Investigating the Presence of the Symptoms of Depression among

University-age Filipinos

Dexter Dave R. Valdeavilla, Nicole Ashley V. Santos, Agana Louisse S. Domingo

and Maria Teresa R. Pulido

Department of Physics, Mapúa University, Intramuros, Manila City, 1002, Philippines

Keywords: Biomedical Experiments, Depression, Mental Health, Emerging Issues in Social Networks, Surveys, Case

Studies.

Abstract: Depression is a mental illness that negatively affects how a person feels, thinks and acts. In this work, we

used an online survey to ask 501 Filipino university-age students on symptoms commonly associated with

depression: sadness or isolation, headaches or migraine, anxiety over everyday activities, moodiness or

irritability or agitation, chronic fatigue, and low self-esteem or motivation. We learned that all respondents

experience at least one symptom weekly. Most respondents (52.7%) experience all six symptoms weekly,

with 1 to 3 days a week being the most common frequency. An overwhelming majority attributed such

symptoms to academics (92.6%), followed by family (69.5%) and friends (49.5%). Lastly, most (41.9% -

59.7%) believe they have around 1-3 friends with the same symptoms that they experience. The researchers

are calling for an increased awareness of mental health issues and good practices, especially within homes

and schools, to address the prevalence of depression in university-age Filipinos. The prevalence of Big Data

and the Internet of Things within this particular demographic greatly enhances the ability of mental health

professionals and researchers to detect and hopefully address the symptoms of depression.

1 INTRODUCTION

Depression is a common and serious medical illness

that negatively affects how one feels, thinks and acts

(Parekh, 2017). Depression is projected to be the most

common cause of disability worldwide, and is rapidly

becoming a leading cause of disability and premature

death in developing regions in the world (Murray and

Lopez, 1997). Psychiatric conditions such as

depression account for little more than one per cent of

deaths worldwide but account for almost 11 per cent

of disease burden worldwide, and is projected to be

the second highest cause of disease burden worldwide

by 2020.

Many studies suggest that young people are more

prone to depression (Reavley and Jorm, 2010;

Ibrahim, et al., 2012), as seen in the increasing

prevalence of depression among university students

in various countries (Eller et al., 2006; Steptoe, et al.,

2007; Mahmoud, et al., 2012; Sarokhani et al., 2013).

They are in a critical transitory period wherein they

experience some of the most stressful times in one’s

life, in terms of psychological and social aspects

(Steptoe, et al., 2007). Trying to fit in to a new

community, maintaining good grades, fearing

failures, lacking money, experiencing heartbreak and

facing disappointment from their family can cause

young people to experience the symptoms of

depression (Sarokhani et al., 2013). Many university

students are afraid to talk about their mental problems

and to seek help (Sarokhani et al., 2013), leading to

deteriorating academic performance, health-

compromising behaviors, and in extreme cases,

suicide (Steptoe et al., 2007).

In the Philippines, mental illness such as

depression is the third most common form of

disability in the country, with Filipinos especially the

younger generations comprising the largest number

of depressed people in Southeast Asia (De Guzman,

2018). The statistics may even be larger, as there is a

social stigma associated with mental health among

Filipinos that ignores the problem and likely

contributes to its spread. However, some progress is

being made, such as the recent passing of the 2018

Mental Health Law which integrates mental health in

the national healthcare system (Elemia, 2018). In line

with this, our study aims to increase awareness about

Valdeavilla, D., Santos, N., Domingo, A. and Pulido, M.

Investigating the Presence of the Symptoms of Depression among University-age Filipinos.

DOI: 10.5220/0007748903590363

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Internet of Things, Big Data and Security (IoTBDS 2019), pages 359-363

ISBN: 978-989-758-369-8

359

the presence and prevalence of depression among

university-age Filipinos, and how institutions such as

the family and the academe can contribute to their

improved mental wellness.

The researchers have no professional training to

diagnose depression; however, we constructed a

survey that depends on a respondent’s own report of

his or her symptoms. Such self-assessment measures

for depression have already been used to measure the

presence and severity of depression, even in a

quantitative manner (Hamilton, 1960; Beck et al.,

1961; Zung, 1965; Steptoe, et al., 2007). We use an

online survey to disseminate the study widely within

a short time, and increase the convenience and

accuracy of gathering data.

