Practicum Psychologia

Depressive Symptoms Among University Undergraduates In Southeast Nigeria

Kennedy Ndubuisi Elechi, Chukwuemeka A.F Okoye — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The study explored pathological gambling and social media addiction as predictors of depressive symptoms among university undergraduates in southeast Nigeria. Four hundred and sixty (460) participants, comprising 280 (60.9%) males and 180 (39.1%)
females who were selected through purposive sampling technique participated in the study. Their ages ranged from 18 to 24 years, with a mean age of 20.5 years and standard deviation of 4.5 years. The instruments used for data collection were South Oaks Gambling Screen, Internet Addiction Test and Beck Depression Inventory. The design adopted in the study was a predictive design while multiple linear regression was adopted for data analysis. Three hypotheses were tested, and the result revealed that the first hypothesis which stated that pathological gambling would significantly predict depressive symptoms among university undergraduates was accepted at F = 216.706, β=.572: t =15.062, P<.01. Also, the second hypothesis which stated that social media addiction would significantly predict depressive symptoms among university undergraduates was accepted at F= 216.706, β=.221; t =5.818, P<.01. Furthermore, the third hypothesis which stated that Pathological gambling and social media addiction would jointly and significantly predict depressive symptoms among undergraduates was accepted at F = 216.706, R = .702, R2 = .492, p< .01. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended among others that that Students should be given proper orientation about the psychological and economic negative implications of gambling.

Emotional Regulation and Impulsivity as Predictors of Offender’S Status (Recidivism and Non Recidivism) Among Inmates In Awka Correctional Service.

Ijeoma Blessing Nweke, Harry Obi-Nwosu, Okechukwu Christian Onuoha — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Crime is a complex human phenomenon that has no universal approach in handling across cultures, religion or even countries. Nonetheless, incarceration is somewhat a global approach in managing violent offenders; aiming at extinguishing their criminal behaviour. Some offenders withdraw from crime after serving their first conviction while others go on and even become more hardened; leading to multiple incarcerations at different times, necessitating the search for psychological factors, (emotional regulation and impulsivity) that predict offender’s status. 103 inmates in Awka Correctional Service participated in this study and they were all Christians and all male. Their age ranged from 18 to 45 years with mean age of 30.3 and standard deviation of 8.8. Among the 103 inmates, 83 (80.6%) were single while 20 (19.4%) were married. 28 (27.2%) were employed before incarceration while 75 (72.8%) were unemployed. 17 (16.5%) among them have Tertiary education, 76 (73.8%) have O, level, while 10 (9.7%) have first school leaving certificate. 48 (46.6%) were recidivist while 55 (53.4%) were none-recidivist. Two instruments were used for data collection: Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. The research design was a correlational design while Binary logistic regression was adopted for analyses of the data. The result showed that Emotional regulation such as cognitive appraisal (β = -.090; OR = .914 with 95% CI (.861, .969)) significantly predicted offenders’ status; nonetheless, emotional suppression was not associated with any increase in offenders’ status. Impulsivity also significantly predicted offender’s status at (β = -.090; OR = .914 with 95% CI (.861, .969)). Lastly, emotional regulation and impulsivity jointly predicted offender’s status at χ2(8, 103) = 49.984, p < .01. Hence, it was recommended that family members of inmates should pay more attention to their psychological needs.

Self-compassion and Empathic Concerns as Correlates of Prosocial Behaviour Among Youths in Awka Metropolis

C.U. Obi, Michael Anyaegbunam, K.O Nweke, C.F Ifedigbo, C Nwakasi — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigated self-compassion and empathic concern as correlates of prosocial behavior among youths in Awka metropolis. A total of 188 participants were systematically drawn from a list of youths who applied for the Anambara state small scale business start up loan at the Ministry of Spots and Youth Empowerment who reside in Awka metropolis. 81 of the participants were male while 107 were females. They included 89 students, 34 civil servants, 42 self employed and 15 unemployed. The age of the participants ranged from 19 to 35 years with the mean age of 22.7 and a standard deviation of 4.35. Three instruments were used for data collection, namely: Self-compassion Scale (SCS), Empathic Subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and Self Report Altruism scale (SRAS). Correlational design and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis were used for design and appropriate statistics respectively. The result revealed that: a) a positive significant relationship between self compassion and prosocial behavior r=.58, p<.05; b) a positive significant relationship between empathic concern and prosocial behavior at r=.17, p<.05. Based on the findings, it was recommended that parents, religious leaders and other religious agents of socialization should set examples and also get youths to engage in various practical community services in order to help inspire them to participate in helping.

