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APJEAS Vol. 4 No. 1 by Mark Anthony Quintos

This study attempted to determine if the labels associated to a person will have an influence on ... more This study attempted to determine if the labels associated to a person will have an influence on how his/her behaviours are evaluated by others. A survey experiment was administered to the subjects in several repetitions. Twelve morally ambiguous vignettes are presented to the subjects during each stage. Subjects are asked to rate in a 6-point scale whether the character in the vignette " did the right thing " or not-with 1 indicating that the character is wrong and 6 indicating that the character did the right thing. During each stage of administration, similar vignettes are presented but the sequence of presentation, name of character, and labels associated with the character are changed. The goal is to see whether or not the subjects shall evaluate the character in the vignette differently when the label associated with them is changed. The four labels used are " Filipino " and " Christian " for the in-group labels, and " American " and " Atheist " for the outgroup labels. Evidence from the study shows that characters associated with labels indicating in-group affiliation have been evaluated more positively by the subjects. However, the difference between the scores given by subjects to perceived in-group and outgroup characters are small. Findings reveal that religious labels has a greater effect on evaluation than nationality label. Results of correlational tests suggest that personal self-esteem has no significant influence in the evaluation of members of the in-group and outgroup. Instead, collective self-esteem, especially the private collective self-esteem, has a significant influence in how the subjects evaluated characters with in-group and outgroup labels.

APJEAS Vol. 4 No. 1 Part II by Mark Anthony Quintos

This research was launched in order to determine the differences in the access to health services... more This research was launched in order to determine the differences in the access to health services and rate of maternal mortality between the 17 regions of the Philippines over a period of almost 40 years. Two different publications – the Philippine Health Statistics (PHS) and the Philippine Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) – were used as sources of secondary data. The study found that regions in Luzon, especially the National Capital Region, generally have lower rates of maternal mortality than the regions in Visayas and Mindanao. This may be because of a large disparity between the women residing in Luzon, particularly in NCR, and those residing in Visayas and Mindanao in their access to health care services. However, it must be noted that even regions in Luzon, except for NCR, generally suffer low rates of access to health facilities during childbirth and access to skilled delivery care. This leads to the observation that there is a large disparity in development in the Philippines in terms of health care, with much of the development being centralized in NCR while the rest of the 16 regions of the Philippines are left behind. The study also found that there is a large difference in access to health care services among the women in the country, with the highly educated and wealthy enjoying greater access to health care services than the poor and uneducated. Recommendations for further research on the matter are provided.

APJEAS Vol. 3 No. 4 by Mark Anthony Quintos

This study tested how students' religiosity as measured by the Sta. Clara Strength of Religious F... more This study tested how students' religiosity as measured by the Sta. Clara Strength of Religious Faith (SCSORF) and the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS) are affected by a semester of taking a class on Sociology of Religion following the Cognitive Dissonance Theory as framework. A survey questionnaire was administered twice to all students of the course after being briefed on the nature of the study. The first run of the questionnaire (pre-test) was done at the start of the semester before the course content was discussed. The second run (post-test) was done at the end of the semester after the course content has been discussed. The mean scores obtained from the pre-and post-tests of the SCSORF and CRS were then analysed through a Paired Samples T-test procedure. All cases with missing data on the pre-and/or post-test scores were omitted pairwise. The results indicate that taking a class on Sociology of Religion caused a significant decrease in students' religiosity in terms of their cognitive appreciation of religion, private religiosity, and religious conviction. However, despite their religiosity depreciating, these students continue to follow social expectations of public religious performance and are still susceptible to religious experiences.

Papers by Mark Anthony Quintos

The passage of R.A. 11036 (Mental Health Act) has been hailed as a victory for mental health advo... more The passage of R.A. 11036 (Mental Health Act) has been hailed as a victory for mental health advocates. While the law itself is a step in the right direction, it cannot be considered as a law that wholly confronts the problem of suicide. Rather, bills focusing on suicide prevention remain pending in Congress with no certainty as to their eventual fates. This study reviews the bills filed before the 13th up to the 19th Congress of the Philippines (2004 to 2024) and identifies the different steps they propose for suicide prevention. These proposed steps are compared with the provisions of R.A. 11036 to determine whether the existing law is sufficient to deal with the suicide problem or whether there is a need for further legislation specific to suicide prevention. Results showed that there were 32 suicide bills proposed in a span of 20 years. These bills can be divided into 7 themes and they stipulated 19 different steps for suicide prevention-out of which only 12 were partially covered by the Mental Health Act.

