Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes the sources of data, instruments in gathering data, ways of
gathering data and statistical tools used to achieve the results of the study.
Research Design
The research design is the structure with in which research is conducted. A research
design is the arrangement of conditions for the collections and analysis of the data in a manner
that aims to combine to the research purpose. It constitutes the collection, measurement and
analysis of data. Research design gives an outline of everything from defining the problems in
terms of objectives to final analysis of data.
The descriptive correlational method using comparative and correlation techniques was
used to assess the level of distress and severity of suicidal ideation of the respondents.
Moreover, the study was comparative as it determined the significant relationship of
suicidal ideation and level of distress of the respondents. And, it was correlation as it identifies
the existence of a relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variables.
Locale of the Study
This research was conducted at the Cagayan State University, Carig Campus during the
school year 2015-2016 from June 2015 to March 2016.
Respondents of the Study
The respondents of the study were students of the Cagayan State University, Carig
Campus enrolled during the Summer of School year 2015-2016
Sampling Procedure

Stratified proportionate random sampling was instituted as a tool of data gathering.

There are seven (7) colleges in CSU Carig Campus namely, College of Arts and Sciences,
College of Human Kinetics, College of Engineering, College Information and Computing
Sciences, College of Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Public
Administration with a total population of 3,180 enrolled students and to be able to determine the
sample population, the researchers divided 100% by seven colleges wherein 14.28% of each
college was determined, thus the total sample population is 454.

Research Instruments
A questionnaire, which consists of three parts, was the main instrument used. The first
part elicited the demographic profile of the respondents such as sex and socio-economic status.
The two remaining parts are standardized instruments; Suicidal Behavior QuestionnaireRevised and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-42) were lifted from the website American
Psychiatric Association for the purpose of this study.
Method of Collecting Data
Permission and endorsement for the conduct of the study was sought by the researchers
from the administration of CSU- Carig Campus through Atty. Archimedes Articulo, the campus
Chief Executive Officer. Thereafter, the questionnaires were administered on April 25-27, 2016.
The researchers personally drifted and retrieved the questionnaires from the respondents. Data
gathered were then collated, analysed and interpreted during the latter part of April to May 2016.
Statistical Treatment of Data
Descriptive Statistics like the mean, frequency counts, and percentage were used to give
a picture of the demographic profile of the respondents such as sex, and socioeconomic status

The Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire Revised (SBQ-R) which contain 4 items each
tapping a different dimension of suicidality; Item 1 taps into lifetime suicide ideation/or suicide
attempt. Item 2 assess the frequency of suicidal ideation over the past 12 months. Item 3
assesses the threat of suicide attempt and Item 4 evaluates self-reported likelihood of suicide
behaviour in the future. The sum of the scores gathered in the 4 items were added and
interpreted as low risk if a responder scores <7 and high risk if 7.
DASS-42 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-42) is a set of self-report scales to
measure the negative emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress. Each of the three
DASS scales contains 14 items divides into subscales of 2-5 items with similar content.
Depression scale assesses dyphoria, lack interest and involvement, hopelessness, devaluation
of life, self-deprecation, and anhedonia. Anxiety scale assesses automic arousal, skeletal
muscle effects, situational anxiety and subjective experience of anxious affect. The stress scale
is sensitive to levels of chronic non-specific arousal. It assesses difficulty relaxing, nervousness
and being easily agitated/upset, irritable, over reactive and impatient. Respondents were asked
to use 4-point severity/frequency scales to rate the extent to which they have experienced each
state over the past weeks. Scores for Depression, Anxiety and Stress are calculated by
summing the scores for the relevant data. It was called DASS 42 for it consists of 42 questions
each of which is answered using the scale of a likert scale of 0-1; 0 meaning Did not apply to
me at all, 1-Applied to me some degree or some of the time; 2-Applied to me a considerable
degree or a good part of the time and 3- Applied to me very much or most of the time. Since
DASS 42 measures the level of distress which includes 3 categories namely Depression,
Anxiety and Stress, there are items specific only to measure a certain category in the said
questionnaire these are items 3, 24, 5,26, 10,31,13,34,16,17,37 and 38 for Depression; answers
for these certain items will be added to determine the level of depression of each respondent
using this criteria 0-9 means Normal,10-13 mild, 14-20 moderate Depression, 21-27 Severe

depression, 28+ Extremely severe depression. Items 2,4,7,9,15,19,20,23,25,28,30,36,40 and

41 measure the level of Anxiety of the responder scores will be added and interpreted as 0-7
normal, 8-9 mild anxiety, 10-14 Moderate anxiety, 15-19 severe anxiety and 20+
extremely severe anxiety. And finally items 1,6,8,11,12,14,18,22,27,29,32,33,35 and 39 the
specific questions to measure the level of stress of an individual, scores will again be summated
and interpreted as 0-14 normal, 15-18 mild, 19-25 moderate,26-33 severe and 34+
Extremely severe
For the test of difference between level of distress and suicidal ideation when
respondents are grouped according to gender, the T-test was used and for the test of difference
between level of distress and suicidal ideation when respondents are group according to
monthly family income analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized with 0.05 level of significance.
For the test of correlation between the Level of Distress and Suicidal Ideation, the
Pearson Product Moment was used.