Personality Traits, Self-Efficacy, Family Support And Knowledge Of Illness As Predictors Of Adaptive Coping Among Breast Cancer Patients

Cynthia N.C. Udeze, Michael O Ezenwa, Harry Obi-Nwosu, David O. Iloma — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The study examined personality traits, self-efficacy, family support and knowledge of illness as predictors of adaptive coping among breast cancer. A total of one hundred and fifty (150) medically diagnosed breast cancer women who were present at Nnamdi Azikiwe University and St. Charles Borromeo Hospital Onitsha and have accepted to participate formed the sample of the study. Their ages ranged from 35 years-60 years with a mean age of 40 years and standard deviation of 6.28. The Big Five Personality by John, Donahue & Kentle(1991), General Self-efficacy Scale by Jerusalem and Schwarzer (1992), Family Support Scale by Procidano and Heller (2003) and Adaptive Coping Inventory by Kohn, O’Brien-Wood, Pickering and Decicco (2003) were used for data collection. The Multiple Linear Regression Analysis was used to test the four hypotheses. The first hypothesis which started that “Personality traits would significantly and positively predict adaptive coping among breast cancer patient” was not endorsed (t=.09, p<.93). The second hypothesis which stated that “Self-efficacy would significantly and positively predict adaptive coping among breast cancer patient” was upheld (t=2.49, p<.01). The third hypothesis which stated that “Family support would significantly and positively predict adaptive coping among breast cancer patients was not sustained (t=.46, p<.64). The fourth hypothesis which stated that knowledge of illness would significantly and positively predict adaptive coping among breast cancer patients” was not upheld (t=.67, p<.51). The researcher recommended qualitative studies that dig deep into the reason behind the non-significant prediction of some of the studied variable especially personality and knowledge of illness.

Economic Locus of Control and Emotional Intelligence As Correlates Of Money Attitude Among University Students

Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Recently, Nigerian industries and organizations have lost a huge amount of both human and material resources, due to young adults/university students’ attitude towards money. For instance, their quest for money usually motivates them to indulge in different morally atrocious activities like internet fraud, armed robbery, prostitution, vandalization of organizational resources for their own selfish interest and stagnation of justice to the detriment of the poor in the society. Meanwhile past literatures have shown no known scientific study on the contributing factors that aid in the developing money attitude among young adult/university students in African culture, such as south-eastern Nigeria. Hence, the current study investigated emotional intelligence and economics locus of control as correlates of money attitude using ninety-two (92) participants randomly drawn from two faculties (Law and Social sciences) in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. They were made up 48 males (representing 52.2%) and 44 females (representing 47.8%), with their mean age of 29.90 and standard deviation of 6.10. A 29-item money attitude scale by Yamauchi and Templer (1982), a 40-item economic locus of control scale by Furnham (1986) and 17-item emotional intelligence scale by Baron and Parker (2000) was use for the study. Using Pearson moment correlation statistics two hypotheses were tested. The findings indicated that the first hypothesis which stated that there would be a positive relationship between money attitude and economic locus of control was confirmed at (r = .641, p <.00). Also, the findings indicated that the second hypothesis which stated that there would be a positive
relationship between money attitude and emotional intelligence was accepted at (r = .280, <.00). The study findings implies that young adult who exhibited internal economic locus of control and also in control of their emotional intelligence exhibit strong sense of money attitude. It was recommended that government should invest more on research, workshops and seminars on the means of boasting young adult/university students’ emotional intelligence, economic locus of control and also means of positively influencing people’s attitude toward money.

Cyber Security Practices in Public Universities in South-East Nigeria

Chilaka Stephen Chikwendu, Nneka Perpetua Oli — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The study examined cyber security practices in public universities in south-east Nigeria. Different public universities are employing various forms cyber security practices in order to protect their information from being compromised by cyber-attacks. This study seeks to find out the cyber security practices these public universities put in place to protect their cyber space. A mixed methods research design was adopted in the study. The sample size of the study was 985. Quantitative and qualitative instruments were used to collect data in the study. A questionnaire was developed to collect quantitative data, while an IDI Guide was used to collect the qualitative data. The data were processed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Descriptive statistics, such as simple percentages, frequency tables, and graphic illustrations, were used to analyze the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Findings from the study show that password protection is the most common cyber security practice employed by public universities in southeast Nigeria to protect data/information at their disposal from cyber-attacks. The study recommends that universities that do not have cyber security practices should come up with one for their employees. The universities should design and circulate clearly articulated cyber security practices that will guide staff conduct over the cyber space whenever they are working with university computers, gadgets or platforms.

Effectiveness of Group Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy on Frequency of Substance Use and Depression among Substance Use Disorder Patients in Nigeria

Nkechi A Chukwuemeka, Chidozie E Nwafor, Harry Obi-Nwosu — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Substance use disorder is a global problem that can have a detrimental impact on individuals' health and professional lives. While the effect of group rational emotive behavioral therapy has been reported in most Western countries, little is known about the effectiveness of group rational emotive behavioral therapy on the frequency of substance use and depression among substance use disorder patients in Nigeria. This study investigated the efficacy of a 10-week group REBT on depression among substance use disorder patients in Nigeria. The study also adopted a randomized controlled pre-test and post-test design. Twenty substance use disorder patients were randomly assigned to two groups: GREBT Group (n = 10) and the Control Group (n=10). The GREBT group received 10-week 90-minute GREBT sessions once a week while CG was kept busy by the nurses with daily routine activities during experimental sessions. The assessment was carried out for both groups at baseline (pre-test), after the intervention (post-test), and one-month follow-up with measures of the Psychoactive Substance Use Questionnaire (PSUQ) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The results showed that participants in the GREBT group had decreased frequency of
substance intake and depressive symptoms at post-treatment and one-month follow-up compared to the participants in the CG. GREBT provided strong evidence on the frequency of substance use at post-treatment and one-month follow-up. Constant practice of GREBT led to a significant change in the frequency of substance use. It was suggested that comprehensive treatment and proper management of the patients significantly change the frequency of substance use. The implications of the study were discussed in line with the use of psychological treatments such as GREBT in the management of substance use disorder and depression among substance use disorder patients. This treatment is highly needed in hospitals where drug patients receive treatment.

