The mediating role of psychological distress on the link between socio-ecological factors and quality of life of Filipino adults during COVID-19 crisis.

Anchored on the Ecological Systems Theory, this study aimed to determine how psychological distress operates as an underlying mechanism in the impact of socio-ecological factors on the quality of life of Filipino adults during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted to assess perceptions of 401 adults on socio-ecological factors (i.e., safety at home, trust in public institutions, and financial difficulties), psychological distress, and quality of life during the early phase of COVID-19 community quarantine in the Philippines. Using latent variable path analysis, all three socio-ecological factors have significant direct effects on both psychological distress and quality of life. More importantly, the proposed model was confirmed in terms of a significant partial mediation of psychological distress on the impact of safety at home, trust in public institutions, and financial difficulties on the quality of life of Filipino adults. The study offers novel insights into the role of psychological distress as an underlying mechanism that operates on the influence of socio-ecological factors on the quality of life of adults during a global health crisis. Implications on psychological interventions and policies in preventing mental health problems vis-à-vis improving Filipinos' quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.

Bouncing back from COVID-19: Individual and ecological factors influence national resilience in adults from Israel, the Philippines, and Brazil.

One way that countries may differ in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic is how they withstand extreme adversity while maintaining their societal values and institutions. This study explored national resilience in Israel, the Philippines, and Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Crisis in Context Theory, cross-national understanding of national resilience was examined by assessing measurement models, exploring country differences in perceptions, and determining its predictors. Data from an internationally diverse sample of 1,587 adults were collected using multiple measures and subsequently subjected to various analytical strategies. Results on the factor structure of NR-13 demonstrated acceptable fit of both first-order and higher-order models for each country, with generally high factor loadings. However, measurement invariance was only supported at the configural level for the first-order model. Among the three countries, national resilience was highest in Israel, followed by the Philippines, and lowest in Brazil. Taken collectively, both individual and ecological variables contributed a significant variance in national resilience in each country. Community resilience, quality of life, and perceived threats were consistently strong predictors of national resilience across countries. Results are discussed. The Community and Social Impact Statement of the study can be found in the Supplementary Material section.

Self-Stigma Is Associated with Depression and Anxiety in a Collectivistic Context: The Adaptive Cultural Function of Self-Criticism.

Literature on the cultural psychological aspect of mental health suggests that antecedents of mental health in individualistic cultures, or societies that prioritize independence, autonomy, and personal uniqueness do not always apply in collectivistic cultures, or societies that prioritize interdependence, social connection, interpersonal harmony, and norms. The aim of the present study was to determine the mechanisms underlying the impact of self-stigma on depression and anxiety in a collectivistic culture such as the Philippines. Specifically, this study sought to examine: (1) the mediating role of self-criticism on the impact of self-stigma on depression and anxiety, and (2) the moderating role of interdependent self-construal on the impact of self-criticism on depression and anxiety in Filipinos. Surveys measuring self-stigma, self-criticism, interdependent self-construal, depression, and anxiety symptoms were administered to 312 adolescents in rural communities in the Philippines. Using structural equation modeling, findings revealed indirect effects of self-stigma on both depression and anxiety via self-criticism. Findings confirmed that interdependent self-construal attenuate the detrimental impact of self-criticism on depression and anxiety in collectivistic contexts. This study offers novel insights about the underlying mechanisms that operate in the impact of self-stigma on depression and anxiety symptoms among individuals in collectivist contexts. We highlight that self-criticism may have both adaptive and maladaptive functions in collectivist cultures. The study provides implications on the importance of culturally sensitive clinical interventions in preventing depression and anxiety by combating self-stigma and the negative aspect of self-criticism in collectivist cultures. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Measurement and antecedents of national resilience in Filipino adults during coronavirus crisis.

Resilience is a broad concept that encompasses individual and social resources to thrive from difficult circumstances. The resilience that occurs as a collective effort or country-wide phenomenon is referred to as national resilience (NR), which connotes the ability of a nation to deal with crises while keeping its social fabric intact. Like the rest of the world, the Philippines has been greatly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and we argue that a stable and robust NR is needed to bounce back from the challenges and adversities of the crisis. This pioneering study on NR in Filipino adults was conducted to achieve two aims (1) assess the psychometric properties of the Filipino adapted National Resilience Scale (NRS-Filipino) and (2) determine demographic and psychological variables that influence NR. Data from 401 participants yielded an exploratory factor analysis with a good model fit for a four-factor solution that is similar to the original National Resilience Assessment Scale. NRS-Filipino also demonstrated acceptable reliability and convergent validity. Among the variables purported to be associated with NR, community resilience, and political attitude came out as strong predictors.