with it. However, what
made their workload more stressful and unbearable
during this pandemic is the unfamiliarity of the nature
of what they face at work (Cooch, 2020).
One of the main sources of stress for essential workers
is the fear of getting infected by the COVID 19
disease. This is also supported by the researcher’s data,
as seen also in the table, 67% of the respondents also
expressed extreme worry for the safety of their
families and 36% of them reported overthinking
behaviors or repeatedly thinking or worrying with the
same concern which is the danger brought by the
COVID19 virus.
To support this claim, a study entitled Major Stressors
and Coping Strategies of Frontline Nursing Staff
During the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2020
(COVID-19) in Alabama (Ali, H. et, al. 2020),
reported that around 71% of the nursing staff exhibited
heightened workload-related mental stress resulting
from taking care of infected patients. The study found
that most nurses (82%) are stressed about getting their
friends and family infected. Overall, younger, less
experienced nurses reported more stress levels
compared to older, senior-level nurses.
Table 10. Cognitive Impact of the Pandemic Among
Essential Workers
Socio-emotional Impact. The socio-emotional impact
of the pandemic among essential workers is shown in
Table 11. Fear and anxiety accumulated the highest
percentage of 70%, missing the old normal with 27%
and missing one’s family with 13%.
To support, a study on the fear and anxiety of
healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia is presented in this
Charibel C. Matalang
section (Mohsin, 2021). In pandemics, psychological
impacts such as fear and anxiety are natural, especially
if the number of infected individuals and death rates is
sharply increasing. In this research, data revealed that
10.7%, 73.5%, and 15.7% of health care workers had a
mild, moderate, and severe degree of fear and anxiety,
respectively. Several factors are related to moderate to
high level of fear and anxiety; these includes personal,
social aspects, and society. Personal factors are linked
with an elevated level of anxiety is being a smoker or
living with someone with chronic illness. Social
factors are associated with increased exposure to
media news and the economic impact of this disease.
Society is another aspect of high level of anxiety
associated to living with older people having
respiratory and immune-mediated disease.
Further, in relation to the pressure experienced by
front liners, Norhayati Mohd Noor (2020) and her
colleagues declared that during the fight against the
COVID-19 pandemic, frontline healthcare providers
who work in hospitals that directly diagnose, treat, and
care for patients have faced enormous pressures,
including the need to be separated from their loved
ones, a high risk of infection and inadequate
protections from contamination, overwork, frustration,
and exhaustion. These pressures impose significant
psychological and mental health concerns for frontline
healthcare providers globally. Also, in her article,
Beata Mostafavi (2020) narrated the struggles of
mothers who are working in the front line. They serve
double duty caring for COVID 19 patients at work
while also balancing family life at home during the
pandemic. And after long hours combating COVID 19,
many reunites with their families. Others do not go
home – living separately from their families as an
extra measure of protection. As a result, they long for
the company and affection of their children. Pre –
pandemic bonding moments and quality time with
their loved ones were missed due to the fact that they
also have to prioritize their duty to serve the victims of
corona virus.
Table 11. Socio-emotional Impact of Pandemic Among
Essential Workers
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Coping Strategies of Essential Workers during especially with loved ones gives an opportunity to
COVID19 Pandemic share and listen to stories. This can help to alleviate
the stress and accompanying physiological and
Problem – focused Coping. Table 12 presents the emotional responses caused by COVID19 virus.
coping styles employed by the respondents under Spending quality time with loved ones promotes better
problem-focused coping. Results show that essential concentration and improves healthy behaviors. The
workers typically watch their favorite television shows challenge right now is seeing and maintaining one’s
or movies to relieve stress (66%), engage in cooking social contacts. Video calls allow people to see each
activity (23%) and do planting or gardening to other and can reduce feelings of loneliness and worry.
recharge their mind and body (16%). Even hearing a familiar voice through phone calls can
help. Over the long term, a healthy social life can be
These results are consistent with previous findings great for quality of life, well-being and longevity.
showing psychological benefits associated with fitness
and gardening activities during COVID-19 (Lades et Table 13. Emotion-focused Coping Strategies
al., 2020). During the pandemic, non-creative pursuits Employed by Essential Workers
including mind games and social, food and relaxation
were also more likely to increase. Broadly, these
results support previous findings that time on DIY and
gardening, social media, games, entertainment, and
reading increased during COVID-19 (Balhara et al.,
2020). Results indicated that higher well-being was
predicted for those who maintained or increased time
on leisure activities during the pandemic, compared to
those who decreased time.