Perceived Employability and Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy As Predictors Of Entrepreneurial Intention Among University Graduates in Anambra State

Rachael Amaka Okafor, Bernard Chukwukelue Chine, Tochukwu Matthew Oguegbe — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigated perceived employability and entrepreneurial self-efficacy as predictors of entrepreneurial intention among university graduates and job seekers in Anambra state, Nigeria. Recently, the increasing rate of unemployment plaguing most nation of the world is alarming, being an entrepreneur is challenging, half of all startups fail within the first four years and only about 25 per cent survive the first ten. Therefore, the need to consider entrepreneurial intentions is significant for nation building. The analysis found out that there are many factors such as poor enabling business environment, lack of capital, poor business facilities, stringent process in accessing grants and loans etc. These factors have dampened the morale of some business-oriented graduates, which have made many of them to be skeptic about their skills and abilities in entrepreneurship. Based on the aforementioned, four hundred and fifty-seven (457) beneficiaries were conveniently drawn from N-Power youth empowerment scheme in Awka, Anambra State. The participants comprise 265(57.99%) males and 192(42.01%) females, with ages ranging from 22-35 years, and with a mean age of 30.5 years and standard deviation of 4.42. The result of the study showed that perceived employability (β = .37, ΔR2 = .13, p < .041) significantly predicted entrepreneurial intention, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy significantly predicted entrepreneurial intention (β = .17, ΔR2 = .02, p < .038). In conclusion, it could be inferred that having possessed the required job skills and experience can help one discover his or her entrepreneurial potentials and even think towards that direction. Also, being confident in one’s ability can help him or her carry out business ideas and possibly achieve his or her entrepreneurial intention. It is recommended that trainings and workshops related to the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills should be encouraged.

Team Effectiveness in The Workplace

Tochukwu Matthew Oguegbe — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This research explored team effectiveness among civil servants: predictive roles of perceived social support and self-esteem. One hundred and eighty-seven (187) civil servants (one hundred and six females and eighty-one males), whose age ranged between 22 and 63 years, with a mean age of 41.12, standard deviation of 12.45, and were randomly selected, participated in the study. Multidimensional scale for perceived social support (MSPSS), Rosenberg self-esteem scale and the Team Effectiveness Questionnaire (TEQ) assisted in the data collection. The study made use of predictive design and multiple linear regression in testing the two
hypotheses postulated. Hypothesis one which stated that perceived social support will significantly predict team effectiveness, was upheld, t = -3.184, p <.05. Hypothesis two which stated that self-esteem will significantly predict team effectiveness, was also affirmed, t = 2.037, p <.05. In line with this finding, it was recommended that for organisations to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between the employer and employee as well as among the employees, policies that take psychological perspective to life should be enacted in all workplaces while ensuring that the public is sensitized on matters concerning mental wellbeing.

Undergraduates’ Perception of Factors Influencing Cybercrimes in Selected Universities in Anambra State, South-East, Nigeria

Obinna Chukwudalu Okeke, Nneka Perpetua Oli — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined undergraduates’ perception of factors influencing cybercrimes in selected universities in Anambra State, South-East, Nigeria. \The study adopted mixed methods research design. The area of study comprised of public and private universities in Anambra State. The scope of the study is on investigating perception of undergraduates’ involvement in cybercrimes in selected universities in Anambra State, South-East, Nigeria. The target population was 40,092 undergraduate regular students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Paul University Awka, Tansian University, Umunya and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam who were 16 years and above. The sample size for this study was 1,083 undergraduates was generated using Taro Yamane statistical method of sample size determination, while 20 participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques for the In-Depth Interview (IDI) session. The research used both probability and non probability sampling methods in the selection of respondents. Multi-stage sampling procedure which involved the use of different sampling techniques in the selection of respondents was employed in the study. Questionnaire and IDI guide were the quantitative and qualitative instruments used for data collection in the study, respectively. Data collected through quantitative instrument were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 2.0 software. Also, descriptive statistics such as frequency tables, simple percentages and graphic illustrations were used to analyse the quantitative data and research questions. The qualitative data collected from the IDIs were analysed using Nivivio analytical software. Four hypotheses were tested using Chi-square (X²). Findings in the study showed that avarice and peer pressure are the major factors that influence undergraduates’ involvement in cybercrime. Therefore, the study recommends that government and stakeholders should organise programmes that will equip the undergraduates with enriching skill-acquisition programmes during holidays and vacations; in order to re-channel their attention and energy from cybercrimes to more worthwhile lucrative money-making ventures.