This study sought to determine the prevalence of suicide ideation and attempts among Filipino und... more This study sought to determine the prevalence of suicide ideation and attempts among Filipino undergraduate students before and during the pandemic. It also sought to determine the reasons as well as the help-seeking behavior of the aforesaid students and find out if there are significant relationships between their socioeconomic characteristics and their suicide-related behaviors. Data were obtained through a survey questionnaire (n=308) and were analyzed through descriptive statistics and Spearman Rho correlational tests. Findings showed that majority of the respondents have thought or made plans about suicide at least once. Meanwhile, 2 out of every 10 respondents coming from a predominantly richer university has attempted suicide while 4 out of every 10 from a predominantly poorer university did the same. Most of the suicide ideators thought of suicide before and during the pandemic while suicide attempts were more common before the pandemic. Most of those who experienced suicide ideation and/or attempts did not seek any form of help during the ordeal and, for those who did, the help was sought from friends instead of mental health professionals and suicide hotlines. The study also found that family problems were the most common reason for suicide before the pandemic and academic problems were the most common during the pandemic, albeit there was an observed rise in suicide ideations and/or attempts due to financial problems as well. Finally, correlational tests found that males, the religious, and the rich tend to engage in less suicide-related behaviors while the opposite was observed among LGBT students.

A total of 308 undergraduate students from a sectarian, predominantly middle and upper-middle soc... more A total of 308 undergraduate students from a sectarian, predominantly middle and upper-middle socioeconomic class university (n=139) and a stateowned, non-sectarian, predominantly lower socioeconomic class university (n=169) were engaged in a survey research that attempted to understand their perceptions on suicide as a phenomenon. Results indicate that the students from the two universities are very similar in their social constructions of the reality of suicide among the Filipino youth: they believe that suicide is primarily due to depression and other mental illnesses, that majority of young Filipinos have thought of suicide at least once, and that almost 1 out of every 3 has attempted the act. While they generally maintain that all members of the youth are at-risk of suicide, many also believe that the risk is particularly high for youth exposed to violence and members of the LGBT. They also tend to believe that suicide is a cry for help and that they are willing, capable, and even duty-bound to help in cases of suicide. The students believe that suicide is a topic often considered taboo in the Philippines but one that needs to be a part of more conversations. Finally, the students are generally undecided on the acceptability of suicide but also disagree with the notion that suicide can never be justified. The findings suggest that the Philippines, particularly its youth, may be ready for conversations and mobilizations in favor of suicide prevention but are still unprepared for the premise of suicide and assisted suicide as justifiable actions.

This research was conducted with the aim of looking into the curious prevalence of Filipinos who ... more This research was conducted with the aim of looking into the curious prevalence of Filipinos who identify as gays in the Santero community and how they negotiate their gay identity with a form of devotion in a religious idea system that generally does not favor homosexuality. Through a combination of interviews with openlygay santeros and a series of unobtrusive observations of the online Santero community in three Facebook groups, the study was able to identify three important contradictions in the aforesaid community. These are contradictions in (1) the interactions within the Santero community, (2) the meanings ascribed to the practice, and (3) the norms on the presentation of the Imahes. This paper takes inspiration from extant sociological knowledge on the management of deviant identities and argues that these contradictions are present in the Santero community due to the fact that the Philippine society merely accommodates the deviant identity of gay santeros by obscuring the "sin" of their gayness with the "divinity" of their Santero devotion.

Little is known about how Twitter is used for sexual engagements. This study aimed to explore the... more Little is known about how Twitter is used for sexual engagements. This study aimed to explore the online community of anonymous accounts in Twitter called “Alter” in terms of users’ process of initial exposure and eventual involvement into the online community, the users’ typical online behavior within the virtual community, and their reasons for engaging in it. A sample of 11 men who have sex with men (MSM) who actively engage with other Alter accounts were the participants of the study’s online ethnography of the Alter community. Data were collected by means of interviews and observations. Through thematic analysis, results indicated that sexual satiation runs the online community, yet Alter has been augmented by more complex social benefits including network formation, advocacy sharing, and provision of emotional support and safe space. In sum, Alter Twitter is a tool of Filipino MSMs not just to express and search for sexual gratification but also make meaningful interactions. T...