2 METHODOLOGY

From the many symptoms associated with depression

in the literature, we limited our study to the six shown

in Table 1. We made our choices based on what we

deemed appropriate and common to our target

demographic, Filipinos in their late teens to early

twenties. Since symptoms may be deemed subjective

and may vary with each person, we focused on

objective, empirically observable characteristics.

Likewise, we avoided the term “depression”

throughout the survey to avoid leading or misleading

the respondents.

Table 1: The symptoms of depression used in our survey,

as labeled in succeeding figures.

Label Symptom

A Overwhelming sadness or isolation

B Headaches or migraines

C Anxiety over everyday activities

D Moodiness, irritability and agitation

E Chronic fatigue

F Low self-esteem or motivation

Table 2 shows the list of questions in the survey

and the choices available to the respondents. The

respondents were asked to provide their birth year and

school or university. They were then asked about the

weekly frequency that they encounter each of six

features commonly associated with depression. They

were also asked to estimate the number of friends that

have the same symptoms as theirs. Lastly, they were

asked about the possible reasons that they encounter

the said symptoms.

Table 2: The institutions with the largest number of

respondents who participated in the survey. Universities

with more than one campus or branch were grouped

together.

Question Choices

1. I am willing to take part in

this survey.

Yes / No

2. Birth Year (Manual Input)

3. School/University (Manual Input)

4. In a week, how often do you

experience the following?

A. Overwhelming sadness or

isolation

Never / 1-3 Days /

4-6 Days / Always

B. Headaches or migraine

Never / 1-3 Days /

4-6 Days / Always

C. Anxiety over everyday

activities

Never / 1-3 Days /

4-6 Days / Always

D. Moodiness, irritability and

agitation

Never / 1-3 Days /

4-6 Days / Always

E. Chronic fatigue

Never / 1-3 Days /

4-6 Days / Always

F. Low self-esteem or

motivation

Never / 1-3 Days /

4-6 Days / Always

5. How many friends do you

think experience the same

symptoms with you?

A. Overwhelming sadness or

isolation

0 / 1-3 / 4-6 /

7 or more

B. Headaches or migraine 0 / 1-3 / 4-6 /

7 or more

C. Anxiety over everyday

activities

0 / 1-3 / 4-6 /

7 or more

D. Moodiness, irritability and

agitation

0 / 1-3 / 4-6 /

7 or more

E. Chronic fatigue 0 / 1-3 / 4-6 /

7 or more

F. Low self-esteem or

motivation

0 / 1-3 / 4-6 /

7 or more

6. In your opinion, what are the

reasons for the symptoms you

experience? (You may choose

more than one.)

Academics / Family /

Friends / Love Life /

Mental Illness /

Money

From the given questions and choices, the

researchers constructed a survey using Google Forms

(Figure 1). We used social media such as Facebook

and Twitter to encourage schoolmates and friends to

participate as well as share the survey with their own

social connections.

IoTBDS 2019 - 4th International Conference on Internet of Things, Big Data and Security

360

The informed consent of each participant was

obtained by providing information about the study

then directly asking the respondent if he or she was

willing to proceed. The respondents may close and

reopen the survey at any time within the duration of

the experiment, and they may change their answers.

However, only one set of answers may be recorded

for each email address used.

Figure 1: The first part of the survey as seen in Google

Forms. The email addresses of the researchers have been

hidden for privacy purposes.

After a few days have passed, the researchers

closed the survey and extracted the data from Google.

We performed some filtering measures, namely

checking if each respondent has given their consent

and answered all the questions, and if their age is

within 15 to 23 years old.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Out of 588 original respondents, we only considered

the 501 responses after filtering the responses.

The largest number of respondents came from

Mapua University (Table 3). This is not surprising as

the researchers are affiliated with the said institution.

However, Mapuans only accounted for 12.97% of the

respondents, and majority of the participants came

from other institutions and even other countries. We

chose to include respondents who did not indicate

their academic institution, as each answer is taken in

good faith, and our more important filter is the age

bracket rather than the university or school that

respondents attended.

Table 3: The institutions with the largest number of

respondents who participated in the survey. Universities

with more than one campus or branch were grouped

together.

