ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Psychological well-being and job performance amidst covid-19: A multi-group analysis of rural and urban health workers in Ghana

The onset of COVID-19 has caused a paradigm shift in individual and firm activities. Throughout this pandemic, health workers have been highly engaged in a range of activities from educating people about the pandemic to vaccinating the populace. While Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) have been provided for their physical well-being and financial incentives given to motivate them, little has been heard about their psychological well-being and how this has affected their performance. This quantitative study, guided by the post-positivist paradigm was therefore conducted to assess the levels of psychological well-being and job performance of nurses and midwives in rural and urban hospitals. Also, the influence of their psychological well-being on job performance was ascertained. The Job-Demands Resource (JD-R) theory and Self-Determination theory formed the basis for this study. Questionnaire items were adapted from standardized scales to collect data. Psychological well-being was measured as a second order construct with six dimensions (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life and self-acceptance). The stratified random technique was used to retrieve a total of 262 questionnaires for the analyses. PLS algorithm and multi-group analysis were used to investigate the hypothesized relationships. The findings indicated that psychological well-being and job performance were high in both hospitals. Also, psychological well-being influenced job performance in both hospitals. Lastly, the study found that the influence of psychological well-being on job performance in urban health workers was relatively higher than the influence of psychological well-being on job performance in the rural sample. Practical implications and directions for future research have been provided.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial adjustment of children affected by HIV/AIDS in Ghana

Objective: The study was conducted to assess the psychosocial adjustment of children affected by HIV/ AIDS in the eastern part of Ghana. Method: Four groups of children (children who lost their parents to AIDS, children who lost their parents through other causes, children living with HIV infected, alive parents and the comparison children who were from the same community but did not have HIV/AIDS-related illness or death in their families) were interviewed on depressive symptoms, prosocial behaviours, hyperactivity, conduct and peer problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: Orphans in general and children living with HIV-infected parents consistently demonstrated poorer psychosocial adjustment than comparison children in the same community. Conclusion: The findings underscore the urgency and importance of culturally and developmentally appropriate intervention efforts targeting psychosocial problems among children affected by AIDS and call for more exploration of risk and resilience factors, both individual and contextual, affecting the wellbeing of these children.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial Adjustment of Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in Ghana

The study was conducted to assess the psychosocial adjustment of children affected by HIV/ AIDS in the eastern part of Ghana. Method: Four groups of children (children who lost their parents to AIDS, children who lost their parents through other causes, children living with HIV infected, alive parents and the comparison children who were from the same community but did not have HIV/AIDS-related illness or death in their families) were interviewed on depressive symptoms, prosocial behaviours, hyperactivity, conduct and peer problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: Orphans in general and children living with HIV-infected parents consistently demonstrated poorer psychosocial adjustment than comparison children in the same community. Conclusion: The findings underscore the urgency and importance of culturally and developmentally appropriate intervention efforts targeting psychosocial problems among children affected by AIDS and call for more exploration of risk and resilience factors, both individual and contextual, affecting the wellbeing of these children.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial Assessment of Ghanaian Adolescent Living with HIV Using the HEADSSS Assessment Approach: A Mixed Methods Study

Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) face the dilemmas of adolescence combined with complex issues regarding living with a chronic and stigmatizing conditions. This study aimed at identifying the psychosocial stressors of ALHIV in Ghana and how these predict their overall quality of life. METHODS: A mixed methods study was conducted among 98 ALHIV (80 and 18 respectively, for the quantitative and qualitative aspects), accessing antiretroviral therapy services at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Total sampling was used. Survey and in-depth interviews were used to satisfy the quantitative and qualitative demands, respectively. Both were guided by the HEADSSS psychosocial assessment tool- a structured clinical instrument that touches on the major areas of adolescent psychosocial stress and provides a useful screening profile. Quantitative data were analysed using the Stata version 13 software, while the qualitative data were analysed thematically using NVivo version 11. RESULTS: A total of 52 (53.1%) constituted the younger ALHIV group who were within the ages 10-14 years while 46 (46.9%) were older ALHIV between 15-19 years old. A majority of 48 (49.0%) had both parents alive while over a fifth (n=22, 22.5%) were total orphans. The study found a high psycho-social burden and a higher risk of mental health problems among ALHIV. Indicators for depression, as observed were mainly; unfavourable home situation, social isolation, body image disturbance and legitimate HIV diagnosis related fears such as stigma, dying young, and not being able to marry or have sexual relationships. Low level of sexual knowledge (29.9%) and the ability to negotiate the use of condom (14.3%), were also observed. CONCLUSION: Our study has generated evidence of a greater psychosocial burden among Ghanaian ALHIV, with an associated threat to their quality of life and survival. This warrants a prioritized need to strengthen their psychosocial care.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial assessment of Ghanaian adolescent living with HIV using the HEADSSS assessment approach: A mixed methods study

