Sleep hygiene index: psychometric characteristics and usefulness as a screening tool in a sample of Nigerian undergraduate students

STUDY OBJECTIVES:The objectives of this study were to investigate the psychometric properties of the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) and determine its capacity to screen for poor sleep quality in a nonclinical sample of Nigerian university students. METHODS:A total of 348 students appropriately completed the SHI, the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). RESULTS:The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) of the SHI was .64 and its construct validity was modestly satisfactory. It had a significant negative correlation with the MEQ (r = −.170, P < .001) and positive correlations with global PSQI (r = .289, P < .001) and ESS (r = .219, P < .001) scores. Prior to the factor analysis, our sample was randomly divided into two. In one half of the sample (sample 1), exploratory factor analysis of the SHI items yielded a three-factor model. Confirmatory factor analysis on the other half (sample 2) corroborated this model with satisfactory indices of fitness (c2 = 67.805; df = 55; c2/df = 1.233; P = .115; goodness of fit index = .943; Tucker-Lewis index = .958; incremental fit index = .972; comparative fit index = .970; root mean square error of approximation = .037). A cutoff total score of 16 on the SHI had the best sensitivity (77.0%) and specificity (47.5%) to identify students who were categorized as experiencing poor sleep quality, according to the PSQI (area under the curve = 0.65, 95% confidence interval = 0.59–0.71). CONCLUSIONS:The SHI exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties as a self-rated assessment instrument in the evaluation of sleep hygiene and as a screening instrument for poor sleep quality among Nigerian undergraduate students

Association between risky sexual behavior and a psychosocial syndemic among Nigerian men who have sex with men

Background: The HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) is reinforced by a psychosocial syndemic, but this has not been investigated in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated the psychosocial syndemic and its relationship with risky sexual behavior among Nigeria MSM. Methods: Eighty-one MSM and 81 heterosexual men were compared for risky sexual behavior and psychosocial adversity variables—childhood adversity, intimate partner violence, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, substance use, and a derived psychosocial syndemic score. The association between syndemic scores and risky sexual behavior was examined among MSM. Results: MSM had significantly higher rates of individual psychosocial adversities except substance use. There were significant interrelationships between the variables, and syndemic scores were associated with higher-risk sexual behavior. Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the psychosocial syndemic and its relationship with HIV risk among African MSM. The findings highlight the role of psychosocial adversities in exacerbating the HIV epidemic among MSM in developing countries

Correlates of suicidal ideation among sexual minority male students in a Nigerian University

Sexual minority men report higher suicidal ideation compared to heterosexual men. As a consequence of the high levels of stigma in Nigeria and most of sub-Saharan Africa, few studies have investigated psychosocial risk factors for suicidal ideation in these settings. The present study aimed to fill this research gap by identifying factors associated with suicidal ideation among Nigerian sexual minority men. Eighty-one sexual minority men were assessed for suicidal ideation, sociodemographic and family background, sexuality-related, minority stress, and psychosocial factors. Childhood adversity, minority-stress factors, and all three psychosocial (intimate partner violence, alcohol use problems and depressive symptoms) variables were significantly associated with increased suicidal ideation (ΔR2 = 11%, 15% and 20%, respectively). Our findings highlight the importance of known risk factors for suicidal ideation as well as factors specific to sexual minority men. Recognising these factors may help in identifying young sexual minority men who may require further support in high-stigma settings such as Nigeria

Perceived social support as a protective factor against psychological distress in the context of COVID-19-related stress and sexual minority status in Nigeria.

Sexual minority individuals report higher COVID-19-related stress that may mediate higher psychological distress. However, this relationship and the role of social support have not been investigated in low/middle-income settings like Nigeria. Our study tested independent associations of psychological distress with sexual orientation, COVID-19-related stress, and perceived social support and whether perceived social support moderated these relationships. In an online survey, 966 Nigerians (21.7% sexual minority, n = 210) were assessed for sexual orientation, COVID-19-related stress, and perceived social support, and psychological distress. Sexual minority status was associated with higher COVD-19-related stress (r = .13, 95% CI [0.06, 0.19]), perceived social support (r = .07, [0.01, 0.13]), and psychological distress (r = .09, [0.02, 0.17]). Furthermore, we demonstrated two moderation effects: psychological distress was highest among sexual minority participants with low perceived social support and lowest among heterosexual participants with high perceived social support (β = 0.09, [0.02, 0.16]). Among sexual minorities, the association between COVID-19-related stress and psychological distress was strongest and weakest among those with low and high perceived social support, respectively, but this effect was absent among heterosexual participants (β = −0.14, [−0.21, −0.06]). Our finding suggests social support as a protective mechanism against adverse health outcomes among heterosexual and sexual minority individuals in Nigeria