Psychology in the Philippines

This study examined the relationships among adaptive coping, individual resilience, community resilience, and absence of anxiety among internally displaced survivors. Household interviews were conducted among 200 survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan living in a resettlement area in Tacloban City 15 months after they were displaced from their homes. Rather than focusing on trauma, this study took a more positive and agentic approach using the conservation of resources theory as frame. Correlational analyses revealed a significant relationship between adaptive coping and individual resilience, adaptive coping and community resilience, and individual resilience and community resilience. Regression analyses also showed that individual and community resilience each uniquely predicted absence of anxiety among disaster survivors. Implications for practice are discussed, specifically the potential value of interventions that not only nurture individual resilience but also enable community resilience. Disasters often connote destruction, pain, loss, and trauma. However, not everyone is affected by disasters in the same way as there are those who are more vulnerable to their impact. For example, studies show that individuals who are chronically exposed to social and economic deprivation and those who face structurally rooted

This study explored the experiences of former youth offenders regarding
crime desistance. Guided by the life story method in research, the
researcher interviewed ten male youth offenders who had been
discharged from the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY)
in Eastern Visayas. The narratives of the research participants revealed
that desistance from crime is a long and difficult process influenced by
various factors such as family support, condition of one’s community,
intervention of significant persons, having a job, getting married, and
having children. Implications for crime desistance studies are discussed
and the challenges and opportunities for researchers and professionals
who deal with youth offenders are likewise examined.

This study explored the coming out stories of nine self-identified Waray gay adolescents aged 17-20 years. Using the life story approach in studying how people make sense of their identity, the participants were asked to share their processes of coming out to themselves as young gay men and coming out to their parents as gay sons. Results showed that all the participants have recognized, labeled, and accepted themselves as gay; however, none of them directly disclosed their sexual identity to their parents because of their belief that their parents already knew they were gay and their fear of parental rejection. Their narratives revealed that beyond sexual identity development, sexual identity management was more central to their experiences as Waray gay adolescents. This challenging task stemmed from their family's culture of silence toward sex and sexuality as well as their parents' ambivalent heterosexism. Strategies in managing their sexual identity included reframing their situations and compensating for their sexual identity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in light of the important role of the family in how gay adolescents develop and manage their sexual identities. Coming to terms with one's sexual identity is a process that is central to the lives of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender persons (collectively known as LGBT) but not to heterosexual men and women.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of a community-based resilience intervention
for Filipino displaced survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan.
Design/methodology/approach – The researchers used a quasi-experimental and mixed-method design
comparing a treatment group with a control group across three time periods: before, immediately after, and
six months after the intervention.
Findings – Results showed significant improvements in survivors’ anxiety scores and resilience scores
compared to those who did not undergo the program. However, although there was an increase in adaptive
coping of participants immediately after the program, there was a reduction in adaptive coping behaviors for
all groups six months after the program. Focus group discussions revealed this might be due to significant
environmental challenges among displaced survivors.
Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the study was the lack of randomization and a small
sample size due to attrition.
Practical implications – The study highlights the positive effects of culturally adapted group
interventions.
Social implications – The results suggest the importance of a systemic approach to enabling the recovery
of displaced survivors in developing countries.
Originality/value – This study provides evidence for a resilience intervention developed in a low-middle
income country in Southeast Asia.
Keywords: Disaster, Resilience, The Philippines, Typhoon disaster, Displacement
Paper type: Research paper