Validating the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire-Revised among Filipino adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study aimed to examine the validity of the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) among adult Filipinos experiencing severe depression symptoms during the COVID-19-related lockdowns in 2020. Results support SBQ-R's internal reliability. Confirmatory factor analyses supported SBQ-R's one-factor structure and its measurement invariance across gender and age. The SBQ-R's positive relationship with negative affect and its negative relationships with positive affect and family support demonstrate the questionnaire's criterion-related validity. The SBQ-R's cutoff of ≥8 shows that 78% of the sample were at-risk for suicide. The SBQ-R is valid in assessing suicide risk among severely depressed adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A review of ICT-enabled learning for schoolgirls in Asia and its impacts on education equity.

The education pathways and opportunities of schoolgirls in Asia are facing different challenges. The empirical studies have implemented Information and Communication Technology-enabled learning to expand such pathways and opportunities and promote education inclusiveness and equity. Through the Gender Analysis Framework, this review paper focuses on exploring and discussing how ICT-enabled learning may expand schoolgirls' education pathways and opportunities in Asia for inclusive and equitable education. This review covers 30 studies that adopted ICT-enabled learning, synthesizes, and presents four key ICT-enabled learning approaches: Emerging technologies-enabled learning, Digital game-based learning, Mobile-enabled learning, and Computer-assisted learning. Our result discusses about how different approaches in this review (in)directly impact on schoolgirls' access to assets, their practice and participation in learning activities, belief and perception of their own and other stakeholders', and how policies accommodate these approaches. The review further suggests several guidelines to develop an inclusive learning environment enabled by ICT to education pathways and opportunities of schoolgirls, thereby enhancing education inclusiveness and equity.

The factor structure and measurement invariance of the PHQ-4 and the prevalence of depression and anxiety in a Southeast Asian context amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) as an ultra-brief screener of depression and anxiety in the Philippines during the COVID-19 outbreak. Data from 4,524 non-clinical community respondents aged 18-73 years old was collected online between March and July 2020. We evaluated the screener's factor structure, measurement invariance, and criterion-related validity using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), multigroup CFA, and structural equation modeling (SEM), respectively. We also evaluated the accuracy of the PHQ-4 cut-off scores by comparing the them with the screeners' full scales (i.e., PHQ-9 and GAD-7). Using the cutoff scores of the screeners, we also estimated the prevalence rates of depression and anxiety. The PHQ-4 has good internal reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.82). The CFA results show that the two-factor model has an excellent model fit that is superior to the one-factor model. The two-factor model held through increasingly constrained multigroup CFA models across gender, age, and geographical location groups, demonstrating measurement invariance. The SEM model supported the PHQ-4's theoretical association to stress, negative affect, and positive affect, supporting the screener's criterion-related validity. In estimating prevalence rates, among those screened by the PHQ-4 cut-off scores for depression (n = 1,905, 42.11%) and anxiety (n = 1,853, 40.96%), 81.78% and 94.06% were consequently screened by the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, respectively. This study supports the reliability, validity, and measurement invariance of the PHQ-4 as an ultra-brief screener of depression and anxiety in a large community sample in Southeast Asia. The inclusion of ultra-brief screeners in COVID-19-related studies and other human disasters, especially among non-clinical samples in low- and middle-income countries, is relevant for the sustainable evaluation and monitoring of the severity mental health symptoms leading to timely and effective mental health service provision.

Coronavirus Pandemic Anxiety Scale (CPAS-11): development and initial validation.

The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will increase as the outbreak continues and persist even after the pandemic passes. We developed an 11-item Coronavirus Pandemic Anxiety Scale (CPAS-11) to measure symptoms of anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic to help identify individuals who might need mental health services. In developing the scale items, we considered previous research and theory on anxiety symptoms and symptoms reported by clinically referred cases in the Philippines. The scale was validated in a Filipino sample (N = 925). Exploratory factor analysis indicated two factors corresponding to somatic and non-somatic symptoms; confirmatory factor analysis showed good fit for the two-factor model. CPAS-11 showed good internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity, and screening accuracy. A cutoff score of 15 showed adequate sensitivity and specificity to distinguish GAD-7 screened participants. The results support the viability of CPAS-11 as a screening tool to identify individuals experiencing COVID-19-related anxiety.

Measuring hope during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines: development and validation of the state locus-of-Hope scale short form in Filipino.

