STRESSORS ALERT: STUDENT’S AND TEACHERS’ MENTALHEALTHSTATUS AMID CORONAVIRUS (COVID- 19) PANDEMIC

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 Pandemic changes many‟s lives thus, knowing and understanding the things toconsider in hurdling challenges relating to mental health are essential for everybody. Nowadays, students andteachers are also confronted with challenges due to the implemented new normal environment in teaching andlearning in the different state colleges in the Philippines. Knowing the stressors faced by the students andteachers is significant in structuring activities to lessen stress and anxiety, which believably are the reasons fortheir hesitation to work and to involve themselves in related-academic activities. Knowing the level of stressorsand its effect to students and teachers is essential to assess the efficiency of the existing practices in everyinstitution. This paved way also in launching programs to develop instructional activities for the HEIs in thecountry. Gathering of data was done online using a standard questionnaire deployed through google forms. Theresult revealed that the school and work-related matters contributed the most to the stress experienced by thestudents and teachers of Occidental Mindoro State College, Philippines. Findings revealed that students oftenexperienced stressful activities relating to mental health matters compared to teachers.

Keywords: COVID- 19, mental health, pandemic,stressors, HEI (Higher Education Institution)