Table 12. Problem-focused Coping Strategies

Employed by Essential Workers
Avoidant Coping. Table 14 presents the coping styles
employed by the respondents under avoidant coping.
Majority of the respondents (59%) use sleeping as a
way to escape with the sad reality they are presently
confronting. 21% of the respondents consume most of
their time in social media and 12% engage in drinking
alcohol when they feel stressed, tired and sad due to
work-related problems. In an article about COVID19
essential workers, (APA, 2021) research data show
80% of essential workers reported sleeping more or
less than they wanted to and 39% said they have been
Emotion – focused Coping. Table 13 presents the
drinking more alcohol to cope with stress during the
coping styles employed by the respondents under
pandemic.
emotion-focused coping. For emotional coping, three
coping mechanisms have the highest frequencies. Table 14. Avoidant Coping Strategies Employed by
Talking to a friend/family member and spending time
Essential Workers
with family, occupies 73% and 72% of the total
population, respectively. Another emotional coping
mechanism utilized by the respondents is playing with
their kids to relieve stress (55%). According to Dr.
Scott Lear’s article on the importance of social support
during pandemic (2021), social support is vital for the
health and without it, physical and mental wellbeing
tend to deteriorate. People with higher social support
have proven to be more resilient even during self-
isolation. They were less likely to report anxiety and
poor quality sleep. Being around with people

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From the results, it can be implied that the coping

strategies of essential workers in dealing with the
effects of pandemic are mostly leisure activities. Based
Table 16. Effects of the Pandemic Among Essential
on its definition, leisure is any activity that a person
Workers
engages in at his or her time, apart from the
responsibilities of work, family, and community, for
recreation, diversion, or broadening his or her
awareness, as well as spontaneous social involvement
and the free exercise of his or her creative ability. It
was also argued that engaging in leisure can help to
reduce high levels of stress in both older and younger
people (Singh, 2020).

In addition to this, previous studies also claimed that

social support can help people to lessen their negative
emotions. For reference, in the research of Regan et al,
Table 17. Coping strategies used to deal with the
2004, it was discovered that perceived social support
would most likely reduce a person's depressive effects of the pandemic
symptoms. It was noted also that talking to other
people who shares your emotional state can help to
decrease stress and it will also help to improve one’s
productivity (Towsend, 2014).

Further, in the context of the COVID19 pandemic and

essential workers, it was found that social support is
indirectly correlated with the mental well-being of
essential workers. Besides, they found that resilience
mediated the relationship between social support and
mental being. This means that strong social support
can lead to higher resiliency which would lead to
Table 18. Appraisal of their Social Support Syste
higher mental well-being.

Analysis/Discussion of the Common Themes Across

Respondents

This section discusses the common themes which were

extracted from the verbatim responses of all the
respondents. This further explains the actual lived
experiences of essential workers during the COVID19
pandemic.
Discussion
Table 15. Thoughts about Frontline Work /Perception
of being a Frontliner
The COVID19 pandemic has been globally
experienced for more than a year now and has taken
millions of lives worldwide. The deadly coronavirus
threat has changed different aspects of people’s lives
and has been constantly causing fear and stress to most
people. Front liners or essential workers have been
working day and night since the crisis started to serve
and keep the community safe. But just like most

