Effects of Coping Mechanisms Employed by Informal Sector Workers in San Ildefonso,

Bulacan to their Job Status During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We the Grade- 12 ABM researchers of Montessori de San Ildefonso, are conducting a

research about “Effects of Coping Mechanisms Employed by Informal Sector Workers in
San Ildefonso, Bulacan to their Job Status During the COVID-19 Pandemic” and our target
respondents are the 21-65 years old informal sector workers in San Ildefonso, Bulacan We
humbly ask for your time to answer our questions completely, accurately and with honesty. Your
answers as well as your personal information will be treated with utmost confidentiality. Your
answers are very significant in the completion of our study. Thank you and God bless.

Very truly yours,

Alvaro, Pamella Grace A.
Culala, Angel Recaella B.
Joson, Kriscel N.
Julian, Rachell-Ann D, C.
Marquez, Abby Jobel M.
Moreno, John Dannielle
Santos, Joshua V.

Name: (Optional) __________________________ Sex: □ Female □ Male

INSTRUCTIONS: Please write in the blanks or check the best answer.

1. What is your current age? (Check one)

□ 21-25
□ 26-30
□ 31-35
□ 36-40
□ 41-45
□ 46-50
□ 51-60
□ 61-65

2. What is your relational status? (Check one)

□ Single, never married, and living alone
□ Single, never married, and living with roommate(s)
□ Living with Partner/Spouse
□ Separated/Divorced/Widowed
□ Other

3. How many dependents do you have at home? Please check and indicate their age and
relation to you (e.g. spouse/partner, child, grandchild, niece/nephew).
□1 – Age:_____
□2 - Ages: ____
□3 - Ages: ____
□4 - Ages: ____
□5 - Ages: ____
□6 - Ages: ____
□7 - Ages: ____
□8 - Ages: ____
□9 - Ages: ____
□10 - Ages: ___
4. How many of your dependents are still studying? Please check on the corresponding
academic level and indicate the number of dependents you have who are on this level.
□Prep: __________________
□Elementary: _____________
□Highschool: _____________
□College: ________________

5. Are you employed? (Check one)

□ No
□ Yes- If yes, please check all that apply.
o Other part-time employment (29 hours or less a week)
o Full-time employment (30 hours or more a week)

6. What is your perception of the adequacy of your income? (Check one)

□ I don’t have enough to manage my expenses
□ I have enough to manage my expenses
□ I have more than enough to manage my expenses

7. Monthly salary before pandemic (it could be estimated). (Check one)

□ Php500.00 – Php 10 000.00
□ Php10 001.00 – Php 20 000.00
□ Php20 001.00 – Php 30 000.00
□ Php30 001.00 – Php 40 000.00
□ Php40 001.00 – Php 50 000.00
□ Php50 001.00 – Php 60 000.00
□ Php60 001.00 – Php 70 000.00

8. Monthly salary during the pandemic (it could be estimated). (Check one)
□ Php500.00 – Php 10 000.00
□ Php10 001.00 – Php 20 000.00
□ Php20 001.00 – Php 30 000.00
□ Php30 001.00 – Php 40 000.00
□ Php40 001.00 – Php 50 000.00
□ Php50 001.00 – Php 60 000.00
□ Php60 001.00 – Php 70 000.00

9. What is your working arrangement before the pandemic? (Check one)

□ Field work
□ Office-based
□ Home-based

10. What is your current working arrangement? (Check one)

□ Field work
□ Office-based
□ Home-based
 11. Which of these do you find stressful? (Check all that apply)
□ Close intimate relationships
□ Other social relationships
□ Physical distance from family/friends
□ Caring for children
□ Caring for partner or other adult relative
□ Anxiety
□ Depression
□ Physical health
□ Balancing demands
□ Employment
□ Commuting/Transportation
□ Housing
□ Other(s): _________________

12. Do you believe you are more vulnerable to stress due to your previous life experiences or
conditions (for example, psychological trauma, family crises, problems with depression,
anxiety, etc.)? (Check one)
a. □ No
b. □ Yes

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

The questions in this scale ask you about your feelings and thoughts during the last month. In
each case, please indicate with a check how often you felt or thought a certain way.

