Research

As the national university, we champion and support innovative research that addresses the country’s most pressing challenges.

17 Feb 2025

UP Los Baños

Verb-controlled that-clauses are the most useful finite complement clauses in applied linguistics, communication, and measurement and evaluation research articles

The study cross-investigated finite complement clauses (FCCs) in qualitative (QUALI) and quantitative (QUANTI) research articles (RAs) written by Filipino academic...

Read More

12 Feb 2025

UP Los Baños

Machine learning can identify cancerous samples with almost 100% accuracy and could thus replace the current, more traumatic screening methods

The success rate of treating colorectal cancer (CRC) can be greatly increased through the early and accurate diagnosis of the...

Read More

11 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

Roger Felix Salditos’s writings offer a key perspective on the persistence of one of the world’s longest-running rural insurgencies

Roger Felix V. Salditos was among seven Filipino revolutionaries who were summarily executed by police and military forces in San...

Read More

11 Feb 2025

UP Visayas

Boracay, Gigantes and Guimaras islands are in potentially sustainable status according to locals and visitors

This study considered the interaction or nexus of people and the natural resources in small island tourist destinations in the...

Read More

10 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

Can we use acoustic indices to estimate the relative number of bird species in urban areas?

Birds are used as biological indicators of ecosystem health. They are often surveyed through point count method which requires skilled...

Read More

10 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

Mindset and emotional resilience, known as psychological capital, can improve the overall educational experience of students and teachers

This paper delves into how the mindset and emotional resilience—referred to as psychological capital or PsyCap—of students and teachers in...

Read More

07 Feb 2025

UP Manila

The use of skin-lightening products is linked to psychological distress among Filipinos

The Philippines is one of Southeast Asia’s top consumers of beauty products. There have been few studies on the psychological...

Read More

06 Feb 2025

UP Los Baños

Two species belonging to the group of species commonly known as lagundi were found to be endemic to the Philippines

The Vitex trifolia complex in the Philippines consists of economically important medicinal species, including five species collectively referred to as medicinal “lagundi”. The V. trifolia complex...

Read More

04 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

Switching jeepneys to Euro-4 engines can significantly reduce air pollution and improve public health

In the Philippines, new rules require public vehicles, like jeepneys, to use Euro-4 diesel engines, which are cleaner and more...

Read More

04 Feb 2025

UP Diliman

The rising frequency of toxic algal blooms in the Philippines and Malaysia could be linked to climate change

Our study explores the growth of toxic algal blooms in the waters near the Philippines and Malaysia, countries with coastal...

Read More

03 Feb 2025

UP Los Baños

Ang pagbibiro ni Duterte tungkol sa kaniyang phallus ay walang matibay na kahulugan sa loob at labas ng Pilipinas

Mula sa dalawang pahayag ni Rodrigo Duterte hinggil sa kaniyang aring lalagpas sa pusod (2019) at kaniyang sariling pagpapakahulugan sa...

Read More

30 Jan 2025

UP Diliman

Analysis of Philippine High Court decisions on free speech, religious freedom and environmental rights reveals court’s role in transjudicial dialogue

This paper explores the causes of transjudicial conversation phenomenon on human rights norms in the context of the Philippine Supreme...

Read More

Research

Among Filipino emerging adults, prevalence rates of severe and extreme levels of depression, anxiety, and stress are relatively high. High levels of body association (BA) are associated with lowering the risk of having severe or extreme levels of depression, anxiety, or stress. Males are more at risk of developing severe or extreme levels of poor mental health outcomes, particularly those males who are more prone to severe or extreme levels of stress brought about by low BA. Routinary screening of mental health not only among emerging adults but also among the general population, as well as explicit action to promote positive body image to support good mental health and well-being concerning our bodies, should be prioritized. This study could be a first step in demonstrating the effects of efficiently regulating body image through BA portrayed in the Philippines. Moreover, the findings may provide the foundation for the education department to promote healthy body
image and mental health status in the present curriculum.

Our findings have relevance for intervention research considering the existing literature. The consistent results that higher levels of body association are associated with a lower risk of having severe to extreme depression, anxiety, or stress point to the need for intervention research into how emerging adults can be taught to draw on appropriate personal and collective resources to mitigate the effects of low body appreciation (BA). Furthermore, our results on effect modification, wherein males showed an increased risk of having severe or extreme stress levels relative to females, are possibly a starting point in targeted interventions. Specifically, the gender moderation on stress levels is influenced by different BA levels. The current findings imply that an intervention may benefit emerging people in exploring how their mental health is affected by their body image, particularly those who are males. In general, there is a need to monitor and address body image trends that affect not only emerging adults but also those at earlier stages of development.

Authors:

Zypher Jude G. Regencia (Department of Clinical Epidemiology, College of Medicine,
University of the Philippines Manila | Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, National Institutes of Health,
University of the Philippines Manila), Mary Ann J. Ladia (Department of Clinical Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila | Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila), Jaime C. Montoya (Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila), Margaret Gamalo (Global Product Development–I&I Statistics, Global Biometrics and Data Management, Pfizer Innovative Health), Jean-Philippe Gouin (Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Concordia University) and Emmanuel S. Baja Department of Clinical Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila | Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila)

Read full paper: https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/accepted-articles/128-vol-153-no-2-april-2024/2059-association-between-body-appreciation-and-depression-anxiety-and-stress-among-filipino-emerging-adults-modification-by-age-and-sex-at-birth

Image from https://hhsmedia.com/37314/feature/social-medias-effects-on-body-image-and-mental-health/