Job-Seeking Anxiety Resilience and Family Influence on Career Decision-Making among Senior Undergraduate Students in Southern Thailand during the COVID -19 Pandemic

Napakkawat  Buathong; Nattapong 	 Pattanalertpaiboon; Kanokpit  Wattanapaiboon; Jeerapat  Piriyakoontorn; Chutikarn  Thaweechai; Pratsara  Pinkaew; Phurinut  Sriket; Warat  Setasuban; Suppanut  Komjakraphan

doi:10.33192/Smj.2021.48

Authors

Napakkawat Buathong Department of Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6753-8567
Nattapong Pattanalertpaiboon Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9360-0184
Kanokpit Wattanapaiboon Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9905-6140
Jeerapat Piriyakoontorn Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8349-9817
Chutikarn Thaweechai Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2436-1359
Pratsara Pinkaew Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1640-9495
Phurinut Sriket Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8596-0104
Warat Setasuban Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9021-3445
Suppanut Komjakraphan Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5133-8595

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33192/Smj.2021.48

Keywords:

COVID-19, family influence, job-seeking anxiety, resilience quotient

Abstract

Objective: A study of job-seeking anxiety, resilience quotient and family influence on career decision-making is apparently lacking; especially in regards to the impact of the financial crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other factors, such as the political climate currently in Thailand. This study aimed to determine job-seeking anxiety, resilience quotient and family influence on career decision-making and related factors among senior, undergraduate university students.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in a university in Southern Thailand; from May to October, 2020. Two hundred and seventy-one participants completed questionnaires regarding personal and parental demographic characteristics, resilience, family influence scale, job-seeking self-perception and job-seeking anxiety.
Results: The prevalence of job-seeking anxiety among participants was low (40%), moderate (50%) and high (10%). In univariate analysis, factors significantly associated with job-seeking anxiety were: female gender (p=0.03), effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, economics and the current, political situation Thailand (p=0.03), resilience quotient (p<0.001) and job-seeking self-perception (p<0.001). The predictors of job-seeking anxiety, from multivariate analysis, were: resilience quotient (β = -1.169, P<0.001) and job-seeking self-perception (β = 2.232, P<0.001).
Conclusion: Our study provided evidences that a significant proportion of senior, undergraduate students had experienced job-seeking anxiety, with the protective factor of job-seeking anxiety being individual resilience quotient. This information could be used as an effective management strategy for providing mental health promotion, and prevention for senior, undergraduate university students.

References

1. Spielberger CD. Theory and research on anxiety. Anxiety and behavior. New York: Academic press; 1966.
2. Nitayaporn B. The prevalence of anxiety disorder in Thai people by department of mental health [internet]. 2018 [cited 2020 oct 28]. Available from: https://www.dmh.go.th/news-dmh/view.asp?id=28235
3. Ua-ariyapanichkul P, Nimnual C. Anxiety about job application in senior undergraduate students. Chula Med J 2011;55(4):367-80.
4. The career decision making [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2020 oct 28 ]. Available from: http://lb3.mol.go.th/ewt_news.php?nid=137
5. Kunnen ES. The effect of a career choice guidance on self-reported psychological problems. Front Psychol 2014;5:1-8.
6. ILO. COVID-19 employment and labour market impact in Thailand [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2020 Oct 27]. Available from: https://www.un.or.th/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Impact-Assessment-of-COVID-19-on-employment-and-labour-market-in-Thailand-.pdf.
7. Jatchavala C. Higher Education Studies in the Restive Areas of Thailand’s Southern Insurgency: A Comparison of Resilience among Students at the Pattani Campus and a Nearby Province. Med & Health 2020;15:96-105.
8. Department of mental health and Ministry of Public Health. Resilience Quotient. 4th ed. nonthaburi: beyond publishing; 2020.
9. Fouad N, Kim S-y, Ghosh A, Chang W, Figueiredo C. Family Influence on Career Decision Making. J Career Assess 2015;24(1):197-212.
10. Suppapitiporn S, Taesilapasatit C, Buathong N. Depression and Family Influence on Career Development of Students Passing the University Admission for Medical Education Program. Journal of the Psychiatric Association of Thailand. 2017;62(1):35-46.
11. R-3.5.1 for Windows [internet].2020 [cited 2021 Mar 16]. Available from: https://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/old/3.5.1/
12 Cohen’s Conventions for Small, Medium, and Large Effects [internet]. 2020 [cited 2021 Mar 16]. Available from: http://core.ecu.edu/psyc/wuenschk/docs30/EffectSizeConventions.pdf.
13 Hou F, Bi F, Jiao R, Luo D, Song X. Gender differences of depression and anxiety among social media users during the COVID-19 outbreak in China: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2020;20(1):1648.
14. National Statistical Office Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. The report of employment statistics survey in august 2020. Bangkok 2020.
15. National Statistical and Office Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. Data for unemployment rate [internet]. 2020 [cited 2020 Oct 28]. Available from: https://www.bot.or.th/App/BIZSHR/stat/DataSeries/30.
16. Choi J, Ju S, Kim K-S, Kim M, Kim H, Yu M. A Study on Korean University Students' Depression and Anxiety. Indian J Sci Technol 2015;8(S8):1-9.
17. Creswell C, O'Connor T, Brewin C. The Impact of Parents' Expectations on Parenting Behaviour: An Experimental Investigation. Behav Cogn Psychother. 2008; 36:483-90.
18. Chernomas W, Shapiro C. Stress, Depression, and Anxiety among Undergraduate Nursing Students. Int J Nurs Educ Scholarsh. 2013 Nov 7;10:/j/ijnes.2013.10.issue-1/ijnes-2012-0032/ijnes-2012-0032.xml. doi: 10.1515/ijnes-2012-0032. PMID: 24200536.
19. Graydon MM, Linkenauger SA, Teachman BA, Proffitt DR. Scared stiff: the influence of anxiety on the perception of action capabilities. Cogn Emot 2012;26(7):1301-15.
20. Sood S, Sharma A. Resilience and Psychological Well-Being of Higher Education Students During COVID-19: The Mediating Role of Perceived Distress. J Health Manag 2021.1-12. doi:10.1177/0972063420983111
21. Tiensirirek P. Self-esteem and Anxiety of Job Application of undergraduate students at faculty of arts, Chulalongkorn University [master's thesis]. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University; 2019.
22. Fincham JE. Response rates and responsiveness for surveys, standards, and the Journal. Am J Pharm Educ 2008;72(2):43. doi: 10.5688/aj720243. PMID: 18483608; PMCID: PMC2384218.
23. PeoplePulse™ - Online Survey Software | Australian Survey Software. Survey Response Rates [internet]. 2020 [cited 2020 oct 28]. Available from: https://peoplepulse.com/resources/useful-articles/survey-response-rates/.