For each item choose based in the last month:

0=Never 1=Almost Never 2=Sometimes 3=Fairly Often 4=Very Often
1. How often have you been upset because of something that
happened unexpectedly? 0 1 2 3 4

2. How often have you felt that you were unable to control the
important things in your life? 0 1 2 3 4

3. How often have you felt nervous and “stressed”?

0 1 2 3 4
4. How often have you felt confident about your ability to handle
your personal problems? 0 1 2 3 4

5. How often have you felt that things were going your way?
0 1 2 3 4

6. How often have you found that you could not cope with all the
things that you had to do? 0 1 2 3 4

7. How often have you been able to control irritations in your life?
0 1 2 3 4

8. How often have you felt that you were on top of things?
0 1 2 3 4
9. How often have you been angered because of things that were
outside of your control? 0 1 2 3 4

10. How often have you felt difficulties were piling up so high that
you could not overcome them? 0 1 2 3 4

Citation: Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress.
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396.
Brief Cope

These items deal with how you have been coping with stress in the last month. Different people
deal with stress in different ways, but I’m interested in how you have tried to deal with it. I want
to know to what extent you have being doing what each item says. How much or how often?
Don’t answer on the basis of whether it seems to be working or not – just whether you are doing
it or not. Indicate what YOU USUALLY DO when YOU experience a stressful event.

For each item choose during the last month:

1=“I haven’t been doing this at all”
2=“I’ve been doing this a little bit”
3=“I’ve been doing this a medium amount”
4=“I’ve been doing this a lot
1. I’ve been turning to work or other activities to take my mind off
things. 1 2 3 4

2. I’ve been concentrating my efforts on doing something about the

situation I’m in. 1 2 3 4

3. I’ve been saying to myself “this isn’t real.” 1 2 3 4

4. I’ve been using alcohol or other drugs to make myself feel better.
1 2 3 4

5. I’ve been getting emotional support from others. 1 2 3 4

6. I’ve been giving up trying to deal with it. 1 2 3 4
7. I’ve been taking action to try to make the situation better. 1 2 3 4
8. I’ve been refusing to believe that it has happened. 1 2 3 4
9. I’ve been saying things to let my unpleasant feelings escape.
1 2 3 4

10. I’ve been getting help and advice from other people. 1 2 3 4
11. I’ve been using alcohol or other drugs to help me get through it.
1 2 3 4

12. I’ve been trying to see it in a different light, to make it seem more
positive. 1 2 3 4

13. I’ve been criticizing myself. 1 2 3 4

14. I’ve been trying to come up with a strategy about what to do. 1 2 3 4
15. I’ve been getting comfort and understanding from someone. 1 2 3 4
16. I’ve been giving up the attempt to cope. 1 2 3 4
17. I’ve been looking for something good in what is happening. 1 2 3 4
18. I’ve been making jokes about it. 1 2 3 4
19. I’ve been doing something to think about it less, such as going to
movies, watching TV, reading, daydreaming, sleeping, or 1 2 3 4
shopping.
20. I’ve been accepting the reality of the fact that it has happened.
1 2 3 4

21. I’ve been expressing my negative feelings. 1 2 3 4

22. I’ve been trying to find comfort in my religion or spiritual beliefs.
1 2 3 4

23. I’ve been trying to get advice or help from other people about what
to do. 1 2 3 4

24. I’ve been learning to live with it. 1 2 3 4

25. I’ve been thinking hard about what steps to take. 1 2 3 4
26. I’ve been blaming myself for things that happened. 1 2 3 4
27. I’ve been praying or meditating. 1 2 3 4
28. I’ve been making fun of the situation. 1 2 3 4

Citation: Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol’s too long:
Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral
Medicine, 4, 92-100