Various adaptations of the Dispositional Hope Scale have been validated and used for specific research and applied purposes. The Locus-of-Hope Scale was developed as a cultural adaptation that measures internal and external aspects of agency related to goal-pursuit that are typical in collectivist cultures. The scale has been used to account for variations in well-being-related factors in collectivist societies but still assumes that hope-related thoughts are dispositional. A State Locus-of-Hope Scale was developed to assess hope-related thinking concerning ongoing events and experience during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines in March 2020. The 16-item scale in Filipino was adapted from a short version of Locus-of-Hope Scale. Using data from 3128 respondents, confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit between the four-factor model (compared to one-factor and two-factor models), supporting the scale's structural validity. There was also good evidence for the subscales' convergent and discriminant validity. Preliminary evidence for construct criterion validity was demonstrated by examining associations with well-being and anxiety. The results indicate the viability of the State Locus-of-Hope scale for assessing temporal hope-related thoughts that can inform efforts to understand how individuals engage in goal-related processes and maintain well-being in specific personal and social situations.

Low Perceived Social Rank Increases the Impact of Mental Health Symptoms on Suicidal Ideation: Evidence among Young Adults from the Philippines.

Studies on social factors that could influence the mental health-suicidal ideation link remain scarce, especially in non-Western contexts. This study examined the relationship between mental health symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) and suicidal ideation and whether one's perceived social rank moderates such a relationship. Data from 631 students from two universities in the Philippines collected between October to December 2018 was analyzed. Bivariate correlations show that greater symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress are associated with increased suicidal ideation. Hierarchical linear regression models supported the direct relationship between mental health symptoms and suicidal ideation and demonstrated that perceived social rank significantly moderated such a relationship. Johnson-Neyman plots and simple slopes analyses further illustrate how mental health symptoms and perceived social rank interact to impact suicidal ideation. The results show that as one's perceived social rank lowers, the strength of the positive association between depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms to suicidal ideation strengthens. The results held while controlling for age, gender, college year level, and family income. The findings are discussed using the social rank theory and the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) model of suicide to view suicidal ideation from both an individual and a social perspective. We expound on the role of low perceived social rank on suicidal ideation among young adults.HIGHLIGHTSHigher depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms are associated with higher suicidal ideation.Perceived social rank moderates the link between mental health symptoms and suicidal ideation.One's perception of being inferior to others can exacerbate suicidal ideation.

The latent structure of major depressive symptoms and its relationship with somatic disorder symptoms among Filipino female domestic workers in China.

Emerging research have investigated the factor structure of major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms based on DSM-5 nomenclature. However, to date, results have been inconsistent on what symptom-structure best represent MDD. This study examines the best fitting MDD among four competing models in a sample of overseas Filipino domestic helpers (N = 232). The results show that a two-factor model (Model 2b; Krause et al., 2010) provided the best fit. The model consist of two factors: somatic and non-somatic/affective symptoms. Somatic component includes sleep difficulties, fatigue, appetite changes, concentration difficulties, and psychomotor agitation/retardation while non-somatic/affective component covers anhedonia, depressed mood, feelings of worthlessness, and thoughts of death. Further, the results reveal a pattern where PHQ-15 somatic symptom-items have a higher significant relationship with MDD's somatic symptoms than with the MDD's non-somatic/affective symptoms. These findings suggest that the items of model 2b are appropriately embedded in their respective factors. Differentiating MDD factors have important clinical implications, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of depression among overseas Filipino domestic helpers.

Evidence of the paradoxical effect of social network support: A study among Filipino domestic workers in China.

Labor migrants are at an increased risk for poor mental health. Post-migration stressors contribute significantly to this risk. Social network supports are vitally important to protect health but little is known about the role of social network supports among labor migrants. The current study evaluated the role of migration stressors on poor mental health among Filipino female domestic workers (FDW) and whether family and friend social network support (SNS) modified this relationship. Data were collected from 261 FDWs in Macau, China from May to September 2013. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to test for direct and moderating effects of social networks on psychological distress. Post-migration stress was associated with increased anxiety, depression, somatization, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. SNS from family was not associated with the four psychological symptoms nor did it modify the association between stress and these symptoms. SNS from friends was positively associated with these symptoms, and significantly moderated the relationship between stress and these symptoms. Counterintuitive to the known buffering effects of SNS, greater SNS was associated with greater psychological symptoms among FDWs exposed to post-migration stressors. The present findings suggest that reliance on SNS to cope with post-migration stressors may worsen psychological distress.