CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Psychosocial adjustment or adaptation refers to people's capacity to adapt to the

environment, which implies that the individual has sufficient mechanisms to feel good,

integrate, respond adequately to the demands of the environment, and achieve his or

her objectives (Madariaga et al., 2014). Psychosocial adjustment is the psychosocial

accommodation of a person to a life-altering event or transition (Anderson, Keith, &

Novak, 2002).

The 2019 coronavirus disease (covid19) has been with us for almost 3 years now,

along with it is a high infectivity and fatality rates that kill a million people globally, this

Covid19 also caused universal psychosocial impact for many people such as economic

burden and financial loses and mass hysteria. The disease itself has already caused the

mental health and psychosocial health for some individual such as anxiety, acute panic,

obsessive behavior, paranoia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the long run,

because of a multiplied forced quarantine to combat covid19 that has been practiced

worldwide to reduce the transmission of the disease from person to person (Dubey et

al., 2020).

Psychosocial burden of quarantine and isolation, COVID-19 has required many

countries across the globe to implement early quarantine measures as the fundamental

disease control tool (Rubin and Wessely, 2020). Apart from physical sufferings, the

consequences of this quarantine on the mental health and well-being at personal and
population-levels are many fold. Imposed mass quarantine applied by nationwide

lockdown programs can produce mass hysteria, anxiety and distress, due to factors like

sense of getting cornered and loss of control. This can be intensified if families need

separation, by uncertainty of disease progression, insufficient supply of basic essentials,

financial losses, increased perception of risk, which usually get magnified by vague

information and improper communications through media in the early phase of a

pandemic (Maunder et al., 2003; Hawryluck et al., 2004; Brooks et al., 2020).

In addition, according to Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the

Philippines, the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic poses a threat to

societies’ mental health. And reports of poor health status, unnecessary worry,

concerns for family members, and discrimination were significantly associated with

greater psychological impact of the pandemic and higher levels of stress, anxiety and

depression. Patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 may experience fear, while

those in quarantine might experience boredom, loneliness, and anger (Xiang et al.,

2020). Overwhelming deep emotional traumas and socio-economic stressors brought

about by the pandemic and the lockdowns have even led the more vulnerable people to

commit suicide (Mamun & Griffiths, 2020; Mamun & Ullah, 2020; Miller, 2020;

Rajkumar, 2020).

Hence, the psychological effects of quarantine have received considerable attention.

(Barbisch et al., 2015) reported that losing autonomy, isolation away from loved ones,

uncertainty, and boredom could lead to adverse effects on an individual’s well-being.

Following the imposition of cordon sanitaire in previous outbreaks, substantial anger,

anxiety and even an increase in suicide rates have been reported (Brooks et al., 2020).
Similarly, the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in the Philippines reported that

depression and other mental health issues were on the rise after imposing ECQ in

different provinces in the country (Tenorio, 2020).

According to Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Recovery Program (2020), The people

in Zamboanga city whose experience the individual quarantine from the suspected

contact of the people having COVID-19 cases and travel history facing difficulties inside

the quarantine facility in Zamboanga city resulting in its psychosocial adjustment

affecting their physical and mental health impact which varies with immediate affects

like fear of contracting and spreading infection to family members, anger, loneliness,

insomnia, depression and despair to extremes of consequences.

The researchers conducted the study in order to determine the psychosocial

adjustment of individual experience in quarantine facilities. Determining the

psychosocial adjustment or adaptation would help in developing a better understanding

of the difficulties experienced by individual in the quarantine facilities.

Theoretical Framework

This study is an application and related to Psychosocial Development Theory by Erik

Erikson where it describe the process of psychosocial development in eight stages and

explain the development of the personality, including the acquiring of social attitudes

and skills, from infancy to adulthood. In each stage, the person must complete a life

task that is essential to his or her well-being and mental health. This theory helps to
predict and understand the different psychosocial adjustment of individual experience in

the quarantine facilities.

Conceptual Framework

This study shows a defined concept of independent variable and dependent variable.

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Individual
a. Gender Psychosocial adjustment
b. Age
c. Socioeconomic
d. Educational attainment

Conceptual paradigm of the study

Figure 1 show the correlation of the two variables where the independent variable is the

individual and the dependent variable is the psychosocial adjustment.

Statement of the Problem

This study determine the psychosocial adjustment of individual experience in

quarantine facilities. Specifically it answer the following question:

1. What are the psychosocial adjustment of individual experience in Zamboanga

city quarantine facilities?

 2. Is there a significant relationship between psychosocial adjustment and individual

experience in Zamboanga city quarantine facilities when their profile is

considered?

a. Gender

b. Age

c. Socioeconomic status

d. Educational attainment

3. Is there a significant difference in psychosocial adjustment and individual

experience in Zamboanga city quarantine facilities when their profile is

considered?

a. Gender

b. Age

c. Socioeconomic status

d. Educational attainment

Null Hypothesis

There no significant relationship between psychosocial adjustment and individual

experience in Zamboanga city quarantine facilities.

There no significant difference in psychosocial adjustment and individual experience

in Zamboanga city quarantine facilities.

Significance of the Study

The objective of this study is to develop a better understanding on aspects of

psychosocial adjustment of individuals with their experiences being able to put on

quarantine facilities specifically here in Zamboanga city. In addition to this it will

determine how well the healthcare services that were provided to them and to provide

awareness to everyone their point of view in terms of their psychosocial adjustment

during the time they were put in quarantine.

The following are some of the potential beneficiaries of this study:

General Public: this study is beneficial to every concerned citizen because this will

allow them to easily understand the people who have psychosocial adjustment during

their times that they were in a quarantine. This will allow them to communicate easily to

each other. And that will serve as an awareness to everybody.

Health Sectors: this study is also beneficial to every health care personnel in a lot of

reasons some of which is to easily communicate with the patient, to develop the best

nursing care to their patients who has psychosocial adjustment, and this study will serve

them as an evaluation towards the care they provided and the quarantine facilities of the

they have to the patient satisfactory.

Student Nurses: The result of this study helps the nursing student to have an

awareness and can formulate a better health teaching plan to the people who have

psychosocial adjustment and experiences in a quarantine facility and to the family of the

patient.
Future Researchers: this study is beneficial to the future researchers as this will serve

as their guide to their research.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study will be limited to determine the psychosocial adjustment as experience by

an individual in quarantine facilities. The respondents of this study are the adult

individual in Zamboanga city who experienced to be in quarantine facilities.

Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined operationally for a better understanding of concept used

in study:

COVID19 - This term refers to coronavirus disease 2019 an infectious disease that can

cause from mild to severe respiratory illnesses.

Individual - This term refers to the respondents of the study who experience to be in a

quarantine facilities.

Psychosocial – This term refers to the combination of psychological and social

behavior.

Psychosocial Adjustment - This term refers to a person’s ability to adapt to a life-

altering experience.
Quarantine Facilities - This term refers to a place where to isolate or separate a

person from other people to control the spread infectious diseases. The person who

undergo quarantine are those who were expose to an infectious diseases and those

who are traveled to other places during the pandemic (COVID19).