U.P. LOS BAŇOS JOURNAL, 2016

While there is a significant wealth of scientific knowledge regarding the role shift from faculty... more While there is a significant wealth of scientific knowledge regarding the role shift from faculty member to administrator, what we know regarding the other side of the process-that of shifting from an administrator back to a faculty member-leaves much to be desired. Using qualitative data obtained from the experiences of several faculty members who have stepped up to an administrative role and have then returned to a faculty role at least once in their career, this study aimed to understand the experiences of these faculty members who have returned to their old role after an administrative stint by asking three questions: (1) what were the initial responses of the faculty members after finishing their term as an administrator?; (2) what are the challenges experienced by faculty members once they return to fulltime faculty status after a stint in an administrative position?; and (3) what can be done in order to ease the transition from the perspective of these faculty members? Findin...

Philippine Social Science Journal, 2020

This exploratory study was conducted to inquire into the experiences of gay santeros – those who ... more This exploratory study was conducted to inquire into the experiences of gay santeros – those who take care of religious statues or imahes that are used for Catholic religious activities. The study looked into the entry of the santeros to the practice of pagsasanto, their access to the imahe, their reasons for entering and maintaining the practice, and the benefits that they perceive to derive from it. Through conducting interviews with openly-gay santeros, it was found that early exposure to their religious family, school, and local community influenced them into entering the practice of pagsasanto. On access to the imahe, the participants were either owners of the imahe through purchase, donation or inheritance, or caretakers of the imahe through entrustment by their religious networks. On reasons for entering and maintaining the practice, it was found that such was conducted and maintained for egoistic reasons, self-expression, legacy, or spirituality. Lastly, it was found that ad...

The prominence of mental health advocacies in mainstream media and public discourse in recent yea... more The prominence of mental health advocacies in mainstream media and public discourse in recent years brings to fore the social problem of suicide in the Philippines, necessitating an attempt to bring a greater understanding of suicide to the discussion. This study made use of a nationally-representative sample of Filipino youth with ages ranging from 15 to 27 to determine the individualand community-level factors that predict the risk of engaging in a suicide attempt among Filipino young suicide ideators. Data were analyzed using binary logistic regression as the main statistical instrument, and a composite theoretical framework borne from Hirschi’s Social Bonds Theory of Deviance and Agnew’s Social Strain theory of Deviance served as the theoretical framework that guided the study. The study found ten different variables to be significantly predictive of suicide attempt among suicide ideators at 95% level of confidence. Most notable of these ten predictors are (1) relationship with ...

This study is a mixed method research which attempted to determine the prevalence and correlates ... more This study is a mixed method research which attempted to determine the prevalence and correlates of academic cheating when the students are privileged to define which acts would be classified as academically dishonest. The results of the study showed that some of the cheating behaviors identified in the literature are not recognized by students as dishonest. When students define what acts are cheating and what are not, roughly eight (8) out of every 10 students will be considered as having cheated at least once within an academic year. Furthermore, students have an average of six (6) cheating techniques under their disposal, three (3) of which are used in examinations, quizzes, and/or exercises and the other three (3) in papers and/or projects. The study also found that when the student-defined list of cheating behaviors is utilized, cheating is more frequently done in exams, quizzes, and/or exercises than in papers and/or projects. Finally, it was found that cheating have several v...

The increasing threat of suicide as a cause of death, especially among the youth cohort, serves a... more The increasing threat of suicide as a cause of death, especially among the youth cohort, serves as the raison d‟être of this study. Suicide as a cause of death among young people is increasingly becoming a problem in the Philippines. Suicide has been observed to be the 9th leading cause of death among those aged 20-24 since 2003, and responsible for approximately one out of every three deaths among Filipinos aged 10-24. This study attempted to identify the individual and community level predictors of suicide ideation among the Filipino youth using a nationally representative sample of 19,728 Filipino youth aged 15 to 27. A theoretical framework borne out of the combination of Robert Agnew‟s General Strain Theory and Travis Hirschi‟s Social Bonds Theory was tested in the study for its capability to explain the suicide phenomenon. Results showed that suicide ideation is a by-product of the interplay between poor family relationships, nature of peers the youth is affiliated with, engag...

