Sexual orientation and quality of life among students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Nigeria.

Background: Sexual orientation is an individual's pattern of physical and emotional arousal toward members of the same and/or opposite gender.Objective: To determine the pattern of sexual orientation and the relationship between sexual orientation and quality of life among a sample of OAU students.Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study among 481 students of OAU using a multistage sampling technique. They completed a Socio-demographic data schedule, questions on sexual orientation and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale – Brief version (WHO QOL-BREF).Results: 4.9% of the sample self-identified as bisexual while 0.1% self-identified as gay/lesbian. 11.8% of the respondents reported varying degrees of attraction to the opposite gender. The mean age of sexual debut was 17.62 (±4.05). Those who self-identified as gay/lesbian/bisexual had a lower average score on all domains of the WHO QOL-BREF.Conclusion: Same sex sexual attraction and practice occur among young people in Nigeria and this has sexual and reproductive health implications. GLB youth report a lower QOL compared to heterosexual counterparts and this may suggest some distress among this vulnerable group. More studies should be undertaken to explore issues raised in planning interventions and health services that would improve safe sexual practices within this group.Keywords: Sexual orientation, quality of life, students, Nigeria

Sexual orientation and quality of life among students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Nigeria.

Abstract Background: Sexual orientation is an individual's pattern of physical and emotional arousal toward members of the same and/or opposite gender. Objective: To determine the pattern of sexual orientation and the relationship between sexual orientation and quality of life among a sample of OAU students. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study among 481 students of OAU using a multistage sampling technique. They completed a Socio-demographic data schedule, questions on sexual orientation and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale \u2013 Brief version (WHO QOL-BREF). Results: 4.9% of the sample self-identified as bisexual while 0.1% self-identified as gay/lesbian. 11.8% of the respondents reported varying degrees of attraction to the opposite gender. The mean age of sexual debut was 17.62 (\ub14.05). Those who self-identified as gay/lesbian/bisexual had a lower average score on all domains of the WHO QOL-BREF. Conclusion: Same sex sexual attraction and practice occur among young people in Nigeria and this has sexual and reproductive health implications. GLB youth report a lower QOL compared to heterosexual counterparts and this may suggest some distress among this vulnerable group. More studies should be undertaken to explore issues raised in planning interventions and health services that would improve safe sexual practices within this group

Relationship between personality traits and reproductive choices among women attending the psychiatric clinic of a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Background: The study aimed to assess the relationship between personality traits and reproductive choices among women attending the psychiatric clinic at a Nigerian Teaching Hospital.Methods: The original study used a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test-controlled design though this article presents a cross sectional view of results. Two hundred females were recruited into the study. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was applied to the respondents which elicited information on background characteristics, baseline contraceptive indicators and personality traits. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential methods.Results: The personality factors found to affect contraceptive use included high scores on Conscientiousness, Extraversion and Neuroticism, though only extraversion maintained this relationship on regression analysis. The personality factors found to affect pregnancy plan included high scores on Conscientiousness.Conclusions: This study showed a distinct relationship between specific personality traits and contraceptive use with neuroticism exhibiting a negative influence on use while conscientiousness exhibited a positive influence

Adaptation of the patient health questionnaire-8 as a self-rated suicide risk screening instrument among the family caregivers of Nigerian patients with depressive disorders

Background: The assessment of suicide risk has been neglected among the family caregivers (FCs) of patients with depressive disorders. Objectives: The objective was to examine the validity, reliability, and suicide risk screening characteristics of the PHQ-8 in a sample of Nigerian FCs of patients with psychiatric disorders specifically depressive disorders. Methods: A total of 262 FC-patient dyads were consecutively recruited adopting a convenience sampling technique from two tertiary healthcare facilities in Southwestern Nigeria. Their FCs completed the PHQ-8, the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Suicide risk level was assessed by interviewing them with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) suicidality module. The patients completed the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and their functioning was evaluated with the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale. Results: The Cronbach's alpha for the PHQ-8 items was 0.80. It demonstrated satisfactory construct validity with the FC score on the ZBI (P < 0.001), GHQ-12 (P < 0.001), and patients' HDRS (P < 0.001), and GAF (P < 0.001) scores. Logistic regression revealed that only the FCs' PHQ-8 score was positively associated with their suicide risk status. Applying the receiver operating characteristics curve, the best cutoff score for those with high-suicide risk was 8 (sensitivity 0.889, specificity 0.850). Conclusions: The PHQ-8 has satisfactory screening properties as a suicide risk assessment tool among the FCs of Nigerian patients with depressive disorders

Psychometric Properties and Correlates of the Beck Hopelessness Scale in Family Caregivers of Nigerian Patients with Psychiatric Disorders in Southwestern Nigeria

