Influence of Spousal Communication on Marital Stability: Implication for Conducive Home Environment

It is often said that the home is the basic unit of the larger society. Thus when the home is settled, the society is at peace. The main focus of this study was to find out the influence of spousal communication on marital stability: Implications for Conducive Home Environment. A researcher-designed questionnaire titled “Influence of Spousal Communication on Marital Stability Questionnaire” was used to collect necessary data for the study. The questionnaire was administered on 600 stratified randomly selected married adults in Ilorin metropolis. The t-test and ANOVA statistics were used to compare the perception of married adults on the basis of gender and length of marriage. The findings show that most of the respondents agree to the statement that lack of effective communication is the bane to marital stability. It was also found that there was significant difference in the perception of married adults on the influence of spousal communication on marital stability on the basis of gender and length of years in marriage. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended, amongst others, that marriage counselling clinics should be set up in all major establishments in Nigeria so as to educate married men and women of the need for effective communication in marriage for a peaceful and conducive home environment.Key words: Spousal communication, Conducive home environment, Married men and women, Marital stability

Needs Assessment of Guidance Services in Schools as a Method for Achieving Quality Education in Nigeria: An Exploration Study

The researchers conducted this study in order to establish a case for the use of needs assessment of guidance services as a means of achieving quality education in Nigeria. They contacted 84 professional counsellors in Ilorin, a typical Nigerian metropolis, in order to gather data on their perception of the importance of certain guidance services in secondary schools. They also determined the actual level of services rendered in schools. The instrument used for collecting the necessary data was titled “Guidance Service Rendered to Students Questionnaire” GUSRESQ. The findings indicated a need to use needs assessment of guidance services for obtaining higher levels in the quality of education. The findings also indicated that practicing counsellors perceive counselling service and information service as the most important. Key Words: Academic programme evaluation; counselling; educational standards; guidance services; needs assessment

University of Ilorin Academic Staffs’ Perception of the Harmonisation of Academic Programmes and Qualifications

This study examined University of Ilorin academic staffs’ perception of harmonization of academic programmes and qualifications in West Africa. The findings were that there is a significant difference in the academic staffs’ perceptions by gender and duration of university teaching experience. However, no significant difference in perception of harmonisation was found on the basis of the respondents’ departments and academic ranks. On the basis of these findings, the researchers recommended that ECOWAS provides funds to encourage academic activities that foster harmonization among cooperating member states. It is argued that the organisation can also organize trainings and workshops for stakeholders on harmonization of academic programmes and qualifications. This will help to update the academic staffs’ knowledge of harmonisation of programmes and qualifications.Keywords: Harmonisation; Mobility; Internationalisation

Age as a factor in post graduate students’ perception of the sources and coping strategies of stress

This study was conducted in order to establish the case that “age, is a factor in postgraduate perception of the sources and coping strategies of stress. The researchers contacted 300 Postgraduate student of the University of Ilorin in order to gather data on their perception on the sources of stress and coping strategies among postgraduate students of the University. They also sought to determine the actual level of stress along with the Age Factor as perceived by the Postgraduate students of the University of Ilorin. The findings indicated a need to consider age as a factor in order to obtain a higher levelof quality education without any stress

Marital status and gender factors in undergraduates' level of familiarity with student personnel services: Implications for counselling

The researcher used a purposive sampling technique to reach 272 undergraduates of University of Ilorin in order to find their levels of familiarity with certain student personnel services terms. Another purpose was to find out if significant differences existed among the students on the basis of their marital status and gender. The findings indicated that the majority of the groups into which the sample was classified were more familiar with the term "Student Affairs" than with the term "Student Personnel Services", the more globally used term. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference was found between male and female undergraduates in their level of familiarity with the term "Student Personnel". The salient implications of these findings for counselling were highlighted. The Nigerian Journal of Guidance and Counselling Vol. 8 (1) 2002: pp. 15-2

