CHAPTER I

The Problem

Introduction

In human perspective, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity,

affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the

socialization of children.

We certainly take a place in the family. When we are born, we may take the place

of the eldest, the middle, the youngest or the only child. This place or what we call the

birth order, establishes a specific role to be portrayed within the family. Thus, it

contributes to the development of certain attitudes and specific patterns of behavior.

The eldest child is said to be the leader, often he has strong decisive qualities that

allow him to make firm decisions. This may be due to the expectations and special

attention given by his parents. The youngest is often lax and confident, probably the

loudest and sometimes spoiled because the parents have used up all their energies

disciplining the others. In short, he/she is given the attention she needed. The middle

child, unlike the others is then, not given much attention. The oldest is important and

attended to, simply because he’s the oldest, as for the youngest, he/she’s special because

he’s the baby. Being in the middle, then means, living in a sort of anonymous haziness.

The birth order thus make a difference, and those who are in the middle, run the risk of

developing a condition known as middle child syndrome.

Often overlooked and unnoticed, middle children, according to psychologist

Kevin Leman in “The Birth Order Book,” struggle to find their place in the world.

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According to Jamie Malone, an eHow Contributor, middle children tend to suffer

from low self – esteem. They believe that they are not special or unique in anyway. They

also grow resentful of the lack of personalized attention and often vocalize these feelings.

The resentful feelings often lead to personality and behavioral problems. Middle children

tend to fight for attention and crave the spotlight within the family. The behavior of

middle children tends to go between extremes. They may be rebellious at some times and

extreme people-pleasers at others.

However, the book, “The Secret Power of Middle Children" by Catherine Salmon

and Katrin Schumann, presented a different description and a new character of a middle

child;

“…In reality, contrary to expectations, middleborns are agents of change in business, politics, and

science — more so than firstborns or lastborns. Middles are self-aware team players with

remarkable diplomatic skills. Because they’re both outgoing and flexible, they tend to deal well

with others—in the workplace and at home. They’re more motivated by fairness than money when

making life choices, and have a deep sense of family, friends, and loyalty. History shows them to

be risk takers and trailblazers, yet they do suffer needlessly from poor self-esteem.”

The growing interest with Middle Child Syndrome and the excerpt above has

compelled the researchers to conduct this study and determine the psychosocial concerns

of middle children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur, particularly their psychological (belongingness,

self – concept, sense of direction and trust issues), social and career concerns and their

relationship with their personal (age, sex, number of sibling/s, order of birth, occupation,

school performances and activity inclination) and parental profile (age, occupation, and

monthly family income). The results of the study will give better understanding of the

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situation of a middle child, and also for parents to take an appropriate action. This will

also give program planners, students or future researchers, ideas from which they could

make future intervention or action eventually helping to solve the problem brought about

by the psychosocial problems encountered by middle children.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine psychosocial factors affecting middle children and

the socio-demographic profile of the respondents in Bantay, Ilocos Sur. Specifically, it

sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. age,

b. sex,

c. number of sibling/s,

d. order of birth,

e. occupation,

f. school performances, and

g. activity inclination?

2. What is the profile of their parents in terms of:

a. age,

b. occupation, and

c. monthly family income?

3. What is the level of psychosocial concern of the respondents?

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a. psychological,

b. social,

c. and career?

4. Is there a relationship between the level of psychosocial concerns of middle

children and the personal and parental profile of respondents?

Scope and Delimitation

This study delimited on the perceive responses on the psychosocial concern of

middle children among residence of the municipality of Bantay, Ilocos Sur which was

suggested by the panel members. It was defined on the following dependent and

independent variables.

The independent variable was the socio-demographic profile which includes age,

sex, number of siblings, birth order, occupation, monthly family income, school

performances, and inclination of activities where as the dependent variables consisted of

the level of psychosocial factors such as self-esteem and attitude. The study utilized the

descriptive correlation method of research.

The respondents were determined by calculating the sample size of the residents

of Bantay, Ilocos Sur. One of the criteria for this study was according to the number of

siblings in the family. To determine if the child is middle, it followed the criteria whether

the number of siblings is odd or even. If it is odd, then the middle child is the center or in

the mid position based on the number of the children. When it is even, the two (2) middle

children are the respondents of the study.

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Theoretical Framework

To provide a wider understanding of the nature of study, a review of related

literature was made to enrich the researcher’s knowledge in the characteristics or

personalities of middle children.

Alfred Adler (1870-1937), an Austrian psychiatrist, and a contemporary

of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, was one of the first theorists to suggest that birth order

influences personality. He argued that birth order can leave an indelible impression on an

individual's style of life, which is one's habitual way of dealing with the tasks of

friendship, love, and work. Claims about birth order effects on personality have received

only mixed support in scientific research. Such research is a challenge because of the

difficulty of controlling all the variables that are statistically related to birth order. Family

size, and a number of social and demographic variables are associated with birth order

serve as potential confound.

According to Adler, firstborns are "dethroned" when a second child comes along,

and this may have a lasting influence on them. Younger and only children may be

pampered and spoiled, which can also affect their later personalities. Given the attention

that goes to both of those children, those who fall in the middle may exhibit certain signs

and behaviors that others do not. The birth order does make a difference, and those who

are in the middle run the risk of developing a condition known as middle child syndrome.

Second born children are competitors, as stated by essortment.com. They may feel

inadequate in comparison to the older sibling, regardless of whether this feeling is

perpetuated by the parents. Phrases like "why can't you be more like your brother" or

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"your sister wouldn't do that" are often associated with the fate of the middle child.

Adding fuel to the fire, the older child is perceived as doted upon and privileged. These

circumstances can cause the middle child to harbor intense resentment for the first born

child. This, combined with the need to compete may lead to rebellion and isolation. That

being said, second born children are often the most troublesome of the three. They exhibit

this behavior in an attempt to receive the attention that is constantly given to the older

child. They also tend to act out when a third child is born because they feel even further

neglected. The parents are juggling a newborn, to whom they must constantly attend, and

an older child who needs endless encouragement because they are trying things for the

first time. This can lead to a flexible and carefree or stubborn, "fight or flight" attitude on

the part of the middle child.

There are two main causes of having middle child personality. – Identity crisis

and lack of emotional support. Identity crisis is very common to all; it is something that

we continue to struggle with. In fact, everyone wishes to be different so nothing can

actually be done with it. The second is lack of emotional support. Because the eldest and

youngest are the common favorites, the middle child is not given any support or attention.

This unloved feeling makes them less confident and envious of others.

In the article of Ken Black, he stated that the effects of middle child syndrome are

numerous. The child may feel as if he or she does not belong, given all the attention

given to the oldest and youngest. The middle child may also feel as if he or she is loved

less, have low self – esteem and suffer from a lack of a sense of direction. However, these

symptoms are not limited only to childhood. They can linger in a person throughout their

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entire adult lives as well, making middle child syndrome symptoms possibly become

more serious. (wisegeek.com)

Psychological concerns.

Belongingness. The middle child may not feel a sense of belonging to the family in the

same way as other children. He/she struggles to be close to the family because of feeling

ignored and ‘unwanted’. Sometimes, the middle child also feels sandwiched between the

other siblings. It is important as a parent, to not let such feelings overcome their middle

child. (W3Courses.com)

According to essortment.com, the middle child often has the sense of not

belonging. They fight to receive attention from parents and others because they feel many

times they are being ignored or dubbed off as being the same as another sibling. Being in

the middle a child can feel insecure. The middle child often lacks drive and looks for

direction from the first born child. Sometimes a middle child feels out of place because

they are not over achievers and like to go with the flow of things.

Self – concept. Since a middle child feels that he/she is basically unwanted, he/she may

have a very low self-esteem. There is nothing worse than to feel not needed and it can

badly affect even an adult. For a child, it has a serious bearing on his/her overall

development. Such a child will continue to suffer from a lack of self-belief on growing

up. A middle child’s confidence may be shaky due to the feeling of being overlooked

upon, by his/her parents. (W3Courses.com)

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In their book "Birth Order and You," Donald W. Richardson and Lois A.

Richardson claim that middle children are then confused about their identity, caught

between trying to be grown-up like the eldest and helpless like the youngest.

Sense of direction. The children suffering from middle child syndrome also lack a sense

of direction. There is certain disillusionment among them and they struggle to find the

real direction of their life. They are not comfortable confiding in their parents, not even in

their brothers or sisters. This is not to say that all middle children turn out to be failures in

their life. Only those suffering from this syndrome have a tendency to lack any direction

in life. (W3Courses.com)

For any middle child, the biggest point of comparison is the sibling who falls just

before them in the birth order. Often, rather than competing head-on with that older

sibling, the middle child chooses to go in a different direction. If the older sibling is a

great student, for example, the middle child may become a musician or an athlete.

(There's some research suggesting that middle children are more likely to engage in

dangerous sports, perhaps because they are used to taking risks.) By choosing a niche that

isn't already occupied, a middle child increases his chances of standing out and being

noticed, and decreases the risk of negative comparisons. (drspock.com)

Trust issues. A middle child, on feeling ignored and un-loved, may have trust issues. As a

child, we first lean to trust and completely rely on our parents, but a middle child fails to

do that and consequentially, faces such issues. Such a child has difficulty in opening up

and confiding in anyone. However, not every child suffering from middle child syndrome

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has a distrusting attitude. Sometimes, such a child is pining to trust and lean on someone.

(W3Courses.com)

Social concerns. It is, usually, seen that a child suffering from middle child syndrome is

not too extrovert or social. There is a tendency among such children to become loners in

life. They feel like an outsider in the family and therefore, become a recluse in other areas

of life as well. Such a child believes in spending time with him/herself rather than others,

because he/she feels uncared for. And so, he/she tries to create a world of his/her own and

lean on his/her own self for support. (W3Courses.com)

On a more positive note, middle children are often artistic, witty and incredibly

self-sufficient. They are afforded the luxury of being able to depose the oldest, at the

same time taking control of the youngest; this can help boost an otherwise deflated self-

esteem. The inherent flexibility associated with their place in the birth order may help

middle children easily conquer a variety of social situations and stressors. They also tend

to develop many loyal, long-lasting relationships outside the family, perhaps as an effort

to feel included. Parents should keep in mind that these relationships can turn sour.

