Prevalence of mental morbidity and its associated factors in two communities of Benin metropolis, Nigeria

Background: Mental morbidity is a public health problem that can lead to a great burden of disability in the community. Early detection and treatment of these morbidities could prevent deterioration. The aim of the survey was to determine and compare the prevalence of mental morbidity and its associated factors in two communities in Benin metropolis in Nigeria.Materials and Methods: The study was carried out among 400 residents of two urban communities of Benin metropolis, Benin City, Nigeria, between November 2012 and April 2013. The design of the study was descriptive, cross-sectional. The 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and a questionnaire for socio-demographic variables were used to collect information from participants who were selected using multistage sampling technique. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Statistical test of association used were Chi square, Fisher's exact test and Multivariate logistic regression. P value of < 0.05 was taken as statistically signicant.Results: The overall prevalence of mental morbidity in both communities was 24.0%. However, prevalence of mental morbidity in BDPA and Uwelu communities, were 19.5% and 28.5% respectively. Education, income, type of accommodation, and number of co-habitants were variables found to be signicantly associated with mental morbidity. The two communities were found to differ signicantly on all indices of socio-economic status, and these indices signicantly differentiated between cases (GHQ-positives) in the surveyed communities. None of the socio-demographic variables independently predicted mental morbidity.Conclusion: The need for renewed effort at improving community mental health services and the standard of living of the populace by government and policy makers is emphasized.Keywords: Prevalence, Mental morbidity, Communities, Benin city, Nigeri

Demographic Determinants of Locus of Control among Medical Students in a Nigerian University

Background: Locus of control (LOC) plays a major role in many aspects of human behaviour such as achievement mot ivat ion, success-orientation, self-control, social adjustment, independence and expectancy. This paper examined the demographic factors that determine locus of control among medical students in a Nigerian university.Methods: This study utilized across - sectional design . Participants were drawn from two successive sets of final year medical students of 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 academic sessions of University of Benin. The Levenson Multidimensional Locus of  Control Inventory and a  Socio - demographic data collection sheet were used to collect data from 262 (183 males and 79 females) students  selected through convenience sampling. Data were th analyzed using the 16th version of the SPPS. Percentages, means,  t-test and ANOVA were performed and the statical level of significance was set at P<0.05.Results: The male students had higher means scores than the female students on all the three dimensions of LOC. There were statistically significant differences between male and female students on the internal LOC and powerful other subscales (p= 0.007 and 0.048 respectively). The older students (> 26 years) recorded higher and slightly higher means scores than the younger students (< 26 years) on the internal LOC and the powerful others subscales respectively, while the younger students had slightly higher means score on the chance control subscale. There was no statistically significant difference between the older and the younger students in any of the LOC domains ( internal LOC, p= 0.293, chance subscale, p= 0.848, and powerful others subscale, p= 0.814). Students who were single recorded higher means score than the married students on all the LOC subscales but marital status had significant influence on only the internal LOC dimension (p = 0.007). Ethnicity did not have statistically significant influence on any of the LOC dimensions.Conclusion: The findings of this study show that sex has significant influence on internal LOC and powerful others control while mar i tal s tatus significantly influence internal LOC. These findings could be of immense benefit to senior medical educators, mental health professionals, and counsellors, intending to improve the competence of future medical practitioners, help them cultivate the right mental attitude and a strong internal LOC.Keywords: Locus of control, sex, age, marital status, ethnicity, medical student

Transport Properties Of Cu2SnS3 Thin Films

A single source vacuum evaporation process has been employed to prepare thin films of Cu2SnS3. Electrical Hall measurements using Van der Pauw technique have revealed that film resistivity was a strong function of the substrate temperature for film deposition. The activation energy for the resistivity was 0.268 eV for films deposited at 300 K, 0.162 eV for films deposited at 423 K and 0.059 eV for films deposited at 573 K. The Hall mobility was observed to decrease with an increase in temperature due to grain boundary scattering. Room temperature mobility was 110 cm2V-1s-1, reducing to 28 cm2V-1s-1 at 593 K. The barrier height within the grain was determined to be 0.051 eV. Key words: Thin film, transport properties, vacuum evaporation, activation energy, Hall mobility Nig. J. of Pure & Appl. Physics Vol.3 2004: 75-7

Study Difficulty Amongst Undergraduates in a Nigerian University: Pattern and Relationship With Psychiatric Morbidity and Academic Performance.

Background: Difficulty in studying is one of the most commonly encountered symptoms amongst University students. This is frequently accompanied by varying degrees of psychological factors. This, perhaps, is because students are exposed to a specific set of occupational and environmental hazards. Apart from the frequency with which it is  encountered, study difficulty can lead to the termination of the educational career of the students. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the pattern of study difficult as well as the extent of its relationship with psychiatric morbidity and academic performance amongst undergraduate students of a Nigerian University. Method: The study was carried out among undergraduate students of the University of Benin drawn from 7 of the 14 Faculties in the University. The design of the study was crosssectional. The study instrument consisted of the University College London Study Difficulty Questionnaire (UCLSQ), an instrument for measuring study difficulty; the 28- item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and a Section on Socio-Demographic Variables. A total of 1,125 students were selected from 7 Faculties by stratified random sampling. The questionnaires of 1,060 respondents were analysed. Results: A significant proportion of the students (4.5 – 15.3%) had studydifficulty across the subscales of the UCLSQ. 33.5% of respondents werepositive for GHQ morbidity. Study difficulty was strongly associated withpsychiatric morbidity in 13.1 – 45.9% of cases. Study difficulty had significant negative impact on academic performance of the students.Conclusion: This study has shown that University students manifest a highlevel of study difficulty related to anxiety and obsessionality, and a high level of work satisfaction and syllabus boundness. The magnitude of theproblem of study difficulty as revealed by this and previous studies isenormous. This underscores the importance of sincere concern to allissues relating to student mental health. Study difficulty is stronglyassociated with psychiatric morbidity. The implications for academicperformance have been discussed.Key words: Study Difficulty, Psychiatry Morbidity, Academic Performance, Undergraduate