The increasing threat of suicide amongst the youth serves as the motivation of this study. This s... more The increasing threat of suicide amongst the youth serves as the motivation of this study. This study was done to add to the understanding of suicide in terms of ideation and actual attempts among the youth in the Philippines. In particular, this study attempted to accomplish the following objectives: (1) determine the prevalence of suicide ideation and suicide attempt among the Filipino youth, (2) determine the prevalent methods of suicide among the Filipino youth, (3) determine the prevalent reasons for suicide among the Filipino youth, and (4) determine if there is a significant correlation between the family and suicide ideation and suicide attempts among the Filipino youth. Results showed that roughly one in every ten Filipino youth aged 15 to 27 have thought of ending their life through suicide before, though only around one in every twenty pushes through with an actual attempt. When they do attempt to commit suicide, this is most frequently because of problems in the family a...

Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2017

With college students from four different disciplines representing the humanities as well as the ... more With college students from four different disciplines representing the humanities as well as the natural, mathematical, and social sciences as respondents, this study determined the degree of prevalence and correlates of academic dishonesty among students. A survey questionnaire about the respondents' personal characteristics and their frequency of engagement in academic dishonesty during one whole academic year (two semesters) was used as the research instrument. A Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test was used to determine which between cheating on examinations, quizzes and/or exercises and cheating on papers and/or projects was committed more often. Spearman's Rank Correlation tests were conducted to determine significant correlations between the students' characteristics and academic dishonesty. The study found that within an academic year, nine out of ten students have engaged in at least one act of academic dishonesty. Furthermore, students engaged in more types of academic cheating on papers/projects than on exams/quizzes/exercises. The most prevalent form of academic dishonesty was connivance through the sharing between students of answers and questions to an exam/quiz/exercise that a student has taken before and the others are just about to take. Cheating on papers/projects was committed more often than on exams/quizzes/exercises for all degree programs except for mathematical science students. Only two variables, (1) perception of one's classmates' and peers' frequency of academic cheating and (2) frequency of academic cheating during high school, have moderately strong positive correlations with academic dishonesty. The attitude that academic cheating is never justified, on the other hand, was found to have a moderately strong negative correlation with academic dishonesty

Social Science Development and Review, 2018

This research aimed to look into the influence of skin complexion on the attractiveness of people... more This research aimed to look into the influence of skin complexion on the attractiveness of people. The objectives of the study are the following: determine if a change in the skin color causes a significant difference in the perceived attractiveness of models, identify if the skin color of models are a salient basis for their perceived attractiveness, and distinguish if a subject's actual skin color, skin color preferences for self, and for one's ideal partner have a significant relationship with one's perception of the models' attractiveness. Data were obtained through an experiment which required the subjects to rate the attractiveness of 13 models with varying skin tones. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, test of population on paired samples, and spearman rank correlation. The results of the study indicate that phenotypic bias is prevalent among the subjects. The results showed a significant difference in the scores of the models which are always in favor of the models with lighter skin. The results also indicated that skin color is part of the factors considered by majority of the subjects in evaluating of the attractiveness of the models. Results further indicated that the subjects have a preference for lighter skin both for themselves and their ideal partner, and that this preference is salient in their evaluation of attractiveness. This relationship between phenotypic bias and evaluation of attractiveness as mediated by socio-demographic characteristics such as age, sex, and relationship status were also explored in the study.

U.P. LOS BAŇOS JOURNAL, 2016

Philippine Social Science Journal, 2020

Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2017

Social Science Development and Review, 2018

Philippine Social Science Journal, 2020

This exploratory study was conducted to inquire into the experiences of gay santeros-those who ta... more This exploratory study was conducted to inquire into the experiences of gay santeros-those who take care of religious statues or imahes that are used for Catholic religious activities. The study looked into the entry of the santeros to the practice of pagsasanto, their access to the imahe, their reasons for entering and maintaining the practice, and the benefits that they perceive to derive from it. Through conducting interviews with openly-gay santeros, it was found that early exposure to their religious family, school, and local community influenced them into entering the practice of pagsasanto. On access to the imahe, the participants were either owners of the imahe through purchase, donation or inheritance, or caretakers of the imahe through entrustment by their religious networks. On reasons for entering and maintaining the practice, it was found that such was conducted and maintained for egoistic reasons, self-expression, legacy, or spirituality. Lastly, it was found that advantages on health and subsistence, personal development, and social rewards were the perceived derived benefits from the practice of pagsasanto. These findings suggest implications pertaining to the dynamics of religiosity and non-normative gender identity in the Philippines where the Church finds willing caretakers among gay Catholics while gays find an avenue for expression of gender identity and creativity in the task given to them.