Sometimes a middle child will seek rebellious social groups as a means to stand out and

be noticed" an attempt to compensate for the lack of parental attention.

Middle children, who are usually smaller than their older siblings while they're

growing up, often learn non-aggressive strategies to get what they want, such as

negotiation, cooperation, or seeking parental intervention. As the underdogs themselves

in many sibling conflicts, middle children often develop a fine sense of empathy with the

downtrodden, as do many youngest children. Where first and last children may tend to be

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self-centered, middle children often take a genuine interest in getting to know other

people. Being in the middle, they may find it easier to look at interpersonal situations

from various points of view. (drspock.com)

Career concerns. Not liking to take the limelight for anything, they are not over achievers

and just simply work enough work to get by, and typically that goes with school as well

as a career (essortment.com). However according to W3Courses.com, some middle

children are overachiever in everything, as they crave attention. They push themselves

extremely hard to excel in everything so that they would get noticed.

As stated by essortment.com, they are however very artistic and creative. If forced

to use abilities they will work well, but do not work well under pressure. They often start

several projects but rarely keep focused long enough to finish a project. The best career

move for a middle child would be along the lines of using their creative. Going into a

writing or journalism career, and into a career that they could freely express themselves

would be good. Anything that would have hours that are flexible, and projects that

frequently changed would be good for a middle born child.

As presented by an article of Kate Cotton at ehow.com, in 2009, the Baby website

conducted a poll of 1,000 parents and 1,000 middle children. More than half of the

middle children surveyed said they received less attention than their siblings and so

learned to do more things for themselves. The study found that being more independent

at an earlier age meant that middle children actually fared better in life. The middle

children surveyed were more content in their relationships and careers, and 60 percent of

those surveyed said that, out of all their siblings, they were the happiest with their lives.

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On the positive side, the book “The Secret Power of Middle Children"

by Catherine Salmon and Katrin Schumann, presented a different description and a new

character of a middle child; “…In reality, contrary to expectations, middleborns are

agents of change in business, politics, and science — more so than firstborns or lastborns.

Middles are self-aware team players with remarkable diplomatic skills. Because they’re

both outgoing and flexible, they tend to deal well with others—in the workplace and at

home. They’re more motivated by fairness than money when making life choices, and

have a deep sense of family, friends, and loyalty. History shows them to be risk takers

and trailblazers, yet they do suffer needlessly from poor self-esteem.”

Unfortunately, the overall picture in the review is mostly negative. It depicts that

middle children often does not belong, especially within their family; they often have

inadequate feelings and they think of themselves as unloved; they lack sense of direction

and are often independent; they are loners and have trust issues; they make an effort to be

included in small acquaintances with this sense of empathy with the downtrodden; and

lastly, though some studies say that they often just work to get by, studies prove that

middle children actually fare better in career and eventually, with their lives.

In their book Sibling Relationships: Their Nature and Significance across the

Lifespan, Michael E. Lamb and Brian Sutton-Smith make the point that sibling

relationships often last an entire lifetime. They point out that the lifespan view proposes

that development is continuous, with individuals continually adjusting to the competing

demands of socialization agents and biological tendencies. Thus, even those concerned

only with interactions among young siblings implicitly or explicitly acknowledge that all

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Figure 1

The Research Paradigm: The correlation between the psychosocial factors and the socio-demographic profile of the respondents in Bantay, Ilocos Sur

relationships change over time and that any effects of birth order may be eliminated,

reinforced, or altered by later experiences.

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework was based on the determination of the relationship

between the level of the psychosocial factors affecting and the socio-demographic profile

of middle children among Bantay, Ilocos Sur residents. The researchers were guided by

the paradigm below.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE

Figure 1 illustrates the paradigm showing the relationship between the two

variables. The socio-demographic factors such as age, sex, no. of siblings, birth order,

occupation, monthly family income, school performances and inclination to activities

were the independent variable and the level of psychosocial factors affecting middle

children which is defined by self-esteem and attitude, as the dependent variable.

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A. Socio-demographic profile:a. Ageb. Sexc. Number of siblingsd. Birth ordere. Occupationf. Monthly Family incomeg. School performancesh. Inclination to Activities

B. Parental Profile:a. Ageb. Occupationc. Monthly Income

Psychosocial concern

a. Psychological concernb. Social concernc. Career concern

Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms used in the study provided concrete understanding which are

operationally defined such as:

A term used in this study was operationally defined for a clearer understanding of

this study where the middle child is the second born child in a family of more than two

children and the Middle Child Syndrome is a syndrome where there is a feeling of

insecurity in the middle child, because he/she feels ignored between the eldest and

youngest sibling.

Psychosocial concerns refer to one's psychological development in and

interaction within a social environment.

Psychological concerns refer to the need of middle children psychologically.

Social concerns refer to the regard of middle children with the society.

Career concerns refer to the view of middle children to their career or job.

Socio-demographic profile refers to the background of the middle children

which may lead the researchers to a concrete conclusion.

Age refers to the length of existence of the respondents, by number of years.

Sex refers to the gender of the respondents either male or female.

Number of Sibling/s refers to the total number of children in the family.

Order of Birth defined as a person's rank by age among his or her siblings

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Occupation refers to the nature of job the respondents or the source of income

Monthly Family Income refers to the gross amount of money earned for one

month by income earners.

School performances refers to the whether the respondents have or do not have

any academic achievements.

Inclination to activities refers to the desire of the respondents towards any

activities.

Assumptions of the Study

The researcher conducted the study based on the following assumptions:

1. The researcher will use an adopted and modified questionnaire.

2. The data gathering instrument will provide reliable and valid measurements.

3. The participants will complete the questionnaires honestly and accurately.

Research Hypotheses

Considering the problems of this study, the following hypotheses are formulated:

1. There is a significant relationship between the level of psychosocial and the socio-

demographic factors affecting middle children among residents of Bantay, Ilocos

Sur.

Research Methodology

This section presents the research design; population and sampling method,

measurement tools for gathering pertinent data, procedures in surveying; and the

statistical treatment for data analyses.

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Research Design. The study was based on a descriptive correlation approach that

utilized the adapted questionnaires from the Rosenberg Self-Esteem and Likert Attitude

Scales that were modified based on the concepts presented in research.

Population and Sampling. The study employed a simple random sampling

method where sampling size was calculated using the Slovin’s equation. A significance

level of 0.05 was used among respondents from the 5 selected barangays of Bantay,

Ilocos Sur.

Based on the GIS Survey (2007), out of the 30,519 population, the total number

of household in Bantay, Ilocos Sur is 6,110 and the average household size is calculated

as equal to 4. The survey of the total population, number of household and average

household size in Bantay, Ilocos Sur as of 2007 is presented in Table 1.

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Table 1Distribution of Population in Bantay, Ilocos Sur as of 2007

Barangay PopulationNumber of Household

Average Household Size

Aggay 718 150 4-5An-annam 1124 219 5Balaleng 2389 499 4-5Banaoang 352 74 4-5Bulag 2348 468 5Boquig 667 133 5Cabalangan 479 90 5Cabaroan 589 113 5Cabusligan 640 132 5Capangdanan 714 137 5Guimod 872 173 5Lingsat 932 198 5Malingeb 1247 227 5Mira 311 70 4Naguidayan 468 107 4Ora 1718 309 5-6Paing 1557 315 5Pospos 422 88 4-5Quimarayan 503 103 5Sagneb 284 57 5Sagpat 605 112 5San Julian 764 135 6San Mariano 275 58 5San Isidro 683 151 4-5Sinabaan 540 106 5Taguiporo 964 190 5Taleb 1492 271 5-6Tay – ac 2262 460 5Zone 1 645 141 5Zone 2 771 172 4Zone 3 851 150 5-6Zone 4 963 197 5Zone 5 826 175 4-5Zone 6 544 130 4

TOTAL 30519 6110 152

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Sampling Distribution

Data Gathering Instrument. The survey questionnaire was validated by

corresponding officials of the respective barangays. It is divided into three (3) parts. The

first part was the socio-demographic profile of the respondents. The second part focused

on psychosocial concerns.

The mean descriptions of the range was based on the following norm of

interpretation for both the effectiveness and utilization levels which is presented below

Item Descriptive Rating Mean Range Overall Descriptive Rating5 = strongly agree 4.20-5.00 Very high4 = agree 3.40-4.19 High3 = Uncertain 2.60-3.39 Moderate2 = disagree 1.80-2.59 Slight1 = strongly disagree 1.00-1.79 Not or never perceived at all

Data Gathering Procedures. The study was conducted based on the actual

survey of population in the municipality of Bantay, Ilocos Sur. Then, a letter of request

and approval from the university president as well as the dean of the college of nursing

were solicited in order to pursue the research. Upon approval, a request letter was sent to

the mayor for his approval in conducting the study that was endorsed to the different

officials of the barangays.

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Barangay (not included in the statement )

n %

Barangay IV 14 14.00Barangay VI 11 11.00Barangay I 11 11.00Barangay Sagpat 14 14.00Barangay Tay - ac 50 50.00

TOTAL 100 100.00

A one-on-one interview was conducted among selected households and survey

questionnaires were distributed for their respective responses. Then, tallying of gathered

data was performed which was presented for analysis and implications.

Statistical Treatment of Data. The statistical tools employed in the study are as

follows: [1] frequency and percentage distribution for the socio-demographic profile, [2]

weighted mean for the psychosocial factors such as the levels of self-esteem and attitude,

and; [3] bivariate correlation analysis for the significant relationship between variables.

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CHAPTER II

Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation

This chapter presents, analyzes and interprets the data gathered from the

respondents using the questionnaire and interview as the main instrument.

The data gathered are meant to provide evidence of the study to determine the

psychosocial concerns of middle children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur.

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. age,

b. sex,

c. number of sibling/s,

d. order of birth,

e. occupation,

f. school performances, and

g. activity inclination?

