SPOUSAL VIOLENCE IN THE ERA OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWN: THE IMPLICATION OF SOCIOECONOMIC DISTRESS AND CONTEXTUAL FACTORS

Globally, there are overwhelming evidence on the increasing spate of domestic violence among couples during the coronavirus lockdown. However, there are limited empirical studies that have explored the role of socioeconomic distress on spousal violence occurrence during the enforced lockdown in Nigeria. This study investigated how contextual, socio-demographic factors, economic distress interplay with spousal violence (SV) during enforced lockdown due to COVID-19. A web-based cross-sectional study utilizing snowballing sampling technique was adopted. Participants were recruited via social media platform, Facebook and WhatsApp using google form from March 3 to April 4, 2020. 356 participants (141 males and 215 females) responded to questionnaire containing socioeconomic, demographic information and Composite Abuse Scale (CAS); which was used to assess spousal violence. Result showed that living conditions of couples, income status and job status had significant influence on SV. However, gender, religion affiliation, type of family, and spouse’s tribal affiliation had no significant influence on SV. The study concluded that contextual factors and socioeconomic distress exert significant implications on spousal violence. It was recommended that government at all levels should be objective in the distribution of palliative measures to combat socio-contextual and economic distress among residents to achieve a spousal violence free society among Nigerians during and in future pandemic lockdown

Internet-based psychological interventions to improve mental health: Preference for and willingness to use among students in a Nigerian university

Objective: To assess the willingness and preference for Internet-Based Mental Health interventions among university students using a validated self-administered questionnaire, the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire (MHLq) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).Design: A cross-sectional multi-staged randomized study.Setting: The setting was the University of Ilorin, NigeriaSubjects: A total of 3,300 undergraduate students were assessed.Main Outcome Measures: The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used for data analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics, and regression analysis to predict factors associated with willingness and preference was done. Level of significance was set at p-value of 0.05 and confidence interval at 95%.Results: Preference for Internet-Based Mental Health intervention compared to Face-to-Face intervention was 27.7% amongst the 3,179 analyzable questionnaires, while 48.6% respondents were willing to use Internet-Based Mental Intervention. Predictors of willingness to use internet-based support were monogamous family setting (aOR= 1.486), help seeking behaviour (aOR= 2.683) and probable mental illness (aOR= 0.333) while predictors of preference for Internet-Based Intervention over Face-to-Face therapy were younger age (aOR= 1.377), female gender (aOR =1.342), satisfactory relationship with mother and father (aOR = 1.607. 1. 466 respectively), self-help strategies (aOR= 0.713) and good knowledge of mental health (aOR =1.610).Conclusion: Internet-Based Interventions is a viable choice for improving university students’ mental health. Further studies may explore acceptability and use of different aspects of internet-based intervention

Understanding university community’s mental health needs and the determinants of wellbeing sequala: a qualitative study

Mental health among university students is on the increase every day, therefore this study investigates mental health needs and determinants of psychological well-being of the university community. This explanatory qualitative research design used a purposive sampling technique to sample 13-participant (with age-ranged between 21 to 57years; age mean=30.7years) at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. Data was gathered using a key informant interview. Themes emerged from the data analysis, and excerpts from the participant interviews were used to illustrate the themes. Following data analysis, the research study found that the age of adolescents with emotional dysregulation, poor lecturers/students relationships, study life imbalance, and inaccessibility to counseling services were shown as the determinants of mental health among university students. Results revealed that there is a need for internet-based mental health services with substance abuse screening and audio/visual display facilities. Furthermore, empowerment of counseling staff, students, and the university community with periodic workshops/seminars on mental health awareness and integration of mental health modules into the General Studies (GNS) curriculum was found as the needs of the university community to boost their mental healthiness. We conclude that adolescence age, poor lecturer-student relationships, study life imbalance, and inaccessible counseling services are determinants of psychological distress. Therefore, insightful and rebranded interventions like e-mental health services and awareness programs are required to restore psychological wellbeing on the university campus