Volume_5_Issue_1_Digest

10 TPC Digest The researcher of the present study aimed to depict the socio-demographic characteristics and life circumstances of a group of women miners in the Philippines in terms of their psychosocial well-being in order to formulate a self-efficacy enhancement program to respond to the particular needs of the women miners. The researcher utilized a descriptive multiple case study research design. In-depth qualitative data were gathered from the 14 women to capture their individual life circumstances and the impact of small-scale mining on their life experiences and psychosocial functioning. The women miners’ individual life aspirations also were encapsulated to provide a clearer picture of their coping, persistence and management of their situation. Data were gathered through the respondents’ journal entries, outputs during the structured learning exercises and the transcripts from the focus group discussion. This study was conducted in the Municipality of Banaybanay, Province of Davao Oriental, Southern Philippines, where small-scale mining of raw magnesite rocks is prevalent. According to the women miners, they can bear the heat of the sun, the hazards at work and the workload at home in order to preserve their family and provide what they need. Their husbands’ income is not enough for the family’s basic needs, typical of the life conditions of the rural poor. The work is back-breaking and long, and includes quarrying the rocks through sharp blows of a hammer and wedge, hitting the rocks in succession to break them into small pieces, and packing them in a sack that should weigh no less than 50 kilos. Each sack is bought for 10 pesos (Philippine money) by a local buyer; the women lug the heavy sacks to the buyer’s loading area themselves. The average target for each woman is 25 sacks per day to sustain daily family needs. Based on the data drawn from the survey of psychosocial health status, the women artisanal miners’ daily experience of multiple burdens is clear. Despite their attitude of perseverance, their efforts seem to have low impact in improving their life circumstances. It is evident in the presented individual case studies that the women artisanal miners perform multiple roles, as a mother, wife, grandmother, household manager and miner. Read full article and references: Visaya-Ceniza, R. A. (2015). Dig to live: An investigation of the psychological well-being of women miners in Davao Oriental, southeastern Philippines. The Professional Counselor , 5 , 91–99. doi:10.15241/rav.5.1.91 Data showed that the stress management styles of the women miners have high impact with regard to viewing the future. The women remain optimistic and hopeful. For coping techniques employed, one participant stated that watching television series is a common means of relaxation among the women in the community. Watching television provides an opportunity for sympathetic catharsis and brings the stress to a manageable level. Since these women are willing to sacrifice for their families, there is a great need for them to be nurtured in terms of their attitude to persist. Though they have the determination to keep on going, they also need to recharge from time to time. This ability to manage the toll of their physical and psychological load would lead them to a sense of self-efficacy. Having a sense of self- efficacy would hopefully allow them to select challenging settings and explore their environments or create new ones. The author previously published portions of this article titled “An Exploration of the Psychosocial Health Status of Women Artisanal Miners in Mindanao, Philippines” in Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 91, 505–514. Rose Anelyn Visaya-Ceniza is the Head of the Guidance Counseling and Testing Center of the Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology, Guang-Guang, Dahican, and is a practicing psychologist at St. Camillus Hospital of Mati, Inc. Correspondence can be addressed to Madang, 8200 Mati City, Davao Oriental, Philippines, roseanelyn@yahoo.com. Dig to Live An Investigation of the Psychological Well-Being of Women Miners in Davao Oriental, Southeastern Philippines Rose Anelyn Visaya-Ceniza