Psychological correlates of COVID safety protocol adherence among university students

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a global concern. Reports of insidious asymptomatic variants of the virus raise concerns about the safety of huge numbers of students on university campuses. Objective: The study aimed to delineate psychological correlates for students' adherence to safety protocols for appropriate context-specific coping intervention designs. Setting & Design: 751 students from the various colleges of the KNUST were conveniently sampled for this crosssectional survey. Measures: Psychological instruments with good psychometric properties (DASS-21; Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Perceived Control Scales) were used in addition to demographics and questions on COVID safety protocol adherence. Results: Self-esteem positively correlated with perceived control (r = 0.40, p<0.001) and COVID adherence (r = 0.16, p<0.001); but negatively correlated with psychological distress (r = -0.44 p<0.001). Greater perceived control was associated with lower psychological distress (r = -0.20 p<0.001) and greater adherence to safety protocols (r = 0.24 p<0.001). Protocol adherence was regressed on psychological distress, self-esteem, and perceived control to determine any significant prediction. All the variables accounted for 7% of the variance in COVID protocol adherence (R2 = 0.07, F (3, 661) =17.29, p<0.001) with perceived control significantly predicting adherence to COVID safety protocol (B = 0.11, ß=0.23, t=5.54 p<0.001). Conclusion: Results indicated that perceived control over important life events and healthy self-esteem would likely facilitate adherence to COVID safety protocols and attenuate psychological distress. Implications for further research and design of appropriate COVID coping response interventions are discussed

African indigenous knowledge and research

This paper seeks to heighten awareness about the need to include indigenous knowledge in the design and implementation of research; particularly disability research, in Africa. It affirms the suitability of the Afrocentric paradigm in African research and argues the necessity for an emancipatory and participatory type of research which values and includes indigenous knowledge and peoples. In the predominantly Western-oriented academic circles and investigations, the African voice is either sidelined or suppressed because indigenous knowledge and methods are often ignored or not taken seriously. This paper posits that to be meaningful and empowering, African-based research must, of necessity, include African thought and ideas from inception through completion to the implementation of policies arising from the research. In this way the work is both empowering and meaningful for context-specific lasting impact

Perceived control, academic performance and well-being of Ghanaian college students with disability

Background: Empirical evidence abounds showing the impact of perceived control on subjective well-being in several spheres of functioning, including academic performance. At tertiary institutions, such as the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, little is known about the needs of students with disabilities, as very few persons with disabilities attend institutions of higher learning. Objectives: This study examined the relationship between perceptions of control and the academic and subjective well-being of students with disabilities. Method: A total of 69 students with disabilities participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Using trusted control and subjective well-being scales, data were subject to descriptive analyses. Results: Consistent with previous works, perceived control increased with increased subjective well-being, moderated by gender. In addition, forms of secondary control appeared to aid primary control in the tenacious pursuit of goals. However, neither perceived control nor self-esteem was predictive of academic performance. Conclusion: Limitations of sample size notwithstanding, the findings of the study can be considered provocative. Implications for clinical utility in facilitating context-specific interventions for this marginalised group are discussed. Replication with a larger sample size in other tertiary institutions is suggested for future work