The perceived effects of heavy traffic on subjective well-being and the coping mechanisms used to adapt

• Main Authors: Luces, Alexandra Kay S., Santos, Lorenzo Martin A., Sison, Lorenzo Mauro, Yuvallos, Janna Rei R.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2017
• Subjects: Traffic congestion > Philippines > Psychological aspects; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/9336
• Institution: De La Salle University

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived effects of heavy traffic on the subjective well-being of young professional Filipino drivers, specially millennials, who experience heavy traffic to and from work on a day-to-day basis. In the same way, another purpose of this study was to learn what coping strategies these drivers practice to adapt to the ways that traffic affects them and their everyday lives. The phenomenal qualitative method was utilized through one-on-one interviews. Result were analyzed using thematic analysis. It was found that the prominent themes of the perceived effects of traffic were frustrations, stress, exhaustion, anger, missing out on social gatherings, and hopelessness. Equally important, it was found that the prominent coping strategies that drivers used while they were stuck in traffic were distractions from traffic, accepting/adapting, and being productive. Finally, in order to cope with the effects of traffic on their work, respondents practiced time compensation.