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Table 2The Distribution of the Socio-Demographic Profile of the Respondents in Bantay

Socio-Demographic Factors f %Age

12-16 56 56.0017-21 31 31.0022-26 10 10.0027-31 3 3.00

TOTAL 100 100.00Sex

Male 45 45.00Female 55 55.00

TOTAL 100 100.00Number of Sibling

3 42 42.004 33 33.005 11 11.006 12 12.007 1 1.008 1 1.00

TOTAL 100 100.00Order of Birth

1 0 0.002 62 62.003 30 30.004 8 8.00

TOTAL 100 100.00Occupation

Unemployed 21 21.00Student 70 70.00Skilled Worker 3 3.00Private Employee 3 3.00Government Employee 1 1.00Self – employed with Business 2 2.00

TOTAL 100 100.00School Performance

Grade SchoolWith honor distinction 41 41.00Without honor distinction 59 59.00

TOTAL 100 100.00High School

With honor distinction 28 28.00Without honor distinction 72 72.00

TOTAL 100 100.00Activity Inclinations

Music and Arts 32 32.00Poetry, Literary 8 8.00Sports and Physical Fitness 25 25.00Cooking/Gardening 16 16.00Science 10 10.00Mathematics 19 19.00

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PERSONAL PROFILE

Table 2 presents the distribution of the socio-demographic profile specifically the

age, sex, number of siblings, order of birth, occupation, school performance and activity

inclination of the respondents in Bantay, Ilocos Sur.

Age. Table 2 presents that among the respondents, 56 are in the age bracket 12-16 (56%);

31 of them fall in the bracket 17-21 (31%); 10 appeared to be 22-26 years old (10%); and

3 are between ages 27-30 (3%).

Sex. From the respondents, 45 are males (45%) and 55 are females (55%).

Number of Siblings. It can be gleaned from Table 2 that 42 of the respondents (42%)

have 3 siblings. There are 33 who have 4 number of siblings (33%); 11 have 5 (11%),

while 12 have 6 siblings (12%). Only 1 has 7 and 8 siblings (1%).

Birth Order. From the 100 respondents, 62(62%) are second in their birth order. There are

30 (30%) who are on the third order and 8 (8%) of the respondents are fourth among

siblings.

Occupation. Table 2 shows that most of the respondents are students with a number of 70

(70%). There are 21 (21%) respondents who are unemployed. Three respondents (3%)

are skilled worker and three (3%) are private employees. Two (2%) of the respondents

are self-employed and one (1%) is a government employee.

School Performance. The number of respondents who don’t have honor distinction during

their grade school (59%) is greater than those who have honor distinction (41%). Same is

through with the school performance during high school, majority of them don’t have

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honor distinction (72%) hence there is lesser number of respondents with honor

distinction (28%).

Activity Inclination. As seen on the table, 32 of the respondents are mostly inclined in

Music and Arts (29.09%), 25 at sports and physical fitness (22.73%), 19 in mathematics

(17.27%), 16 choose cooking and gardening (14.55%), 10 in science (9.09%), and eight

fall at poetry and literary (7.27%).

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2. What is the profile of the respondents’ parents in terms of:

a. age,

b. occupation, and

c. monthly family income?

Table 3The Distribution of the Parental Profile of the Respondents in Bantay

Parental ProfileParental Profile Father Mother

f % f %Age

32-37 4 4.00 9 9.0038-43 30 30.00 42 42.0044-49 37 37.00 30 30.0050-55 20 20.00 16 16.0056-61 9 9.00 3 3.00

TOTAL 100 100.00 100 100.00Occupation

Unemployed 26 26.00 50 50.00Skilled Worker 45 45.00 23 23.00Retired/Pensioned 0 0.00 0 0.00Private Employee 10 10.00 10 10.00Government Employee 9 9.00 3 3.00Self – employed with Business 10 10.00 14 14.00

TOTAL 100 100.00 100 100.00Monthly Family Income f %

Less than Php 5,000 40 40.00Php 5,000 – Php 10,000 32 32.00Php 10,001 – Php 15,000 15 15.00Php 15,001 – Php 20,000 6 6.00Php 20,001 – Php 25,000 1 1.00More than Php 25,000 6 6.00

TOTAL 100 100.00

PARENTAL PROFILE

Table 3 shows the distribution of the parental profile in terms of age, occupation

and monthly income of the respondents in Bantay, Ilocos Sur.

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Age. A greater percentage, 37% of the respondents’ father belongs to the 44 – 49 years of

age. There are 30% of them who are 38 – 40 years old and 20% are between ages 50 –

55 years old. Nine percent (9%) of the fathers are 56 – 61 and the lowest of whom

belongs to the age bracket of 32 – 37 years old with 4%.

Most of the mother’s respondents belong to the 38 – 43 years old with a percentage of 42.

Thirty percent (30%) are between ages 44 – 49. There are 16% who are aging 50 – 55

years old. Furthermore, there are 9% who are under 32 – 37 years of age and 3% of them

are 56 – 61 years old.

Occupation. Out of 100 fathers, 45 (45%) are skilled workers, and 26 (26%) are

unemployed. Both private employees and those who have their own business gained 10

(10%) respondents each. Only 9 (9%) are government employees while none of the

respondents have pension or retired from their work.

Table 3 shows that half of the respondents’ mothers (50%) are unemployed. Twenty three

(23%) of them are skilled workers; and fourteen (14%) mothers are self – employed. Ten

mothers (10%) are private employees while three (3%) are government employees. None

of them are pensioned.

Income. Forty (40%) of the respondents has an income of less than Php5, 000; thirty two

(32%) has an income of Php5, 001 – Php10, 000; fifteen (15%) are generating an income

ranging from Php10, 001 – Php15, 000; six (6%) earns an amount ofPhp15, 001 – Php20,

000; another 6 (6%) produces an amount ofPhp25,001 and above, and lastly, one (1%)

earns an income of Php20, 001 – Php25, 000.

3. What is the level of psychosocial concern of the respondents?

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Table 4The Mean Distribution on Psychosocial Concerns of the Respondents

Psychological Concern Statement Mean InterpretationBelongingness

1. When I’m close to someone, it gives me a sense of comfort about life in general 3.75 Often

2. I have trouble getting others to be as close as I want them to be 2.52 Rarely

3. I am very comfortable being close to others 4.18 Often4. I worry about others abandoning me 2.91 Sometimes5. Being close to someone gives me a source of strength for

other activities 4.04 Often6. I worry that my family doesn’t love me 2.63 Sometimes7. I always feel that I belong in the family 4.61 Always8. I feel ignored and unwanted 1.98 Never

Belongingness Mean 3.33 ModerateSelf-Concept

1. I feel that I am a person of worth 3.88 Often2. I am inclined to feel that I am a failure 2.42 Rarely3. I am able to do things as well as most other people 3.76 Often

4. I feel I do have much to be proud of 3.75 Often

5. I am satisfied with myself 4.23 Always6. I have more respect for myself 4.46 Always7. I have confidence in my general ability to do things and to

cope with situations. 3.90 Often8. I accept myself as I am and am happy with myself 4.51 Always9. I feel valued and needed 3.78 Often10. I can accept criticisms without feeling putdown 3.23 Sometimes11. I admit my mistakes openly 3.76 Often12. I never hide my true feelings 3.30 Sometimes

13. I always speak up for myself and put my views across 3.16 Sometimes

14. I don’t worry what others think of the views 3.15 Sometimes

15. I don’t need others approval to feel good 3.14 SometimesSelf-Concept Mean 3.63 High

Sense of Direction1. I can achieve what I want if I work hard for it. 4.18 Often2. In my personal relationships, the other person has more

control than I do. 2.96 Sometimes3. Once I make plans, I am almost certain to make them

work. 3.52 Often4. I’m good at guiding the course of a conversation with

several others. 3.35 Sometimes5. I can learn almost anything if I set my mind to it. 4.04 Often6. My major accomplishments are entirely due to my hard

work and ability. 3.98 Often7. I usually set goals to make things organized. 3.81 Often8. I’m comfortable in confiding to my parents, brothers and

sisters. 4.01 Often9. Having a single success makes me think of other successes. 3.56 Often10. I know how to take responsibility for my action 4.02 Often11. I know how to make decision and act on them 3.95 Often12. I know how to look at my decisions and change the poor

ones 3.41 OftenSense of Direction Mean 3.73 High

Trust Issues1. I trust myself more than any other person. 4.26 Always2. I am confident to share my undisclosed issues and

concerns. 3.39 Sometimes3. I am certain that the people whom I’ve entrusted my 3.38 Sometimes

25

secrets will not leak them out.4. I am certain that people also trust me. 3.72 Often5. I keep entrusted secrets. 3.69 Often6. I can freely share my secrets and accept opinions. 3.62 Often

Trust Issues Mean 3.68 HighOverall Psychological Concern Mean 3.59 High

Social ConcernsSocial Concerns

1. I feel like I am welcome in the family. 4.75 Always2. I prefer working by myself. 3.66 Often3. I often experience being ignored and uncared for 2.73 Sometimes4. I feel happy with my friends. 4.56 Always5. I get along well with others. 3.72 Often6. I prefer to spend time alone rather than with others 3.01 Sometimes7. I love joining parties or outing with friends and family. 3.70 Often8. I avoid being taken advantage of 3.42 Often9. I make friends easily 3.85 Often10. I don’t need others to tell me I have done a good job 3.08 Sometimes11. I enjoy socializing 3.68 Often12. I know how to start and maintain friendship 4.27 Always13. I make myself attractive to others 3.58 Often

Social Concerns Mean 3.66 HighCareer Concerns

1. I am confident that I can handle responsibilities without constant assistance 3.67 Often

2. Once I make plans, I am almost certain to make them work 3.77 Often3. I am satisfied with my achievements 3.77 Often4. I am a person who can take risks 3.38 Sometimes5. I know that I can handle my work better if I’m alone 3.43 Often6. I prefer a more challenging job 3.44 Often7. I can identify personal skills, interests and abilities and

relate them to career choice 3.56 Often8. I can identify career areas that fit my skills, abilities, and

interests 3.51 Often9. I understand the relationship between educational

achievement and career success 3.66 Often10. I apply decision – making skills to career planning, course

selection and career transition 3.58 Often11. I use employability and job readiness skills in internship,

and other work experience 3.24 Sometimes12. I can explain how work can help to achieve personal

success and satisfaction 3.73 Often13. I learn how to work cooperatively with others as a team

member 4.04 Often14. I demonstrate knowledge of the career – planning process 3.37 Sometimes15. I develop a positive attitude toward work and learning 3.96 Often16. I understand the importance of responsibility,

dependability, punctuality, intensity, and effort in the workplace 4.06 Often

Career Concerns Mean 3.64 HighGRAND MEAN OF PSYCHOSOCIAL CONCERNS 3.61 High

StatisticalLimit

Quantitative Scaleand Item Description

DescriptiveEquivalent

4.20-5.00 5=Always Very High3.40-4.19 4=Often High2.60-3.39 3=Sometimes Moderate1.80-2.59 2=Rarely Low1.00-1.79 1=Never Very Low

26

27

As gleaned from Table 4, the overall level of psychological concern of middle children

in terms of belongingness is “moderate”, as indicated by the mean rating of 3.33. The result

implies that middle children are just moderately concerned with their belonging or inclusion to

the family and other people. This may be due to their developing independence that makes them

be used to doing things on their own but still considers companionship with peers.

