EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF NIGERIAN WORKERS’ SOCIETAL CHALLENGES AND MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

Nigerian societal challenges seem to impact on Nigerian workers’ psychological health. This was verified in this study which focused on empirical examination of Nigerian workers’ societal challenges and mental health. A total of 285 workers were sampled across various Nigerian occupations through a cluster sampling technique. Cross-sectional design, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were adopted. The findings revealed that Nigerian societal challenges significantly and negatively impact the overall mental health of workers (F (1, 285) = 15.747; p < 0.000). Furthermore, specific dimensions of these challenges, including “insecurity” (F (1, 285) = 8.280; p < 0.004); “drug use behaviour” (F (1, 285) = 9.823; p < 0.002); “mental challenges” (F (1, 285) = 11.383; p < 0.001); and “sexual abuse” (F (1, 285) = 13.673; p < 0.000), were all found to significantly impact Nigerian workers' mental health. The results also indicated that Nigerian societal challenges impact key psychosocial competencies such as “prosocial attitude” mental health (F (1, 285) = 16.364; p < 0.000); “self-control” mental health (F (1, 285) = 5.280; p < 0.022); “problem-solving” mental health (F (1, 285) = 4.074; p < 0.045); and “interpersonal relationship skills” mental health (F (1, 285) = 7.628; p < 0.006). Demographically, variations in genders” (F (1, 285) = 6.980; p < 0.009); “education Level” (F (7, 285) = 3.783; p < 0.001); “occupation” (F (7, 285) = 5.130; p < 0.000) significantly influenced workers' experiences of mental health challenges. The major implication of the study and its findings is that Nigerian workers’ mental health challenges have been affected by Nigerian societal/social challenges. The study recommends urgent policy reforms aimed at economic stabilization, and enhanced social security. The study contributed to knowledge by empirically demonstrating the pervasive and multidimensional societal and systemic stressors impacting Nigerian workforce's psychological wellbeing/health. Consequently, integrated view is essential for developing effective mental health strategies for Nigerian workers.