Understanding the Self-Harming Behavior of Filipino Male Detainees (32-58 Years Old): A Descriptive Phenomenology.

Self-harming behavior (SHB) has become a significant health issue among several populations, including adolescents, traumatized individuals, and persons deprived of liberty. Undoubtedly, incarceration takes a toll on inmates' mental health due to several stressful experiences while in custody. These taxing events make them vulnerable to maladaptive coping strategies, such as SHB. To date, many studies on this behavior have focused on high-income countries. Research has not explored much on this behavior among inmates in developing countries such as the Philippines. This phenomenological inquiry aims to characterize the experiences of select older male Filipino detainees engaged in SHB. Through vertical and horizontal analyses of the narratives shared, this study conceptualized the Self-Harming Behavior of Older Filipino Detainees as Tension and Compression. This model shows the forces that either pull or push the detainees to engage in self-injurious acts. Specifically, the seven themes surfaced: life dispositions, jail ecology, emotional baggage, physically and chemically-induced self-harming behavior, consequences, coping strategies, and cognizance. Findings from this inquiry may necessitate the provision of adequate and comprehensive prevention and intervention services for the self-harmers in jail, which are geared toward implementing a thorough psychological evaluation and promoting sound psychological well-being.

Portrait of Filipino healthcare workers' discrimination experiences during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: At the core of a global health crisis, healthcare workers are tasked to perform crucial and life-threatening roles. Despite the heavy-laden responsibilities amid COVID-19 pandemic, these workers are subjected to various forms of stigma and discrimination. OBJECTIVES: The primary intent of this paper is to investigate the existence of discrimination among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Further, it aims to test the following hypotheses: (1) Discrimination experiences among Filipino healthcare workers are dependent on certain demographic characteristics; and (2) Discrimination experiences vary significantly according to the type of healthcare workers. METHODS: This exploratory study used a two-part survey questionnaire consisting of the baseline data of the respondents and an 8-point Likert-type scale to identify the different forms of discrimination experienced by Filipino healthcare workers. Data yielded by the instruments were descriptively (frequency, mean and percentage) and inferentially (Pearson R, Kendall tau, t-test, and One-Way Analysis of Variance) treated. RESULTS: Among the Filipino healthcare workers, the Radiologic Technologists experienced the most forms of discriminatory acts, followed by Nurses and Medical Technologists. Those who work in high-risk duty assignments experienced the most discriminatory incidents such as insulting gestures and physical/social loathing, social media bashing and offensive jokes. CONCLUSION: The discrimination experienced by Filipino healthcare workers is a valuable platform for health policy interventions at the local and global levels to safeguard the physical, social and psychological well-being of healthcare workers, especially in battling the COVID-19 pandemic.