The respondents “always” feel that they belong in the family (x = 4.61). In addition, the

respondents are “often” comfortable being close to others (x = 4.18), being close to someone

gives them a source of strength for other activities (x = 4.04), and when they are close to

someone, it gives them a sense of comfort about life in general (x = 3.75).

Furthermore, they “sometimes” worry about others abandoning them (x = 2.91), and

worry that their family doesn’t love them (x = 2.63). Moreover, they “rarely” have trouble

getting others to be as close as they want them to be (x = 2.52) and “rarely” feel ignored and

unwanted (x = 1.98).

Based on Table 5, the overall psychological concern of middle children under

self-concept is “high” as indicated by the mean rating of 3.63. The table implies that the

middle children have a high consideration on their self – concept. As in almost all people,

their self – concept are affected by external and internal factors, thus, the way they

perceive their selves matters a lot.

The respondents “always” accept themselves and are happy (xT =4.51); they always

have more respect on themselves (xT =4.46), and are satisfied with their being (xT =4.23).

Furthermore, they are “often” having confidence in their general ability to do

things and cope with situations (xT =3.90), a person of worth (xT =3.88), feel valued and

28

needed (xT =3.78), admit their mistakes openly and are able to do things as well as other

people (xT =3.76) and having much to be proud of (xT =3.75).

Moreover, they “sometimes”, never hide their true feeling (xT =3.30), can accept

criticisms without feeling putdown (xT =3.23), always speak up for their self and put their

views across (xU =3.16), they don’t worry what others think of the views (xT =3.15), and

don’t need others approval to feel good (xT =3.14).

The results show that the respondents “rarely” feel that they are failure (xT =2.42).

As shown in Table 6, the respondents from the different barangays of Bantay have

a “high” psychological concern in terms of sense of direction as supported by the mean

rating of 3.73. This implies that the general psychological concern of middle children in

terms of their sense of direction is at a high level and this may be attributed to their desire

to be successful someday and prove that the middle child syndrome would not be the

cause for their failure but the cause for their success.

The respondents “often” achieve what they want if they work hard (x=4.18) and

are “often” comfortable in confiding to their parents, brothers and sisters (x=4.01). In

terms of personal relationship, “sometimes” other person has more control than they do

(x=2.96) and they are also good at guiding the course of conversation with several others

(x=3.35).

Respondents are “often” certain to make them work once they made plans

(x=3.52). They learn almost anything if they set their mind unto it (x=4.04). Having a

single success makes them think of other successes (x=3.56) and major accomplishments

are entirely due to their hard work and ability. They usually set goals to make things

organized (x=3.81).

29

With respect to decision making, respondents “often” know how to make

decisions and act on them (x=3.95). They know how to take responsibility for their every

action (x=4.02) and to look at their decisions and change the poor ones (x=3.41).

As shown by Table 7, the overall impact of psychosocial concerns to trust issues

in selected Barangays of Bantay is “high”, with a mean of 3.68. The result shows that the

psychological concern of middle children regarding their trust issues is at a high level and

this may also be due to the same concern they have for being included or fitted in any

relationship, be it inside or outside their family.

They “always” trust themselves more than any other person as evidenced by a

“very high” mean rating of 4.26. In addition, the respondents are “often” certain that

people also trust them (xT =3.72) and that they can keep entrusted secrets to them (xT =3.69).

They can also often, freely share their secrets and accept others’ opinions (xT =3.62).

Furthermore, they are “sometimes” confident to share their undisclosed issues and

concerns (xT =3.39) and the people whom they’ve entrusted their secrets will not leak these

out (xT =3.38).

Table 8 presents that the respondents are “highly” concerned with their social

environment. The results imply that this may be due to their yearning of attention which

eventually causes them to be concerned that much to the society they are in.

Taken singly, the mean result of 4.75 shows that the respondents “always” feel

like they are welcome in the family, despite the feeling that they are “sometimes” being

ignored and uncared for (mean, 2.73). With a mean rating of 4.56 and 4.27, the table

shows that the respondents always feel happy with friends, and they can start and

maintain that friendship, respectively. They “often” work by themselves (xT =3.66), but

30

they still get along with others (xT =3.72), join parties or outing with friends and family

(xT =3.70), avoid being taken advantage of (xT =3.42), make friends easily (xT =3.85), enjoy

socializing (xT =3.68) and make themselves attractive to others (xT =3.58).

The results also show that the respondents “sometimes” prefer to spend time alone

rather than with others (xT =3.01); they don’t need others to tell them they have done a

good job (xT =3.08), and they “sometimes” get rid of social situations.

As shown on Table 9, the overall career preferences of middle children is “high”

as indicated by the mean, 3.61. This means that the respondents have a high concern

when it comes to career. The respondents often feel that they are confident to handle

responsibilities without constant assistance (x=3.67). Furthermore, they are certain to

make their plans work (x=3.77) and that they are satisfied with their own achievements

(x=3.77). The result implies that middle children are highly concerned with their career

hence it affects how they respond to situations in their lives. This can also be attributed to

the pressures they have at home seeking attention and their desire to make a difference

with their lives and future.

Moreover, the respondents “sometimes” can take risks (x=3.38). Often, they think

that they can handle the work better when they are alone (x=3.43), and they prefer more

challenging job (x=3.44) and can identify personal skills, interests and abilities relating

them in choosing career. In addition to that, career areas that fit their skills, abilities and

interests are identified by the respondents (x=3.56), understand the relationship between

educational achievement and career success (x=3.66) also in applying decision making

skills to career planning, course selection and career transition (x=3.58).

31

Furthermore, the respondents sometimes use employability as well as job

readiness in internship and other work experience (x=3.24). Majority of the respondents

often can explain how work can help to achieve personal success and satisfaction

(x=3.73), and learn how to work cooperatively with others as team members (x=4.04).

They sometimes demonstrate knowledge of the career planning process ((x=3.37).

Correspondingly, positive attitude toward work and learning are often developed

by the respondents (x=4.06) as well as understand the importance of responsibility,

dependability, punctuality, intensity and effort in the workplace.

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Table 10

Mean Ratings Showing the Overall Level of Psychosocial Concern of the Respondents

PSYCHOSOCIAL CONCERNS Mean InterpretationPsychological Concern Mean 3.59 HighSocial Concerns Mean 3.66 HighCareer Concerns Mean 3.64 HighGRAND MEAN OF PSYCHOSOCIAL CONCERNS

3.61 High

Table 10 shows that the overall grand mean of psychosocial concerns is 3.61. The

results imply that there is a “high” psychosocial concern among middle children in

Bantay, Ilocos Sur.

As showed in the table, the psychological (x = 3.56), social (x = 3.66) and career

concerns (x = 3.64) all yielded a “high” level of concern among middle children. This

implies that middle children are affected in terms on how they include themselves to their

family and other people; how they perceive themselves; how they control and direct the

course of their lives and lastly how they trust themselves and other people. The results

may also imply that they are frequently affected by the society they were in. This means

that the respondents have a high regards or concern when it comes to their career.

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4. Is there a relationship between the level of psychosocial concerns ofmiddle children and the personal and parental profile of respondents?

Table 11The Correlation Coefficient of the Respondents

Socio-Demographic Profile Psychological Concerns

Social Concerns

Career Concern

s OverallPersonal ProfileBelongingness

Self-Concept

Sense of Direction

Trust Issues

Age -0.1072* 0.1500* 0.1628* 0.0001 0.0757 0.1632* 0.1291*

Sex 0.1452* 0.0623 0.0753 0.1530* 0.2163* 0.0502 0.1448*

Number of Sibling -0.0143 0.2189* 0.0379 0.0228 0.1052* 0.0263 0.0733

Order of Birth -0.0022 0.1334* 0.0244 -0.0632 0.0868 -0.0120 0.0297

Occupation 0.0386 0.1513* 0.1349* 0.0995 0.0948 0.1816* 0.1669*

Grade School Performance -0.0850 0.0264 -0.1717* -0.2217* -0.1614* -0.2830* -0.2495*

High School Performance -0.0277 -0.0606 -0.1334* -0.1788* -0.1682* -0.2653* -0.2358*

Activity Inclination -0.2487* 0.0835 0.0537 0.0584 0.0437 0.0616 0.0444

Parental Profile

Father

Age -0.1975* 0.0739 0.1825* 0.0091 0.0973* 0.2558* 0.1725*

Occupation -0.1730* -0.0234 -0.0519 -0.0322 0.0992* -0.0629 -0.0237

Mother

Age -0.1185* 0.1090* 0.1933* 0.0977* 0.1629* 0.2496* 0.2138*

Occupation -0.0558 -0.0195 0.0003 -0.0906 0.0699 0.0410 0.0276

Monthly Family Income -0.0710 0.1649* 0.2302* 0.1257* 0.1288* 0.2183* 0.2021*

* significant at = 0.05 (t critical = 0.9602)

On Age. OVERALL, with a correlation coefficient of 0.1291, there is a significant

relationship between the psychosocial concerns of middle children and their age. The

results imply that as middle children grow, they tend to become more mature in decision

making and acting in terms of their psychosocial issues and concerns.

The results gained significance at 0.05 level of probability. The negative

correlation coefficient, -0.1072, shows that there is lesser feeling of belongingness in

younger middle children and vice versa. The younger he is, the greater chances of

fighting to receive attention from parents and others because they feel many times they

34

are being ignored. This leaves a middle child a feeling of insecurity. This child cannot

stand being treated as a child when he is literally aware that he is growing up. As a

general reaction of a rebelling child, he may be defiant and resentful to his parents

causing him to search for support and understanding in his peers. However, they have

trouble keeping one.

