Interview Questions
1. Please can you tell me a little about yourself? I.e. age, current role/status, and daily responsibilities.
2. What does a typical day look like for you in terms of study/work and other responsibilities?
3. How would you describe your current financial situation and major day-to-day challenges?
4. When you think about emotional stress, what does it mean to you personally?*
5. Can you describe a time when you felt emotionally stressed recently? And what was happening at
that time?
6. What emotional experiences did you notice? e.g., worry, anxiety, sadness, frustration, guilt, fear,
hopelessness.
7. How did emotional stress affect your thinking and decision-making?
8. What physical symptoms or bodily changes do you associate with stress?
9. Can you describe how your body feels during stressful periods? e.g., fatigue, headaches, sleep
problems, weakness, appetite changes.
10. How has this physical stress affected your daily functioning? e.g., concentration, energy,
work/study ability
11. Which physical symptoms feel most difficult to manage, and why?
[Link] are emotional and physical stress connected in your experience?
(For example: “Does emotional worry lead to physical symptoms?” or “Does physical exhaustion
increase emotional distress?”)
13. Can you share an example where one affected the other? What did that cycle look like?
14. When you face emotional and physical stress, what do you do to cope?
15. What strategies have helped you the most? Why do you think they help?
16. Are there coping strategies you use that do not help much or even make things worse?
- If yes: How do you notice it is not working?
17. How do you choose which coping strategy to use in that moment? e.g., based on time, energy,
money, support, availability
18. Do you mostly try to change the situation, or manage your feelings about it—or both?
19. Give examples of strategies you use to manage the problem. e.g., planning, seeking information,
budgeting, job searching, studying routines
20. Give examples of strategies you use to manage emotions.e.g., relaxation, prayer, staying hopeful,
self-talk, avoiding distress
21. Who supports you during stressful times? E.g family, friends, peers, teachers, community,
coworkers)
22. How does that support help you? (emotional comfort, practical help, advice, listening)
23. Have you ever felt you did NOT have enough support? What happened then?
24. Do you seek help from others, or do you usually manage stress on your own? Why?
25. Do cultural beliefs or religious/spiritual practices influence how you cope with stress?
26. What role does faith/spirituality play in your coping?
(comfort, hope, acceptance, motivation, community support)
27. Are there cultural expectations about “how people should cope”? How do they affect you?
28. What makes coping difficult for you?(money, time, health, family responsibilities, lack of services)
29. Have you faced any barriers in accessing mental or physical health support?Explain.
30. What coping strategies are limited because of your circumstances?
me?
31. Do coping strategies bring relief immediately, or do they help more slowly?
32. What long-term effects have you noticed* on your emotional well-being and physical health?
33. If you could change one thing about your coping/support system, what would it be?