Educational

Institution

No. of

Respondents

Mapua University 65

(Undisclosed) 49

University of Sto. Tomas 45

Polytechnic University

of the Philippines

De La Salle University 19

Far Eastern University 18

Centro Escolar University 13

University of the Philippines 11

Bignay National High School 10

Ateneo 8

Figure 2 lists the number of respondents with

respect to the number of depressive symptoms they

experience weekly. The graph is not a cumulative

frequency; a significant majority (52.7%)

experienced all the listed symptoms at least once a

week; and all (100.0%) experienced at least one

symptom weekly. Although self-diagnosis is not

sufficient for a person to be diagnosed as depressed,

this is already a good first measure of the prevalence

of depressive symptoms among young Filipinos.

Figure 2: The number of depressive symptoms experienced

by each respondent on a weekly basis.

Investigating the Presence of the Symptoms of Depression among University-age Filipinos

361

In connection with Figure 2, Figure 3 shows that

majority of the respondents experience each

depressive symptom from one to three days every

week. Of the six symptoms, the largest number of

respondents “always” experience “Low Self-Esteem

or Motivation” and “never” experience “Chronic

Fatigue”.

Figure 3: The frequency in a week that each respondent

experiences each depressive symptom.

Figure 4 shows “Academics” as the over-

whelmingly top reason for the depressive symptoms

encountered by the students, answered by 92.6 % of

the respondents. “Family” and Friends” were chosen

by 69.5% and 49.5% of respondents, respectively,

while “Money” and “Love Life” have around equal

votes (41.1% and 40.7% respectively). Interestingly,

only one respondent clicked on “Mental Illness” as a

cause for his or her depressive symptoms. These

results show the massive effect that academic

institutions as well as familial and social circles have

on the mental well-being of young Filipinos.

Figure 4: The reasons for the depressive symptoms

according to the respondents who encounter them.

Lastly, for all six depressive symptoms, most

respondents (41.9% - 59.7%) felt they have 1-3

friends with the same symptom that they themselves

have (Figure 5).

Figure 5: The number of friends with the same depressive

symptom as the respondent.

At this point, it is not yet clear whether these

friends have contributed to each other’s mental state,

as a psychological infection of sorts. However, it is

still worth noting that young Filipinos are

experiencing the same symptoms and are aware of

each other’s condition.

4 CONCLUSIONS

This initial study forms an excellent basis for further

research. Many recommendations can already be

made in terms of spreading awareness and taking

action for improved mental well-being of university-

age Filipinos. In particular, we call on teachers and

administrators to be more mindful of the mental state

of their students and considerate in their treatment of

the latter. We believe in the pursuit of academic

excellence, but balancing this with a more holistic

approach which considers also the emotional,

psychological and even spiritual condition of the

students in their care. We also call on parents and

other relatives to continue upholding their role as the

primary guardians of these young adults, to support

and nurture them in this especially distressing life

season. Lastly, we enjoin the young Filipinos

themselves, as they affect each other as friends, peers

and love interests. May their awareness of mental

health increase, as well as their consideration for each

other’s well-being. While we believe that each person

is ultimately responsible for their life, may the results

of this study remind us how our actions affect others,

and lead us to strive for the betterment of ourselves

and others.

Moreover, there is much we can do for further

study on this topic. Due to the wide range of the

respondents’ backgrounds, we can investigate how

the results would change per birth year and per

academic institution. The correlation between

depressive symptoms and demographic and

IoTBDS 2019 - 4th International Conference on Internet of Things, Big Data and Security

362

behavioral traits such as age, gender, family income,

and sense of control, have already been studied for

other countries (Steptoe et al., 2007). Hence we can

extend our study to include such factors and

investigate their effects on Filipino students. It would

also be interesting to see if a respondent’s friends see

the same symptoms in their friend, as those identified

by the respondent himself. Lastly, for more complete

data, we can also ask the respondents for other

symptoms and other possible causes for their

depressive symptoms.

Big Data is a rich source for mental health

professionals and social researchers, among others,

regarding the detection of depressive symptoms,

particularly among the young adult demographic. The

Internet of Things also increases our access to helpful

diagnoses and good practices that will hopefully

address and resolve their depression.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank the survey respondents for participating in

the study, the Mapúa University Yuchengco

Innovation Center for the resources in preparing this

manuscript, and our colleagues and loved ones for

their support. We also thank the organizers of the

IoTBDS 2019 Conference for accepting this work and

for the financial support.

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