There is a positive correlation (r= 0.1500) between age and the middle child’s self

– concept. This is an indication that as these children get older, the more they develop

their self – concept. Middle children are often jealous, plague by feelings of parental

neglect, inferiority, and inadequacy. When these behaviors are not checked, certain

behavior disorders may arise; however, as these children reach maturity the conflicts

most often resolve giving way to establishment of self-confidence and self-respect.

There is also a direct, significant relationship between the age of the respondents

and their sense of direction, as revealed by the coefficient, r = 0.1628. As supported by

the study of Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P in his article, “Middle Children: Finding

Their Own Pride Of Place”, parents may not have a strong sense of what to expect from a

middle child as they do for a first or last born. He considers this a good thing because it

gives the middle child, a freedom to follow his individual path.

The results of the study yielded a significant relationship between age and career

concerns of middle children with an r = 0.1632. Generally, as in all children, they tend to

be more concerned with they’re career and future as they grow up. This is probably due

to their increasing maturity and understanding to the world they are in.

However, there was no significant difference between the trust issues and social

concerns, and the age of middle children.

35

On Sex. OVERALL, the correlation between sex and the psychosocial concerns of

middle children attained significance with r = 0.1448. This may imply that female

respondents are more affected and concerned about the different psychosocial issues

experienced by a middle child.

The results show that the female respondents include themselves more than males

do, as showed by the correlation coefficient, r = 0.1452. Apparently, this is because

females are usually friendlier than boys. Furthermore, they are more emotional and tend

to look for someone who would listen to their lamentations. Thus, they also empathize

and understand other people as well. John Gray, author of Men are from Mars, Women

are from Venus quoted, “A man's sense of self is defined through his ability to achieve

results. A woman's sense of self is defined through her feelings and the quality of her

relationships".

The sex or gender and trust issues also gained significance at r = -0.1530. This

positive correlation indicates that females trust more than males do. As supported by

Murray (1999), he believes that males are not as trusting as females. Elizabeth R. Turner

also said in her study, “The Differences in Levels of Trust in Male and Female Same-Sex

Friendships”, that because female friendships are more therapeutic and emotional based,

they would have more trust.

Findings also prove that female the respondents are more socially concerned than

males in Bantay. This is evident in the correlation value, 0.2163, which gained

significance at the 0.05 level of probability. Naturally, females are often more socially

concerned than males, and so as middle children. Females report more often that they

prefer conversation and the discussion on personal topics (Elkins & Peterson, 1993).

36

Female friendships are consistently rated as more intimate, especially with the

discussions of negative events and exchange of private information.

However, there is no significant correlation between the middle child’s sex and

his concerns regarding his self – concept, sense of direction and career preferences.

On Number of Sibling. OVERALL, with r = .0733, it can be said that the number of

siblings is not significant in the overall psychosocial concerns of middle children. It may

imply that having one, two or more brothers or sisters does not affect how you respond to

the psychosocial concerns of being a middle child.

Table 11 shows that there is a significant relationship between the number of

siblings and self-concept (0.02189), Social Concerns (0.1052). Having a number of

siblings may help develop other traits beneficial to self and society, such as ability to get

along and cooperate with others, to share one’s belongings, and to care for and help

others. According to GMWilliams in his website www.gmwilliams.hubpages.com,

Children from small families receive more attention than do children from large families

who often do not receive adequate and individualized attention from their parents.

Children from large families particularly the middle children are often left to their own

devices and lead a hardscrabble and ‘an arduously rough existence, living at the most

basic level. Children from large families are raised to believe that they are part of the

group and that their individuality means nothing. Children from large families have a

very meager material existence with no concept of affluent living and privacy, often

living in packs. Children in large families have very little sense of individuality and self

– love and are taught that the self means nothing. Concepts of self – actualization and

37

self – fulfillment are totally foreign to children in large families. They tend to be secretive

and do not openly share their thoughts and feelings.

In the published article of Judith Blake, Number of Siblings and Personality,

children from large families are believed to provide practice in learning social skills, and

to create a structural imperative to interact, share, and take others’ views and needs into

account. The evidence up to now tends to show that children from small families are

more sociable than those from large families.

Furthermore there is no significant relationship between the number of siblings

and Belongingness (-0.0143), Sense of Direction (0.0397), Trust Issues (0.0228), and

Career Concerns (0.0263)

On Order of Birth. OVERALL, with r=0.0927, it can be said that the order of birth is

not significant in the overall psychosocial concerns of middle children. This implies that

the order of the birth of middle children, be it any position in the middle does not affect

how they respond to their psychosocial concerns.

It is observed in the table that there is a significant direct relationship between the

Order of Birth and Self Concept (r = 0.1334). Research on birth order, sometimes

referred to as ordinal position have an effect on how he/she sees himself. The middle

child often seems to have the most negative impressions of his lot in life. Middle children

often feel like their older brother gets all the glory while their younger sister escapes all

discipline. Because the middle child feels that the world pays him less attention, he tends

to be secretive; he does not openly share his thoughts or feelings. But middle children

quite often miss out on developing a sense of trust as a result of feeling out of place,

38

ignored or unloved in a three-child family. The child learns to trust only himself, and this

causes major development issues as the child gets older.

Furthermore there is no significant relationship between the Birth Order and

Belongingness (0.0022), Sense of Direction (0.0244), Trust Issues (-0.0632), Social

Concerns (0.0868) and Career Concerns (-0.0120).

On Occupation. OVERALL, there is a significant relationship between personal

occupations of respondents and their psychosocial concerns, as supported by correlation

coefficient of 0.1669. It implies that these psychosocial concerns have an effect on the

occupation of the respondents and that, middle children are directed to accomplish their

work.

It is apparent in the table that self – concept (r=0.1513), sense of direction

(r=0.1349) and career concerns (r=0.1816) are influenced by the occupation of the

respondents. This entails that middle children tend to grow independently and they are

more focused and well – organized on their tasks. They are being forced to stand on their

own feet from such an early age that really do well in their lives. They are satisfied on

what achievements they have. As opposed by a study that self – concept of middle

children are not affected by their employment.

Moreover, there is no significant relationship existing between occupation and

belongingness, trust issues and social concerns.

On Grade School Performance. The table shows that there is a significant relationship

between grade school performance and sense of direction (r=-0.1717), trust issues (r=-

0.2217), social concerns (r=-0.1614) and career concerns (r=-0.2830). This implies that

middle children with no honor distinction are less inclined to achieving what they work

39

hard for and they are not always certain that the plans they set in mind will work. With

regards to trust issues and social concerns, they feel less confident in sharing any issues

or concerns to any other person and don’t get along well with others. In terms of career

preferences, they are lesser persuaded in developing positive attitude towards work, also

in identifying career areas that fit their skills, abilities and interests.

Furthermore, there is no significant relationship between grade school

performance and belongingness (r=-0.0850) and self-concept (r=0.0264).

On High School Performance. It can be seen in the table that high school performance

can greatly affect sense of direction (r=-0.1334), trust issues (r=-0.1788), social concerns

(r=-0.1682) and career preferences (r=-0.2653). This signifies that middle children with

no honor distinction during their high school years have lesser inclination in making

decisions, setting goals as well as taking responsibility of their own, since they feel that

they do not have much achievement and that they also tend to have low self-esteem. In

relation to trust issues and social concerns they are not always certain that people will not

reveal those issues and concerns they have entrusted to them and they do not usually

enjoy socializations and getting along well with people around them. Regarding career

preferences, they are not risk takers; they are not much inclined in handling

responsibilities and dependability in relation to work.

In addition, it has been found out that there is no significant relationship between

high school performance and belongingness (r=-0.0277) as well as self-concept (r=-0.

0606).

40

On Activity Inclination. There is also a significant relationship between activity

inclination and belongingness (r=-0.2487). This implies that a middle child inclined to

music and arts tend to be more emotional and prefer to be alone. This situation confirms

that they may have decreased sense of belongingness, since these activities are often done

alone.

On Parental Age. OVERALL, paternal and maternal age gained positive correlation

with the psychosocial concerns of middle children at r= 0.1725 and r= 0.2138,

respectively.

Findings show that there is a correlation between the paternal age and the

psychosocial concerns of middle child, in terms of their belongingness (r= -0.1975),

sense of direction (r= 0.1825), Social Concerns (r= 0.0973) and Career Concerns (r=

0.2558). The maternal age also gained significance with all the psychosocial concerns of

the middle child as shown in the table with r=0.2138.

According to Spitze and Logan (871), “As the number of siblings increases the

oldest and youngest tend to be closer to their parents other than the middle child”, over

time.

Forer also describes the middle child as “Threatened by severe feelings of

insecurity and inadequacy because he lacks recognition within the family. . . He is in

danger of not receiving enough affection”. This statement shows that as the parents reach

middle parenthood, the more the middle child conceptualize themselves as inadequate

and insecure.

41

After growing up in the middle the child might see himself developing into an

adult whose background in the middle prepared him for reality. As a result he might

work harder for recognition while making fewer demands from others along the way.

On Parental Occupation. As gleaned on the table, there is an inverse significant

relationship between father’s occupation and belongingness (r=0.1730). This indicates

that some fathers have lesser bonding time with their families due to their employment.

They have to work hard and sacrifice for the sake of their family. Sometimes, gaps

already exist between them and their children resulting to lesser sense of belongingness.

As seen in the table, the social concerns (r=0.0992) affects occupation of the

father’s respondents. Mostly, fathers usually hang out with their co-workers and friends

especially after office hours for relaxation and bonding.

On the other hand, there is no significant relationship between the occupation of

the father’s respondents towards self – concept (r=-0.0234), sense of direction (r=-0.0519

and trust issues (r=-0.0322) and career concerns (r=0.0629). OVERALL, r=-0.0237.

Regarding the relationship between the mother’s occupation and the middle

child’s psychosocial concerns, the value of the computed correlation coefficient (r=

0.0276) is below the required value at 0.05 probability level. This indicates that the

occupation of a middle child’s mother does not affect his psychosocial concerns.

On Monthly Family Income. OVERALL, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.2021,

family income affects middle child’s personality and perception towards life challenges.

There is a significant relationship between monthly family income towards all the

psychosocial concerns except belongingness. (Self – concept, r = 0.1649; sense of

42

direction, r = 0.2302; trust issues, r = 0.1649; social concerns, r = 0.1288; and career

concerns, r = 0.2183).

