A Preliminary Assessment of the Mental Health Status of Davao City Residents during the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study determined the mental health status of a sample of 113 individuals in Davao City during the Covid-19 pandemic. The descriptive-comparative design was utilized in the study. The respondents were selected using the purposive sampling technique with criteria of age above 18 years old and being official residents of Davao City. The mean, independent t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were utilized as statistical tools in the study. The results reveal that most of the respondents are from the middle to older adults age group, female, and employed mostly in non-health sectors. Meanwhile, the participants have a mild degree of anxiety with notable worries in the aspects of the impact of the pandemic on their families. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the younger age group has higher anxiety than older adults. On the other hand, those unemployed have a higher degree of anxiety as compared to those with employment.

Keywords: mental health status, anxiety, Covid-19 Pandemic, Davao City, Philippines