Research

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

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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23 Jan 2025

UP Diliman

The “Churning of the Sea of Milk” focuses on a traumatic history, climate damage and efforts to preserve cultural heritage

“The Churning of the Sea of Milk” is a story of a young Filipino scholar who is backpacking in Siem...

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22 Jan 2025

UP Manila

Women experienced higher levels of psychological distress than men during the Covid-19 pandemic

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had a deleterious impact on human health since its beginning in 2019. The purpose of this...

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21 Jan 2025

UP Diliman

Adolescents tend to focus on photos and facial features when judging strangers’ trustworthiness on social media

In our social interactions, we make quick and fairly accurate impressions of other people. Of great importance is identifying who...

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20 Jan 2025

UP Los Baños

The novel Gerilya demonstrates how literature can help us understand political struggles

In this article, I analyze Norman Wilwayco’s award-winning novel Gerilya (2008) and its representation of the revolution. I argue that...

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15 Jan 2025

UP Diliman

Using a multimodal approach in teaching literacy to Deaf college students enhances their comprehension

This study explored the perceptions of five Deaf college students regarding the use of a multimodal approach in teaching literacy....

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12 Dec 2024

UP Diliman, UP Manila

A virtual reality therapy game for persons with dementia in the Philippines was developed and tested

Immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) had rapidly gained interest as part of the technological evolution in healthcare. Because...

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06 Dec 2024

UP Cebu

The Philippines may have limited engagement with cause-and-effect concepts in social sciences

This paper examines the role of causal inference in the on-going methodological debate in political science research. Here, we critically...

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05 Dec 2024

UP Diliman

Advising in Language Learning complements the Flipped Classroom in teaching foreign language

The Flipped Classroom Approach is a novel methodology used in language learning. In this set-up, students are tasked to study...

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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/