Objectives: To examine the construct and correlates of hopelessness among family caregivers of Nigerian psychiatric patients. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study involving 264 family caregiver-patients’ dyads recruited from two university teaching hospitals psychiatric clinics in Southwestern Nigeria. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor 9-item model of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) among the family caregivers. Confirmatory factor analysis of the model revealed satisfactory indices of fitness (goodness of fit index = 0.97, comparative fit index = 0.96, Chi-square/degree of freedom (CMIN/DF) = 1.60, root mean square error of approximation = 0.048, expected cross-validation index = 0.307, and standardized root mean residual = 0.005). Reliability of the scale was modestly satisfactory (Cronbach’s alpha 0.72). Construct validity of scale was supported by significant correlations with the family caregivers’ scores on the Zarit Burden Interview, mini international neuropsychiatric interview suicidality module, General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The greatest variance in the family caregivers’ scores on the BHS was contributed by their scores on the psychological distress scale (GHQ-12). Conclusions: The BHS has adequate psychometric properties among Nigerian psychiatric patients’ family caregivers. There is the need to pay attention to the psychological well-being of the family caregivers of Nigerian psychiatric patients

Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised: Factor Structure, Reliability, Validity, and Suicide Risk Screening Characteristics among Nigerian Patients with Schizophrenia

Objective: This study attempted to explore the feasibility of use of the 18-item Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) as a subjective suicide risk assessment tool in a cross-sectional sample of Nigerian patients with schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and thirty-two outpatients with schizophrenia were recruited from the mental health clinic of a university teaching hospital in Southwestern Nigeria. They completed the OCI-R in addition to the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and a sociodemographic and illness-related questionnaire. The patients were objectively interviewed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview suicidality module items to assess their suicide risk. Results: The 18-item OCI-R demonstrated satisfactory sensitivity (0.900) and specificity (0.662) at a total cutoff score of 10 in relation to the identification of Nigerian patients with schizophrenia with significant suicide risk. At this cutoff score, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.817 (95% confidence interval: 0.735–0.898), and positive predictive value (0.726) and negative predictive value (0.869) were also satisfactory. The OCI-R also demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency and construct validity. Conclusion: The OCI-R has demonstrated to be useful as a subjective suicide risk assessment tool among Nigerian schizophrenia patients

Psychometric adaptation of the hospital anxiety and depression scale as a self-rated suicide risk assessment instrument among Nigerian surgical patients

Background: A key step in the detection of suicide risk in a primarily nonpsychiatric population will be the use of a simple brief self-reported psychometrically valid and reliable instrument that does not require prior training to administer. Objective: This study aimed to explore the possibility of adapting the 14‑item hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) as a self-rated suicide risk screening tool in a sample of Nigerian surgical patients. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 462 Nigerian patients attending a surgical outpatient clinic. They completed the Sociodemographic questionnaire, the 14-item HADS, the suicidality module of the Mini‑International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire. The reliabilities of the HADS-anxiety and depression subscales were evaluated by calculating the omega (ω) coefficients. Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis was performed to determine the suicide risk screening characteristics of the HADS-anxiety and depression subscales. Results: The omega (ω) reliability coefficients of the HADS subscales were satisfactory. At a cutoff score of 10 HADS-anxiety subscale exhibited satisfactory sensitivity (0.750) and specificity (0.938) while the HADS-Depression subscale at a cutoff score of 7 had the best combination of sensitivity (0.750) and specificity (0.905). The prevalence rate of lifetime suicide attempts in our sample was 1.5%, whereas 1.8% of our respondents had high suicide risk. Conclusion: The 14-item HADS has shown to be a suitable self-rated suicide risk assessment tool among Nigerian surgical patients

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

Economic Cost of Schizophrenia in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Objectives: This study evaluated the economic cost of schizophrenia in Nigerian patients and identified factors that influence cost. Methods: A total of 100 participants with schizophrenia were assessed using the modified economic cost questionnaire, the mini-international neuropsychiatric interview, the positive and negative syndrome scale, the Liverpool University Neuroleptic side-effect rating scale, and the global assessment of functioning scale. Associations between sociodemographic characteristics, illness-related variables and direct, indirect, and total costs of schizophrenia were assessed. Results: The average annual total, direct, and indirect costs of the treatment were $818.48,$349.59, and $468.89, respectively, per patient. The direct cost constituted 42.7%, while the indirect cost was 57.3% of the total costs of treatment. Hospitalization was the leading contributor to the direct cost, while productivity loss was a major component of the indirect cost. Conclusion: Schizophrenia is an expensive disease in Nigeria, measures to reduce hospitalization could significantly reduce the cost of illness to the patient and their relatives