Gender Mapping of the Lgbt Among Senior High School Students

Chapter 1

Introduction

Chapter 1 is divided into five parts: (1) Background of the Study, (2) Statement of the Problem (3) Significance of the Study, (4) Definition of Terms and (5) Delimitation of the Study.

Part One, Background of the Study, briefly explains the background of the study and contains the rationale on why this certain topic was chosen.

Part Two, Statement of the Problem, identifies the problems to be answered by this study.

Part Three, Significance of the Study, states the possible positive outcomes of the study and how it would be useful to society.

Part Four, Definition of Terms, contains the

Conceptual and Theoretical definitions used in this study.

Part Five, Delimitation of the Study, provides the scope of this study.

Background of the Study

Most aspiring medical students and future doctorsare curious about the realities of life in medical school. There will be ups and downs, troughs and crests and there will be struggles and victories. Experiences are the best teachers and they are the best lessons to gain life learning from. Life as a medical student is a rollercoaster ride of late or sleepless nights, stacks of books and an almost nonexistent social life. The pressure of a medical school student is threefold of what an ordinary student goes through.

Aside from the common stresses of academic life, a medical student has more pressures to face. There is pressure from their benefactors, parents, and other family members. Aside from that, there is pressure from within themselves to achieve high grades. There is also the pressure of competitiveness from within the classroom. There are also people who challenge the abilities and capabilities of a medical students.

Kaplan (1983) defined stress as subject's inability to forestall diminish perception, recall, anticipation, and imagination of disvalued circumstances, those that in reality or fantasy signify great and/or increased distance from desirable (valued) experiential states, and consequently, evoke a need to approximate the valued states.

Pinel (2003) defines stress as a physiological response to perceived threat. It therefore has negative effects on life's pressures and events (Benson and Stuart, 1992) and can generally be viewed as a set of neurological and physiological reactions that serve an adaptive function (Franken, 1994). Holmes and Rahe (1967) indicated that any life change that requires numerous readjustments can be perceived as stressful.

According to Saffari, Ghofranipour, Mahmoudi and Montazeri (2011), stress is defined as a relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as relevant to his or her well-being and in which the person’s resources are taxed or exceeded (Lazarus and Folkman, 1987). They also scientifically defined coping as the sum of cognitive and behavioural efforts, which are constantly changing, that aim to handle particular demands, whether internal or external, that are viewed as taxing or demanding.

Coping occurs in response to psychological stress— usually triggered by changes—in an effort to maintain mental health and emotional well-being. Life stressors are often described as negative events (the death of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce, etc.); however, positive changes in life (marriage, birth, moving, a new job, etc.) can also constitute life stressors, thus requiring the use of coping skills to adapt. Coping strategies are the behaviours, thoughts, and emotions that you use to adjust to the changes that occur in your life.

There are many categories for coping. Instrumental coping or problem-solving deals with ways to tackle the issue in order to reduce stress around a given situation.  Emotion-focused coping gathers tools to nurture one's emotional health during the stressful period. Coping is also identified as being either active or avoidant. An active coping strategy which involves awareness of the stressor is followed by attempts to reduce the negative outcome. On the other hand, avoidant coping is characterized by ignoring the issue, often resulting in activities that aid in the denial of the problem such as drinking, sleeping, and isolating.

There are a couple of specific coping strategies that most people apply in their day to day lives. First is humour wherein most people try to see the positive side of life and laugh out their troubles. Second, most people are seeking emotional help and support from their friends and family members. Third is problem-solving wherein people try to locate the source of the problem and determine the solution. Fourth is relaxation such as engaging in relaxing activities and practicing calming techniques. Fifth is exercising regularly such as practicing yoga and meditation, being a part of team sports, or running and hiking. Sixth, people adjust their expectations and tend to not expect too much for it may lead to further disappointments. Seventh, people resort to denial wherein they drown out their problems with distractions and destructive behaviour such as drinking alcohol, overworking or oversleeping. Eighth is self-blame which can lead into low self-esteem and sometimes, into depression. Ninth is venting or outward expression of emotions, which can be a good thing but sometimes lead to strained relationships.

Theoretical Framework

First year medical students are on their adjustment stage. Therefore, in this phase students are trying to find their ways on how to cope up with their stressors. They are facing a lot of changes like schedules, environment and the workload. Undergraduate school is poles apart from post graduate school. Contrary to the upper level, first year is very crucial for it is the phase of trying to adapt and adjust. It is a make it or break it period, a time wherein your exploring, and to become familiar to a new life.  

Changes in this point are really hard and challenging. Schedules can be very tough and one must learn the art of flexibility, the ability to adapt to rapid changes. Environment is also a great factor because they have to adjust to their surroundings, new setting and new people that they encounter. Workload is another setback. Whereas in college, students have to study chapters while in medical school, they have to study almost the entire book.  

It is very important that an individual is psychologically stable enough to overcome the hurdles that life may throw. Even for an ordinary person, coping with stress is vital. For a medical student who’s stress level is two-fold than an ordinary individual, it is important that their stress level and coping mechanisms is assessed.