Banwa, 2020

Using four datasets obtained from the World Health Organization's Global School-based Student Hea... more Using four datasets obtained from the World Health Organization's Global School-based Student Health Surveys (GSHS) for the Philippines (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015) that involved high school students from private and public educational institutions in the country, the study aimed to discover the significant risk and protective factors of suicide ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts among the population under study. Results of the study identified several significant predictors of suicide risk from the four timeframes with two factors emerging as the most salient: (1) lack of sleep and (2) number of close friends emerging as the most salient push and pull factors of suicide respectively. This finding highlights the need for greater integration with one's peer groups during a person's life in secondary education and brings to fore the necessity to rethink the amount of activities that high school students engage in at the expense of their sleeping hours. The implications of the results of the study, particularly of the two most salient predictors of suicide, are discussed in the paper.

Journal of Social Health, 2020

This study looked into the two typologies of suicide attempts-Planned Suicides and Impulsive Suic... more This study looked into the two typologies of suicide attempts-Planned Suicides and Impulsive Suicides-with the goal of comparing their prevalence and the factors that increase or decrease the odds of either type from happening. Two nationally representative datasets from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (n=14,051) were used for the study. Results indicate that approximately 14 out of every 100 Filipino students have attempted suicide at least once. Moreover, 3 out of every 10 suicide attempts are reportedly impulsive rather than planned, with males and those 12 years old and below reporting more impulsive suicides compared to other sex and age groups under study. Regression analyses also showed that the two types of suicide have predominantly similar predictors. Moreover, the statistically significant predictors suggest the importance of parental and peer-group factors as focal points to consider in preventing suicide, highlighting the importance of social relationships in understanding the phenomenon.

This study was conducted to see how women empowerment has an association with the rates of female... more This study was conducted to see how women empowerment has an association with the rates of female life expectancy and mortality relative to their male counterparts in the Philippine society. Data obtained from 1960 to 2012 was utilized for a longitudinal comparison of males and females in the country in terms of life expectancy and three leading cause-specific mortality rates: (1) accidents, (2) tuberculosis, and (3) diseases of the heart. Empowerment was measured using labor force participation as indicator. Results suggest that, in terms of employment, male labor force participation was higher than females until 2005 when the female labor force participation increased and overtook the male labor force participation rate. Females have also been found to consistently have a longer life expectancy. In terms of the three leading causes of mortality, the propensity of Filipino males dying has been found to be consistently higher compared to Filipino females. Correlational test results also suggest that labor force participation has an inverse relationship with life expectancy as well as accident-and heart disease-related mortality rates but has a positive relationship with tuberculosis-related mortality rates. However, labor force participation has no significant relationship with female life expectancy and the three cause-specific mortality rates.

The run-up to the last Philippine national elections saw several political candidates visit colle... more The run-up to the last Philippine national elections saw several political candidates visit colleges and universities. One of the most notable visits was Rodrigo Duterte " s visit to the University of the Philippines Los Baños and the disrespect he allegedly received from at least one student. The days succeeding the visit, dubbed by some as the " Duterte-VS-UPLB War " , was marked with numerous comments in various social media regarding the event and its consequences from various stakeholders. This study aimed to describe the different themes of comments produced by Facebook users regarding the event with the aim of describing the potential social reality which can be constructed by those who would make use of the hashtag to read about, and make sense of, the event. All publicly-viewable posts in Facebook bearing the #DuterteVisitsUPLB hashtag were obtained and subjected to thematic analysis. The results showed that the Facebook comments associated with the hashtag are mixed. Six major categories containing a total of 53 themes were identified. Results point to a potential socially-constructed reality of the event where the narrative of a champion of the people arriving at UPLB only to be met with morally-deficient students which the people " s champion eventually forgave is salient. This narrative, however, is fraught with allegations of media irresponsibility, blind fanaticism, and contestations of the identity of the righteous and the immoral. Other observations and reflections of the authors are also presented in the study.