Occupational stress among Nigerian construction trade artisans in the building construction sector: An intervention study

A two-pronged approach to understanding reciprocity and mental health relationship in developing countries: evidence from young informal construction workers in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Mental health problems disproportionately affect young people in developing countries. However, there is limited research on help-seeking behaviours and the social support systems that improve mental wellbeing among vulnerable youth populations.

OBJECTIVE

This mixed-methods study aimed to examine the relationship between social support reciprocity and mental health among young informal construction workers in Nigeria, a population at high-risk for occupational and socioeconomic stressors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was administered to 686 informal workers to measure reciprocity, mental health-related quality of life, and covariates. In-depth interviews with 32 participants provided qualitative context.

RESULTS

Quantitative analyses showed 25% of participants reported poor mental health. Reciprocity positively predicted mental health after controlling for covariates. Qualitative findings revealed reciprocity occurs directly between individuals as well as indirectly through trade unions and religious groups. Indirect exchanges through groups helped address limitations of direct support due to limited resources.

CONCLUSIONS

This study fills important gaps in understanding how social relationships impact mental health in developing country contexts. Findings emphasize the role of collective action and community-based support systems in promoting mental wellbeing among vulnerable populations. Insights can inform culturally relevant, systems-level mental health interventions.

Management of work stress in science education lecturers' population using rational emotive occupational health coaching: Implication for educational evaluators

INTRODUCTION

Nigerian university lecturers face a lot of works in the day-to-day discharge of their responsibilities as academics. This constitutes a lot of stress for them as documented in the literature. However, literature is scarce on how these lecturers manage their work stress. Thus, the researchers explored the efficacy of rational emotive occupational health coaching (REOHC) on the management of work stress among lecturers.

METHOD

A randomised controlled trial group experimental research design was adopted using a sample size of 84 lecturers in Science Education Departments of the sampled universities. An occupational stress index was used in the gathering of necessary data for the study. The REOHC treatment lasted for 12 weeks after which the participants were posttested and a follow-up measure followed after 3 months of the termination of the treatment. Repeated measures analysis of variance statistical approach was used to analyse the obtained data.

RESULTS

It was revealed that REOHC was significantly (p < 0.05) effective in the management of work stress in a population of science education lecturers in Nigeria.

CONCLUSION

REOHC enables science education lecturers to effectively manage their work stress to maximise their work outputs. This finding implicates the expertise of Educational Evaluators.