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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Sociol.
Sec. Gender, Sex and Sexualities
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1452701
This article is part of the Research Topic Gender, Sexuality, and Well-Being: Impact on Well-Being Due to Gender and Sexual Orientation-Based Discrimination View all 6 articles

A study about the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, spirituality, and mental health among emerging adults in Metro Manila: Findings on higher risk for mental health conditions among LGBTQ+ emerging adults

Provisionally accepted
Penelope M Wong Penelope M Wong Jasmine Eve C Ong Jasmine Eve C Ong Jasper S Chua Jasper S Chua Annika Shanice C See Annika Shanice C See Rowalt Alibudbud Rowalt Alibudbud *
  • De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction Mental health disorders are the third most common disorder in the Philippines, showing a need for further studies in this field among the Filipino population. Several studies have shown that sociodemographic characteristics and spirituality could influence the mental health of individuals, although there are sparse studies in the Philippines. Objectives The present study explored the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and spirituality to depression, anxiety, and stress among emerging adults in Metro Manila. Methods The study gathered data using a self-administered sociodemographic characteristics questionnaire, the Core Dimensional Spirituality Questionnaire (CDSQ), and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS 21). The data collected was then analyzed through linear regression analysis. Results More than half of the participants had significant scores for anxiety, while two out of five participants had significant scores for depression. Almost one out of five participants had significant scores for stress. Depression scores are positively associated with being LGBTQ+ and belief in God, while they are negatively associated with feelings of security. Similarly, anxiety scores are positively associated with being LGBTQ+. Likewise, stress scores are positively associated with being LGBTQ+ and age, while it is negatively associated with feelings of security. Conclusion The findings suggest that LGBTQ+ emerging adults and those with older age may need additional focus in mental health programs. Likewise, mental health programs may also enhance their activities to increase an individual’s security.

    Keywords: Sociodemographic characteristics, LGBTQ+, spirituality, Religion, Mental Health, Emerging adults, Metro Manila, Philippines

    Received: 21 Jun 2024; Accepted: 12 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wong, Ong, Chua, See and Alibudbud. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Rowalt Alibudbud, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.