This implies that middle children who have parents having monthly income of

5,000 and below didn’t realize that their family has low income and all they need was

each other. On self-concept, they tend to be more discipline and contented of what they

have. With regards to sense of direction, they set their goal for them to pursue, to

improve the quality of life they have. Trust issues and social concerns, they have trust for

their self and to other people. They are being friendly and easy to get along with. On

career concerns they have positive attitude toward work and learning leading to career

success.

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CHAPTER III

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

This chapter summarizes the findings of the study, the conclusions drawn and the

recommendations offered by the researchers.

SUMMARY

The primary concern of the study was to determine the psychosocial concerns of

middle children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur. This study also determined the socio-demographic

profile and psychosocial concerns. Furthermore, it sought to find out the relationship

between the level of psychosocial concerns of middle children and the personal profile of

respondents such as age, sex, number of sibling/s, occupation, monthly family income,

school performances, and inclination to activities and parental profile which includes age,

occupation and family income.

The respondents of this study are composed of 100 middle children aged 12-30

years from the different barangays of Bantay, Ilocos Sur namely: Zone 1, 2, 4, 6, Sagpat,

Tay-ac and An-annam. They were selected through purposive random sampling.

The study made use descriptive correlation approach that utilized the adapted

questionnaires from the Rosenberg Self-Esteem and Likert Attitude Scales that was

modified based on the concepts presented in research.

Data gathered was interpreted using the frequency using the frequency count and

percentages and the simple correlational analysis.

44

FINDINGS

The following were the salient findings of the study:

1. Socio-Demographic profile of the Respondents

On Age. Most of the respondents, 56 (56%) are in the age bracket 12-16 years.

On Sex. Majority of the respondents, 55 (55%) are females.

On Number of Siblings. A greater percentage 42 of the respondents (42%) have

3 siblings.

On Birth Order. Among the 100 respondents, 62(62%) of the respondents are in

the second in their birth order.

On Occupation. Most of the respondents are students with a number of 70(70%).

On School Performance. The number of respondents who don’t have honor

distinction during their grade school (59) is greater. Same is through with the

school performance during high school – majority of them don’t have honor

distinction (72).

Activity Inclination. Thirty two (29.09%) of the respondents are mostly inclined

in Music and Arts.

2. Parental Profile

On Age. A greater percentage of the respondent’s father (37%) belongs to the 44

– 49 years of age. Most of the mother’s respondents belong to the 38 – 43 years old with

a percentage of 42.

On Occupation. Out of 100 fathers, forty five (45%) are skilled workers. Fifty

respondents’ mothers (50%) are unemployed.

On Income. Forty respondents (40%) has an income less than Php5, 000.

45

3. Psychosocial Concerns

A. Psychological concern

On Belongingness. The overall level of psychological concern of middle children

in terms of belongingness is “moderate” as indicated by the mean rating of 3.33. The

respondents “always” feel that they belong in the family (x = 4.61).

On Self-Concept. The respondents have “high” psychological concern under self-

concept as indicated by the mean rating of 3.63. The respondents “always” accept their

selves and they are happy (x=4.51); they always have more respect on their selves

(x=4.46), and are satisfied with their being (x=4.23).

On Sense of Direction. Majority of the respondents from the different barangays

of Bantay have a “high” psychosocial concern in terms of sense of direction as supported

by the mean rating of 3.73.

Middle child respondents “often” achieve what they want if they work hard

(x=4.18). ). They are “often” comfortable in confiding to their parents, brothers and

sisters (x=4.01).

Furthermore, respondents are “often” certain to make them work once they made

plans (x=3.52). They learn almost anything if they set their mind unto it (x=4.04). Having

a single success makes them think of other successes (x=3.56) and major

accomplishments are entirely due to their hard work and ability. They usually set goals to

make things organized (x=3.81).

With respect to decision making, the respondents “often” know how to make

decisions and act on them (x=3.95). They know how to take responsibility for every

action (x=4.02) and to look at their decisions and change the poor ones (x=3.41).

46

On Trust Issues. The overall impact of psychosocial concerns with regards to

trust issues is “high” with a mean of 3.68. They “always” trust themselves more than any

other person as evidenced by a mean rating of 4.26.

B. Social Concerns

The respondents are highly concerned with their social environment with a mean

rating of 3.66. The results also imply that they frequently have friends to gain acceptance.

Taken singly, the mean result, 4.75, shows that the respondents “Always” feel

they are welcome in the family, despite the feeling that they are sometimes being ignored

and uncared for (x=2.73). With a mean, 4.56 and 4.27, the table shows they “Always”

feel happy with friends, and they start and maintain that friendship, respectively.

C. Career Preferences

Middle children have a “high” psychosocial concern on career preferences as

denoted by the mean of 3.61. This means that the respondents have a high regards or

concern when it comes to career.

The respondents “often” feel that they are confident to handle responsibilities

without constant assistance (x=3.67), also they are certain to make their plans work

(x=3.77) and that they are satisfied with their own achievements (x=3.77).

Often times the respondents think that they can handle the work better when they

are alone (x=3.43), prefer more challenging job (x=3.44) and can identify personal skills,

interests and abilities relating them in choosing career. In addition to that, career areas

that fit their skills, abilities and interests are identified by the respondents (x=3.56),

understand the relationship between educational achievement and career success (x=3.66)

47

also in applying decision making skills to career planning, course selection and career

transition (x=3.58).

3. Relationship between the Level of Psychosocial Concerns of Middle Children and

the Personal and Parental Profile of Respondents.

On Age. Overall, with a correlation coefficient of 0.1291, there is a significant

relationship between the psychosocial concerns of middle children and age in terms of

belongingness (r= -0.1072), self-concept (r= -0.1500), sense of direction (r= 0.1628) and

career concerns (r= 0.1632).

On Sex. The correlation between sex and the psychosocial concerns of middle

children attained significance with r = 0.1448 and also along belongingness (r= 0.1452),

trust issues (r= 0.1530) and social concerns (r= 0.2163).

On Number of Sibling. In general, it can be said that the number of siblings is

not significant in the overall psychosocial concerns of middle children with r = .0733 as

well as Belongingness (-0.0143), Sense of Direction (0.0397), Trust Issues (0.0228), and

Career Concerns (0.0263)

On Order of Birth. There is no significant relationship between psychosocial

concerns of middle children and birth order along with Belongingness (0.0022), Sense of

Direction (0.0244), Trust Issues (-0.0632), Social Concerns (0.0868) and Career

Concerns (-0.0120).

On Occupation. There is a significant relationship between personal occupations

of respondents between their psychosocial concerns as supported by correlation

coefficient of r= 0.1669 along with self – concept (r=0.1513), sense of direction

48

(r=0.1349) and career concerns (r=0.1816) are influenced by the occupation of the

respondents.

On Grade School Performance . There is an inverse significant relationship

between psychosocial concerns of middle children and overall grade school performance

with r= -0.2495 and also with sense of direction (-0.1717), trust issues (-0.2217), social

concerns (-0.1614) and career concerns (-0.2830).

On High School Performance. There is an inverse significant relationship

between psychosocial concerns of middle children and overall high school performance

with r= -0.2358 as well as sense of direction (-0.1334), trust issues (-0.1788), social

concerns (-0.1682) and career preferences (-0.2653).

On Activity Inclination. There is no significant relationship between

psychosocial concerns of middle children and activity inclination r= 0.0444 along with

self-concept (r= 0.0835), sense of direction (r= 0.0537), trust issues (r= 0.0584), social

concerns (r= 0.0437) and career concerns (r= 0.0616).

On Parental Age. Findings show that there is a significant relationship between

the paternal age (r= 0.1725) and the psychosocial concerns of middle child, in terms of

their belongingness (r= -0.1975), sense of direction (r= 0.1825), Social Concerns (r=

0.0973) and Career Concerns (r= 0.2558). The maternal age (r= 0.2138) also gained

significance with all the psychosocial concerns of the middle child namely belongingness

(r= -0.1185), self-concept (r= 0.1090), sense of direction (r= 0.1923), trust issues (r=

0.0977), social concerns (r= 0.1629) and career concerns (r= 0.2496).

On Parental Occupation. There is an insignificant relationship between the

psychosocial concerns of middle children and occupation of the father’s respondents (r= -

49

0.0237) and towards self – concept (r=-0.0234), sense of direction (r=-0.0519 and trust

issues (r=-0.0322); same is true with career concerns (r=0.0629).

Moreover, the relationship between the mother’s occupation and the middle

child’s psychosocial concerns, the value of the computed correlation coefficient (r=

0.0276) is insignificant other than belongingness (r= 0.0558), self-concept (r= -0.0195),

sense of direction (r= 0.0003), trust issues (r= -0.0906), social concerns (r= 0.0699) and

career concerns (r= 0.0410).

On Monthly Family Income. With a correlation coefficient of r = 0.2021, there

is a direct, significant family between the psychosocial concerns of middle children and

income along with self – concept (r = 0.1649), sense of direction (r = 0.2302), trust

issues(r = 0.1649), social concerns(r = 0.1288) and career concerns (r = 0.2183).

CONCLUSIONS

The following conclusions were drawn from the findings:

1. Majority of the respondents belong to age bracket 12 to 16 years old, females,

with three numbers of siblings, second child, students, with no honor distinction

on grade and high school performances and inclined to music and arts.

2. Most of the fathers belong to age bracket 44 to 49 years old, skilled workers;

whereas majority of mothers belong to the age bracket 38 to 43 years old and

unemployed, with a monthly income of Php 5,000 and below.

3. The respondents have a “High” level of concerns in terms of psychological

aspect, social, and career concerns.

4. On the relationship between the level of psychosocial concerns of middle children

and the personal and parental profile of respondents; the personal and parental

50

age, sex, occupation, school performances, and monthly income attained

significance.

RECOMMENDATIONS

On the premise of the conclusions drawn by the researchers, the following

recommendations are forwarded:

1. A seminar on psychosocial concerns of middle children should be conducted for

parents to understand their children better.

2. A group of middle children should be organized, to serve as an avenue for sharing

their mutual interest, feelings and other concerns to help them overcome the

problems brought by being a middle child.

