ECONOMIC RECESSION AS A PRECURSOR TO MENTAL DISORDERS AMONG ADULT MEN IN KOLOKUMA/OPOKUMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BAYELSA STATE

Abstract

The high cases of mental disorders in Nigeria could be attributed to the economic recession that brought a lot of uncertainties among the low-income families. The inability of husbands as the traditionally culturally ascribed heads of the families to provide basic needs such as food, transportation, healthcare and shelter makes them more prone to various forms of mental disorders. This study therefore investigated economic recession as a precursor of mental disorder among adult men in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area. The descriptive survey research design was employed for this study. All the adult men within the age bracket of 15-64 years in the Local Government Area formed the population of study. A sample size of 2749 adult men in the Local Government Area participated in this study. Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. Multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire with a modified 4-point Likert type scale response options. Two thousand seven hundred and forty nine copies of the questionnaire were administered and only 2176 copies were retrieved. Five trained research assistants were also engaged. The data generated from the study were sorted, coded and analyzed using mean, standard deviation, z-test and ANOVA statistical tools. The findings revealed that economic recession could cause mental disorders among men in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and it was recommended that government should initiate palliative measures aimed at cushioning the effects of the economic recession.