Attitudes towards the work behaviour of ex-mental patients in Nigeria.

Attitudes towards the work behaviour of ex-mental patients were examined in a random sample of 480 senior federal civil servants in Nigeria. The results revealed: pervasive negative attitudes towards ex-mental patients and their work behaviour; inadequate provision for the needs of ex-mental patients by government; lack of awareness of and/or non-existence of welfare policies for rehabilitating ex-mental patients; and a need for a social welfare policy to cater for ex-mental patients in the workplace.

The need for substance misuse education in health studies curriculum: a case for nursing education.

The sharp increase, in recent years, in the use and misuse of psychoactive substances necessitates greater involvement of non-specialist health care workers in the management of problems associated with substance misuse. The need to expand the health studies curriculum in line with current trends in substance use and misuse is recommended.

Psychological adjustment of Yoruba adolescents as influenced by family type: a research note.

This research examines the influence of family type on the psychological adjustment of Yoruba adolescents. Using a sample of 116 adolescents, 69 males and 47 females, with mean age of 17.8 years of age (S.D. = 1.72), the results reveal that male adolescents from monogamous families experience better psychological adjustment than their polygynous counterparts, whereas no such difference exists in the levels of psychological adjustment of female adolescents from both family types. These findings suggest that (i) sex-role prescription influences psychological adjustment of adolescents in Yoruba societies, and (ii) female children enjoy more protective upbringing in polygynous families than their male counterparts.

PIP: 2 psychologists administered the Psychological Adjustment Scale of the Adolescent Personal Data Inventory to 116 Yoruba adolescents (69 males and 47 females) from middle class families attending a holiday youth camp in Ibadan in Oyo State, Nigeria to test the hypothesis that teenagers from monogamous families are better psychologically adjusted than those from polygynous families. 96 and 26 adolescents lived within a monogamous family and polygynous families, respectively. Males from a monogamous family exhibited better psychological adjustment scores than those form polygynous families (p.01). On the other hand, there was no difference between the scores of females form monogamous family with those of females from polygynous families. Thus the psychologists' hypothesis was partially confirmed. These results indicated that gender tempers the effect of family type on adolescent adjustment. This may have been a result of role prescription in Yoruba societies. Specifically, male children in polygynous families had to take care of themselves, their many siblings, and sometimes even their mother's sisters which placed them under considerable stress. Various conflicts arose in polygynous families which did not exist in monogamous families, e.g., friction among cowives, sibling rivalry, and minimum contact with parents. According to these results, this stressful role for male children tended to protect female adolescents from the stresses. In monogamous families, however, male children were more likely to receive emotional and moral support. Further research is needed to identify other factors that influence adolescent adjustment and how they interact with or moderate the effect of family type.

Smoking and type A Behaviour.

This study examines the relationship between Type A behaviour and smoking. Data were gathered from a random sample of 100 undergraduate male daily smokers, with a mean age of 21.2 years (SD = 2.72), using the Type A Behaviour Scale (Bortner and Rosenman, 1967). Results reveal that Type A smokers are heavier daily consumers of cigarettes than Type B smokers (t = 2.90, p less than 0.01). The observed relationship between smoking and Type A behaviour remains significant even when the influence of aggression in partialled out. The need to further investigate the interplay of genetic and non-genetic predispositions, and smoking in the incidence of coronary heart diseases (CHD) is suggested.

Self-esteem as determined by gender differences among Yoruba adolescents in Ibadan, Nigeria: a research note.

This study investigates the influence of gender differences on the expression of self-esteem among Yoruba adolescents. Using a sample of 120 adolescents, 60 males and 60 females, with a mean age of 16.02 years (S.D. = 1.63), the results reveal that male adolescents express higher self-esteem than female adolescents. This finding is attributed to the differing socialization processes for males and females in Yoruba societies.