Roles of father-child relationship, intellectual functioning and social self-efficacy on mental health of undergraduates in Port Harcourt

Abstract

As students strive to excel in their academic and social endeavours, attention is hardly given to their mental health. Mental health is an integral part of one’s life often neglected which later results to depression, suicide and other psychological issues. This study investigated roles of father-child relationship, intellectual functioning and social self-efficacy on mental health of undergraduate students. Data were collected using cross-sectional survey design from a simple random sample of 237 (174 female and 65 male) undergraduate students in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, with age range of 17- 32years. Participants completed self-report measures of Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), Perceived Social Self-Efficacy (PSSE) and Mental Health Index (MHI). Four hypotheses were postulated and tested using Hierarchical Multiple Regression Statistics. Results showed that father care did not significantly predict mental health and father over protection did not significantly predict mental health. Results further showed that intellectual functioning did not significantly predict mental health.  However, social self-efficacy had a positive, predictive relationship with mental health. Discussion highlighted the need to implement psychotherapy and social skills programs that will promote positive mental health of students in tertiary institutions.