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people, this pandemic also persistently changes their
lives, be it personal or at work. Hence, this study
focused on the lived experiences of essential workers
to understand them better and help them cope. The
following themes generated explains clearly the rela-
life experiences of medical and non-medical front
liners and its implication to the new normal situation
that the world will be facing due to the effects of the
global pandemic.
Perception of their role as frontliners
Front liners or essential workers are very much aware
of their role and responsibilities during this pandemic.
They know that people need them the most during
these hard times. Aside from their usual tasks, they are
given an increased job demands and workload. For
instance, medical front liners are required to double
their shift due to sudden surge in number of infected
patients. Barangay workers spend restless nights
ensuring that residents in their respective areas
properly adhere to quarantine rules and protocols. In
short, they are now working longer hours and have
little time for themselves and family. This sudden
increase in workload and responsibilities is a big
challenge to their overall job satisfaction. Studies show
that working longer hours can decrease the satisfaction
of the employees towards their jobs (Mohd Noor et al,
2021).
Moreover, based on themes generated in this study, it
appeared that most of them are aware that they have a
special duty and that is to serve others. Despite this
sudden increase in workload and working time, they
still need to show commitment to work. Add to that,
some even would go and work beyond the call of their
duty. This is because they are mindful that they are
essential at these times, therefore they remain devoted
to their profession and responsibility. That is to serve
and protect others. This can be considered as an
affective type of commitment where individuals stay at
their work because they want to. Being essential
workers during difficult times can be fulfilling for
some and it drives them to commit more to their
service and organization. Studies reveal that affective
commitment influences public service motivation
positively (Kim, Henderson, and Eom, 2020).
Furthermore, it was also noted that receiving
acknowledgment and honor from the general
population in recognition of services is one of the
coping mechanisms for the psychological impact of
the epidemic (Umar et al, 2020).
Impact of the pandemic on physical, cognitive and
socio-emotional well-being
Charibel C. Matalang
It can never be denied that COVID19 pandemic has
brought intense fear and stress not only to normal
citizens but most especially to essential workers. They
are always in the front-line of defense and they are the
most exposed individuals to the coronavirus. This
pandemic has been affecting them emotionally,
physically, and socially.
Front liners experience constant fear each day they
face the terrible reality of being highly exposed to the
possibly fatal COVID 19 disease and the possibility of
transmitting the virus to their own family and
colleagues (Santrone et al, 2020). This intense fear and
overthinking behaviors are also causing high levels of
stress to essential workers. Due to the nature of their
job, most people feel scared to get near them. This
eventually led to feelings of isolation and
abandonment for most of them. This may again
increase their overthinking and stress levels.
Furthermore, medical front liners in a recent study
claimed that their stress is more psychological than
physical. Most of them reported feeling emotionally
fatigued and drained, worried most of the time, and
emotionally burned out (Norful et al, 2021).
Learning to Cope
Experiencing psychological distress also requires
coping strategies. These coping mechanisms are very
vital for essential workers to survive the emotional and
social effects of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the
coping strategies that essential workers developed
during this pandemic is engaging in different leisure
activities such as exercising, watching television,
planting, cooking, eating, and many more. According
to them, this helped them to keep mentally active and
healthy during this difficult time. In short, engaging in
different activities had lessened their stress levels and
served as a distraction to the current situation.
Social support system also played an important for the
front liners’ wellbeing during the pandemic. They
drew most of their strength and motivation from the
people around them. Their immediate family, close
friends and colleagues are their main source of love
and support in this difficult time. Research has shown
that having a strong support system has many positive
benefits, such as higher levels of well-being, better
coping skills, and a longer and healthier life. Studies
have also shown that social support can reduce
depression and anxiety. A strong support system can
often help reduce stress (Portis, 2021).
However, coping mechanisms can also be unhealthy
because it also involves moderation and self-control.
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Stress-eating, excessive sleeping, frequent substance Conclusion

use, and too much social media exposure can be bad
sometimes if not controlled. It can even lead to an
Based on the findings of the study, the COVID 19
increased level of stress and anxiety. It may also affect
pandemic has rapidly affected people’s day to day life
one’s level of motivation to do work and also
particularly those who are working in the front line as
productivity. they provide social, economic and health services to
the public. The experiences of front line workers
Appraisal of social support system during COVID-19 are not unprecedented.
Interventions to prevent and address mental health
Frontliners find seeking social support from their distress among them need to be developed and the
family and colleagues as an effective way to alleviate timing, effectiveness and acceptability should be
psychological discomforts caused by the current global carefully evaluated. More high-quality qualitative
health crisis. For them, seeking social support means research is urgently needed in order to better
seeking physical, emotional, social companionship understand the experiences, needs and preferences of
from friends and family members. Additionally, prior the COVID 19 workforce, particularly those frontline
research has shown that social support might assist workers whose voices have not yet been adequately
people to reduce their negative feelings. For example, represented. Lastly, there is a great opportunity to
mitigate the negative mental health impact of
Regan et al. (2004) observed that perceived social
COVID-19 and support the longer-term wellbeing of
support would most likely lessen a person's depressed
the members of the workforce across the world
symptoms. It was also highlighted that communicating through appropriate psychosocial interventions.
with other individuals who share your emotions might
aid to reduce stress and enhance productivity
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Affiliations and Corresponding Information
Charibel Matalang
Isabela State University - Philippines

Charibel C. Matalang
17/17