Problems And Counselling Needs Of Unemployed Youths In Nigeria

Unemployment is an issue that has bedeviled Nigeria for quite some time now. Unemployment has negative multiplier effect not only on the individual involved but on the society as well. Toward this end, this study is designed to explore the problems and counselling needs of unemployed youths in Nigeria. A multi-staged sampling technique was used to select 1,750 unemployed youths from the six geo-political zones of the country including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. A research instrument titled “Problems and Counselling Needs of Unemployed Youths Questionnaire” (PACNUYQ) was used to gather relevant data for the study. In each of the sampled states, research assistants, who were acquainted with the nature and modalities of their assignment, were employed. Data collected was analysed through the use of mean ratings, ranks and t-test statistical method. Unemployed youths in Nigeria have problems in clusters of finance, family- related, health–related and socio-psychological and their most counselling need is how to develop skills that will make them to be marketable in the world of work. Implications of the findings and recommendations were advanced. Keywords: kNigeria, unemployment, youth, counselling Needs, problemsAfrican Journal for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Vol. 11 (1&2) 2008: pp. 35-4

The Application of Comorbidity Indices to Predict Early Postoperative Outcomes After Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: A Nationwide Comparative Analysis of Over 70,000 Cases

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) often have substantial comorbidities, which must be taken into account to appropriately assess expected postoperative outcomes. The Charlson/Deyo and Elixhauser indices are widely used comorbidity measures, both of which also have revised algorithms based on enhanced ICD-9-CM coding. It is currently unclear which of the existing comorbidity measures best predicts early postoperative outcomes following LRYGB. METHODS: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, patients 18 years or older undergoing LRYGB for obesity between 2001 and 2008 were identified. Comorbidities were assessed according to the original and enhanced Charlson/Deyo and Elixhauser indices. Using multivariate logistic regression, the following early postoperative outcomes were assessed: overall postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and conversion to open surgery. Model performance for the four comorbidity indices was assessed and compared using C-statistics and the Akaike's information criterion (AIC). RESULTS: A total of 70,287 patients were included. Mean age was 43.1 years (SD, 10.8), 81.6 % were female and 60.3 % were White. Both the original and enhanced Elixhauser indices modestly outperformed the Charlson/Deyo in predicting the surgical outcomes. All four models had similar C-statistics, but the original Elixhauser index was associated with the smallest AIC for all of the surgical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The original Elixhauser index is the best predictor of early postoperative outcomes in our cohort of patients undergoing LRYGB. However, differences between the Charlson/Deyo and Elixhauser indices are modest, and each of these indices provides clinically relevant insight for predicting early postoperative outcomes in this high-risk patient population

Electrochemical Performance of Anthocleista djalonensis on Steel-Reinforcement Corrosion in Concrete Immersed in Saline/Marine Simulating-Environment

In this paper, electrochemical techniques were employed to study performance of different concentrations of Anthocleista djalonensis leaf-extract admixtures on the corrosion of steel-reinforcement in concrete immersed in 3.5 % NaCl, for simulating saline/marine environment. Analysed test-results showed that the corrosion rate correlated directly with admixture concentration and inversely with cube of the ratio of standard deviations of corrosion potential and corrosion current. The 0.4167 % A. djalonensis (per weight of cement) exhibited optimal inhibition efficiency, g = 97.43 ± 1.20 %, from analysed experimental data, or 94.80 ± 3.39 %, from predicted correlation model, on steel-reinforcement corrosion in the medium. The other admixture concentrations also exhibited high efficiencies at inhibiting steel-reinforcement corrosion in the chloride contaminated environment. Isotherm fittings of he experimental and predicted performance suggest that they both obeyed the Langmuir adsorption model. Evaluated parameters from the isotherm model indicated favourable adsorption and predominant chemisorption mechanism by this environmentally-friendly inhibitor of steel-reinforcement corrosion in the saline/marine simulating- environment. © 2014, The Indian Institute of Metals - IIM