3. A copy of this research study should be given to the guidance offices of the

school where the respondents are studying for a better understanding of their

behavior and attitude.

4. The sociodemographic profile specifically the age, sex, number of siblings,

occupation, school performances and inclination to activities of middle children

should be the focus of counseling since these factors yielded a higher level of

psychosocial concerns of middle children.

5. A similar study should be conducted with the following considerations:

a. A larger scope of respondents and may include the parents and siblings as the

respondents to verify the middle child’s responses,

b. Other variables other than what was used in the study like sibling’s profile.

51

BIBLIOGRAPHIES

BOOKS:

Cameron, Norman. Personality Development and Psychopathology: A Dynamic Approach, Houghton Mifflin Company, copyright 1963.

E. Mavies Hetherington revised by Ross D. Parke Virginia Otis Locke. Child Psychology A Cotemporary Viewpoint updated 5th edition copyright 2003.

INTERNET SOURCES:

What is Middle Child Syndrome?Written by Ken BlackEdited by Bronwyn Harrishttp://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-middle-child-syndrome.htmlast modified: September 08, 2010; October 1, 2010

What is the middle child syndrome?http://www.essortment.com/all/whatismiddlec_rsoe.htmOctober 6, 2010

Birth Orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_orderOctober 6, 2010

Middle Children: Finding Their Own Pride of Placeby Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,5547,00.htmlDate accessed: February 15, 2011

Psychology of the Middle Child Syndrome http://www.ehow.com/about_7228536_psychology-middle-child-syndrome.htmlDate accessed: February 15, 2011

Middle Child Syndromehttp://middlechildpersonality.com/middle-child-syndrome/Date accessed: February 15, 2011

What Is The Middle Child Syndrome?http://www.essortment.com/middle-child-syndrome-62872.htmlDate accessed: March 08, 2011

52

Birth Order And Its Effects On Personalityhttp://www.essortment.com/birth-order-its-effects-personality-64903.htmlDate accessed: January 03, 2012Middle Child SyndromeBy Diane Owens, eHow Contributorhttp://www.ehow.com/about_5483658_middle-child-syndrome.htmlDate accessed: January 03, 2012

Psychology of the Middle Child SyndromeBy Kate Cotton, eHow Contributorhttp://www.ehow.com/about_7228536_psychology-middle-child-syndrome.htmlDate accessed: January 03, 2012

Birth OrderFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_orderDate accessed: January 05, 2012

53

APPENDICES

54

Appendix A

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL CONCERNS OF MIDDLE CHILDREN AMONG BANTAY, ILOCOS SUR RESIDENTS

Part I: Personal Information: Kindly put a check mark on the box that correspond to your answer and write 1 to 5 on the circle that corresponds to your preferred activities where 1 represents the activity with the highest priority and 5 as the least.

Age ________ years oldSex Male FemaleNumber of siblings No siblings

One (1) sibling Two (2) siblings

Three (3) siblings Four(4) siblings Others: please specify

________Occupation Unemployed

Student Skilled worker

Private employee Government employee Self-employed/with

businessGrade School Performances

With honor/distinction

Without honor/distinction

High School Performance With honor/distinction

Without honor/distinction

College Performance With honor/distinction

Without honor/distinction

To you inclined more on what type of activities? (rank your answer from 1 to 5 on the )

Music and Arts

Poetry, Literary

Sports and Physical Fitness

Cooking/Gardening

Science

Mathematics

Part II: Parental Profile

Age Father: ________ years old Mother: ________ years oldOccupation Unemployed

Skilled work Retired/Pensioned Private employee Government

employee Self-employed/with

business

Unemployed Skilled work Retired/Pensioned Private employee Government

employee Self-employed/with

businessMonthly Family Income Less than Php 5,000

Php 5,000-Php 10,000 Php 10,0001-Php 15,000 Php 15.001-Php 20,000 Php 20,001-Php 25,000 More than Php 25,000

55

Part II.

A. Psychological Concerns:

STATEMENTStrongly

Agree Agree Uncertain DisagreeStrongly Disagree

Belongingness1. When I'm close to someone, it gives me a

sense of comfort about life in general2. I have trouble getting others to be as close

as I want them to be

3. I am very comfortable being close to others

4. I worry about others abandoning me5. Being close to someone gives me a source

of strength for other activities6. I worry that my family doesn't love me7. I always feel that I belong in the family8. I feel ignored and unwanted

Self Concept16. I feel that I am a person of worth17. I am inclined to feel that I am a failure18. I am able to do things as well as most other

people19. I feel I do have much to be proud of20. I am satisfied with myself21. I have more respect for myself22. I have confidence in my general ability to do

things and to cope with situations.23. I accept myself as I am and am happy with

myself24. I feel valued and needed25. I can accept criticisms without feeling

putdown26. I admit my mistakes openly27. I never hide my true feelings28. I always speak up for myself and put my

views across29. I don’t worry what others think of the views30. I don’t need others approval to feel good

Sense of Direction13. I can achieve what I want if I work hard for

it.14. In my personal relationships, the other

person has more control than I do.15. Once I make plans, I am almost certain to

make them work.16. I’m good at guiding the course of a

conversation with several others.17. I can learn almost anything if I set my mind

56

to it.18. My major accomplishments are entirely due

to my hard work and ability.19. I usually set goals to make things organized.20. I’m comfortable in confiding to my parents,

brothers and sisters.21. Having a single success makes me think of

other successes.22. I know how to take responsibility for my

action23. I know how to make decision and act on

them24. I know how to look at my decisions and

change the poor onesTrust Issues

7. I trust myself more than any other person.8. I am confident to share my undisclosed

issues and concerns.9. I am certain that the people whom I’ve

entrusted my secrets will not leak them out.10. I am certain that people also trust me.11. I keep entrusted secrets.12. I can freely share my secrets and accept

opinions.

B. Social Concerns:

STATEMENTStrongly

Agree Agree Uncertain DisagreeStrongly Disagree

14. I feel like I am welcome in the family.

15. I prefer working by myself.16. I often experience being ignored and

uncared for

17. I feel happy with my friends.

18. I get along well with others.19. I prefer to spend time alone rather than

with others20. I love joining parties or outing with friends

and family.

21. I avoid being taken advantage of

22. I make friends easily23. I don’t need others to tell me I have done a

good job

24. I enjoy socializing

25. I know how to start and maintain friendship

26. I make myself attractive to others

57

27. I get rid of fear of social situationC. Career Preferences:

STATEMENTStrongly

Agree Agree Uncertain DisagreeStrongly Disagree

17. I am confident that I can handle responsibilities without constant assistance

18. Once I make plans, I am almost certain to make them work

19. I am satisfied with my achievements

20. I am a person who can take risks21. I know that I can handle my work better if

I’m alone

22. I prefer a more challenging job23. I can identify personal skills, interests and

abilities and relate them to career choice24. I can identify career areas that fit my skills,

abilities, and interests25. I understand the relationship between

educational achievement and career success

26. I apply decision – making skills to career planning, course selection and career transition

27. I use employability and job readiness skills in internship, and other work experience

28. I can explain how work can help to achieve personal success and satisfaction

29. I learn how to work cooperatively with others as a team member

30. I demonstrate knowledge of the career – planning process

31. I develop a positive attitude toward work and learning

32. I understand the importance of responsibility, dependability, punctuality, intensity, and effort in the workplace

58

Appendix B

LETTER TO THE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF NURSING

Republic of the PhilippinesUniversity of Northern Philippines

College of Nursing

March 8, 2011

Prof. Brigida F. de LeonDean, College of NursingUniversity of Northern PhilippinesVigan City

Madam:

We would like to request permission from your good office to float the questionnaire to gather data needed for our research work entitled Psychosocial Concerns of Middle Children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur.

This study will enable us to complete the requirements for the degree, Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

The kind and favorable action that your office shall take on the above request shall be greatly appreciated.

Very truly yours,

Sgd. Cardenas, Sheena T.Sgd. Bonaobra, Marie Christine Joy P.

Sgd. Mendoza, Maybelle Ann R.Sgd. Omaoeng, Suzette R.

Sgd. Palaca, Haydee Marie A.Sgd. Tactay, Melody A.

Noted:

Sgd. THEA C. TURQUEZA, MAN, RN Adviser

59

Appendix C

LETTER TO THE MUNICIPAL MAYORRepublic of the Philippines

University of Northern PhilippinesCollege of Nursing

March 10, 2011Hon. Sammy ParillaMunicipal MayorBantay, Ilocos Sur

Sir:

Greetings!

The undersigned Bachelor of Science in Nursing Third Year Students of the University of Northern Philippines are conducting a research study entitled Psychosocial Concerns of Middle Children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur.

Barangays 1, 4, 6, Sagpat and Tay – Ac were chosen as our areas of study. In this regard, may we ask permission to conduct the study in the said barangays among the respondents.

Thank you for your assistance. Very truly yours,

Sgd. Cardenas, Sheena T.Sgd. Bonaobra, Marie Christine Joy P.

Sgd. Mendoza, Maybelle Ann R.Sgd. Omaoeng, Suzette R.

Sgd. Palaca, Haydee Marie A.Sgd. Tactay, Melody A.

Noted:

Sgd. THEA C. TURQUEZA, MAN, RN Adviser

Approved:Sgd. BRIGIDA F. DE LEON, MN, RN

Dean, College of Nursing

60

Appendix D

LETTER TO THE BARANGAY CAPTAINS

Republic of the PhilippinesUNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN PHILIPPINES

Vigan City

COLLEGE OF NURSING

March 13, 2011

Barangay Capt. Percival VicencioBarangay IBantay, Ilocos Sur

Sir,

Greetings of peace and joy!

The undersigned Bachelor of Science in Nursing Third Year Students of the University of Northern Philippines are conducting a research study entitled “Psychosocial Concerns of Middle Children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur”.

Barangay I is chosen as one of our areas of study. In this regard, may we ask your permission to conduct the study in your barangay among the respondents.

Thank you for your assistance.

Respectfully yours,

Sgd. Cardenas, Sheena T.Sgd. Bonaobra, Marie Christine Joy P.

Sgd. Mendoza, Maybelle Ann R.Sgd. Omaoeng, Suzette R.

Sgd. Palaca, Haydee Marie A.Sgd. Tactay, Melody A.

61

Republic of the PhilippinesUNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN PHILIPPINES

Vigan City

COLLEGE OF NURSING

March 12, 2011

Barangay Capt. Reino JarigueBarangay VIBantay, Ilocos Sur

Sir,

Greetings of peace and joy!

The undersigned Bachelor of Science in Nursing Third Year Students of the University of Northern Philippines are conducting a research study entitled “Psychosocial Concerns of Middle Children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur”.

Barangay VI is chosen as one of our areas of study. In this regard, may we ask your permission to conduct the study in your barangay among the respondents.

Thank you for your assistance.

Respectfully yours,

Sgd. Cardenas, Sheena T.Sgd. Bonaobra, Marie Christine Joy P.

Sgd. Mendoza, Maybelle Ann R.Sgd. Omaoeng, Suzette R.

Sgd. Palaca, Haydee Marie A.Sgd. Tactay, Melody A.

62

Republic of the PhilippinesUNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN PHILIPPINES

Vigan City

COLLEGE OF NURSING

March 12, 2011

Barangay Capt. Hilario PaetBarangay Tay-acBantay, Ilocos Sur

Sir,

Greetings of peace and joy!

The undersigned Bachelor of Science in Nursing Third Year Students of the University of Northern Philippines are conducting a research study entitled “Psychosocial Concerns of Middle Children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur”.

Barangay Tay-ac is chosen as one of our areas of study. In this regard, may we ask your permission to conduct the study in your barangay among the respondents.

Thank you for your assistance.

Respectfully yours,

Sgd. Cardenas, Sheena T.Sgd. Bonaobra, Marie Christine Joy P.

Sgd. Mendoza, Maybelle Ann R.Sgd. Omaoeng, Suzette R.

Sgd. Palaca, Haydee Marie A.Sgd. Tactay, Melody A.

63

Republic of the PhilippinesUNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN PHILIPPINES

Vigan City

COLLEGE OF NURSING

March 13, 2011

Barangay Capt. Rolly PacpacoBarangay SagpatBantay, Ilocos Sur

Sir,

Greetings of peace and joy!

The undersigned Bachelor of Science in Nursing Third Year Students of the University of Northern Philippines are conducting a research study entitled “Psychosocial Concerns of Middle Children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur”.

Barangay Sagpat is chosen as one of our areas of study. In this regard, may we ask your permission to conduct the study in your barangay among the respondents.

Thank you for your assistance.

Respectfully yours,

Sgd. Cardenas, Sheena T.Sgd. Bonaobra, Marie Christine Joy P.

Sgd. Mendoza, Maybelle Ann R.Sgd. Omaoeng, Suzette R.

Sgd. Palaca, Haydee Marie A.Sgd. Tactay, Melody A.

64

Appendix E

VALIDATION LETTER

PSYCHOSOCIAL CONCERNS OF MIDDLE CHILD

Name: Loida AlconcelPosition: Middle Child Mother

Direction: Kindly indicate the extent to which the questionnaire is able to identify the psychosocial concerns of middle children using the following scale:

5= very much

4= much

3= average

2= poor

1= very poor

Items 5 4 3 2 11. Are the items included in the questionnaire clear, concise, and easily understood?2. Do the items included in the questionnaire adequately measures the level of psychosocial concern of middle children?3. Are the items included in the questionnaire enough to measure the significant relationship between the personal profile and parental profile and psychosocial concern of middle children?

Comments/ Suggestions:

The items in the questionnaire are clear and briefly stated. Congratulations__________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sgd. Loida Alconcel

EVALUATOR

65

VALIDATION LETTER

PSYCHOSOCIAL CONCERNS OF MIDDLE CHILD

Name: Eva Marie C. AvilaPosition:

Direction: Kindly indicate the extent to which the questionnaire is able to identify the psychosocial concerns of middle children using the following scale:

5= very much

4= much

3= average

2= poor

1= very poor

Items 5 4 3 2 11. Are the items included in the questionnaire clear, concise, and easily understood?2. Do the items included in the questionnaire adequately measures the level of psychosocial concern of middle children?3. Are the items included in the questionnaire enough to measure the significant relationship between the personal profile and parental profile and psychosocial concern of middle children?

Comments/ Suggestions:

______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sgd. Eva Marie C. Avila

EVALUATOR

66

VALIDATION LETTER

PSYCHOSOCIAL CONCERNS OF MIDDLE CHILD

Name: Elton OngPosition: Neurologist

Direction: Kindly indicate the extent to which the questionnaire is able to identify the psychosocial concerns of middle children using the following scale:

5= very much

4= much

3= average

2= poor

1= very poor

Items 5 4 3 2 11. Are the items included in the questionnaire clear, concise, and easily understood?2. Do the items included in the questionnaire adequately measures the level of psychosocial concern of middle children?3. Are the items included in the questionnaire enough to measure the significant relationship between the personal profile and parental profile and psychosocial concern of middle children?

Comments/ Suggestions:

Ok except for some typos/errors, however I’d like to see questions responding feelings of middle child in relationship to other siblings.________________________________________________

Sgd. Elton Ong

EVALUATOR

67

Appendix F

LETTER TO THE RESPONDENTS

Republic of the PhilippinesUNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN PHILIPPINES

Vigan City

COLLEGE OF NURSING

March 13, 2011

To the respondents:

Greetings of peace and joy!

The undersigned Bachelor of Science in Nursing Third Year Students of the University of Northern Philippines are conducting a research study entitled “Psychosocial Concerns of Middle Children in Bantay, Ilocos Sur”.

In this regard, may we ask your help by answering a survey form related to our study. We are looking forward to your favorable approval regarding the aforementioned request.

Thank you and God bless!

Respectfully yours,

Sgd. Cardenas, Sheena T.

Sgd. Bonaobra, Marie Christine Joy P.Sgd. Mendoza, Maybelle Ann R.

Sgd. Omaoeng, Suzette R.Sgd. Palaca, Haydee Marie A.

Sgd. Tactay, Melody A.Noted:

Sgd. THEA TURQUEZA, MAN, RNAdviser

Sgd. PROF. BRIGIDA F. DE LEON, MAN, RNDean, College of Nursing

68

Appendix G

CURRICULUM VITAEName: Sheena Tating Cardenas

Age: 20 years old

Address: Cabangaran, Santa, Ilocos Sur

Date of Birth: July 11, 1991

Sex: Female

Civil Status: Single

Religion: Roman Catholic

Parents:

Mr. Edmund G. Cardenas

Mrs.Maria T. Cardenas

Siblings:

Brother: Kelvin Heirold T. Cardenas

Sisters: Crystal T. Cardenas

Ruffa Mae T. Cardenas

Educational BAckground:

Primary: Basug Community School

Secondary: Ilocos Sur National High School

College: University of Northern Philippines

Course: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Motto: “Don’t believe in your doubts but don’t doubt your beliefs.”

“We can go farther than we can alone.”

69

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Marie Christine Joy Piano Bonaobra

Age: 20 years old

Address: Capangpangan. Vigan City

Date of Birth: September 8, 1991

Sex: Female

Civil Status: Single

Religion: Roman Catholic

Parents:

Mr. Bonifacio Bonaobra

Mrs. Marietta Bonaobra

Sibling:

Brother: Ronnie Bonaobra, Bonifacio Bonaobra III

Jomarie Bonaobra

Sisters: Girlie Mandapat, Rosalinda Bonaobra

Marie Grace Bonaobra, Wilhelm Bonaobra

Educational Background:

Primary: Capangpangan Elementary School

Secondary: Ilocos Sur National High School

College: University of Northern Philippines

Course: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Motto: “Think only of the BEST, work only for the BEST and expect only the BEST! “

70

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Maybelle Ann Rabago Mendoza

Age: 19 years old

Address: Ayusan NorteVigan City

Date of Birth: February 18, 1992

Sex: Female

Civil Status: Single

Religion: Roman Catholic

Parents:

Mr. Manuel P. Mendoza Sr.

Mrs. Florencia Mendoza

Sibling:

Brother: Michael Mendoza, Manuel Mendoza Jr.

Mark Khean Mendoza

Sisters: Michelle Mendoza

Maris Cris Mendoza

Educational Background:

Primary: Burgos Memorial School West

Secondary: Ilocos Sur National High School

College: University of Northern Philippines

Course: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Motto: “With God, all things are possible”

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CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Suzette Requilman Omaoeng

Age: 20 years old

Address: Poblacion, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Date of Birth: September 7, 1991

Sex: Female

Civil Status: Single

Religion: Roman Catholic

Parents:

Mr. Samuel G. Omaoeng

Mrs. Angela R. Omaoeng

Sibling:

Sisters: Sally Veronica O. Ruaro

Shirley Omaoeng

Sharon Omaoeng

Educational Background:

Primary: San Vicente Central School

Secondary: Ilocos Sur National High School

College: University of Northern Philippines

Course: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Motto: “Put your trust in the Lord and go ahead, worry gets you no place.”

“God is good all the time”

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CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Haydee Marie Antiporda Palaca

Age: 19 years old

Address: Aguila’s Compound, Ayusan Norte, Vigan City

Date of Birth: February 04, 1992

Sex: Female

Civil Status: Single

Religion: Roman Catholic

Parents:

Mr. Roy B. Palaca

Mrs. Heidi A. Palaca

Sibling:

Brother: Michael Roi A. Palaca

Educational Background:

Primary: Divine Word College of Vigan

Secondary: Ilocos Sur National High School

College: University of Northern Philippines

Course: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Motto: “Everything happens for a reason”

“Live life to the fullest”

“God is good, all the time”

“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.”

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CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Melody Aboy Tactay

Age: 20 years old

Address: Quimmarayan, Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur

Date of Birth: November 29, 1991

Sex: Female

Civil Status: Single

Religion: Roman Catholic

Parents:

Mr. Medardo R. Tactay

Mrs. Emely A. Tactay

Sibling:

Brother: Wilson A. Tactay, Franklyn A. Tactay

Joan A. Tactay

Sisters: Mary Jane T. Jaramillo

Angelica A. Tactay

Educational Background:

Primary: Quimmarayan Elementary School

Secondary: Lussoc National High School

College: University of Northern Philippines

Course: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Motto: “To fail means you’ve TRIED! To hurt means you’ve LOVED! To survive means you’ve LEARNED! Life is not a coincidence. It’s an echo of what we invest”

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

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