BACKGROUND: Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) face the dilemmas of adolescence combined with complex issues regarding living with a chronic and stigmatizing conditions. This study aimed at identifying the psychosocial stressors of ALHIV in Ghana and how these predict their overall quality of life. METHODS: A mixed methods study was conducted among 98 ALHIV (80 and 18 respectively, for the quantitative and qualitative aspects), accessing antiretroviral therapy services at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Total sampling was used. Survey and in-depth interviews were used to satisfy the quantitative and qualitative demands, respectively. Both were guided by the HEADSSS psychosocial assessment tool- a structured clinical instrument that touches on the major areas of adolescent psychosocial stress and provides a useful screening profile. Quantitative data were analysed using the Stata version 13 software, while the qualitative data were analysed thematically using NVivo version 11. RESULTS: A total of 52 (53.1%) constituted the younger ALHIV group who were within the ages 10-14 years while 46 (46.9%) were older ALHIV between 15-19 years old. A majority of 48 (49.0%) had both parents alive while over a fifth (n=22, 22.5%) were total orphans. The study found a high psycho-social burden and a higher risk of mental health problems among ALHIV. Indicators for depression, as observed were mainly; unfavourable home situation, social isolation, body image disturbance and legitimate HIV diagnosis related fears such as stigma, dying young, and not being able to marry or have sexual relationships. Low level of sexual knowledge (29.9%) and the ability to negotiate the use of condom (14.3%), were also observed. CONCLUSION: Our study has generated evidence of a greater psychosocial burden among Ghanaian ALHIV, with an associated threat to their quality of life and survival. This warrants a prioritized need to strengthen their psychosocial care.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial Climate, Health And Turnover Intention Of Employees Of The University Of Education, Winneba

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychosocial climate of the University of Education, Winneba and how that affects the health and turnover intention of the employees. A cross-sectional survey was used for the study involving a sample size of 1,222 employees at the university. An instrument obtained from four already existing ones was used for data collection. The questionnaire generated composite reliabilities ranging from 0.920 to 0.968. Frequency counts and structural equation modelling (SEM) were employed for the data analysis. The findings of the study indicated a high level of burnout, discrimination, harassment, job demands, job decision latitude, social support (supervisor and co-worker support) and a moderate level of turnover intention among the workers engaged in the research. The predominant chronic health conditions among the workers were hypertension, diabetes, work-related stress, backache, eye injury, non-cardiac chest pain and repetitive strain with a prevalence of 19.0%, 14.3%, 54.0%, 35.9%, 12.3%, 1.6% and 2.5% respectively. Among the psychosocial factors, job demand, job decision latitude, and harassment significantly influenced the turnover intentions of the employees. Furthermore, two of the dimensions of burnout, thus, depersonalization and diminished personal accomplishment significantly influenced turnover intention. Therefore, it is vital that the management of the University of Education, Winneba consciously creates a positive work climate in such a way that it may reduce workload, discrimination, harassment, burnout and turnover intentions employees experience on their job.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial Determinants of Marijuana Utilization among Selected Junior High School Students in the Central Region of Ghana

Marijuana utilization among school aged adolescents is major public and mental health concern in Ghana and other developing countries, with the rate of usage soaring high among school going adolescents. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of marijuana utilization among selected Junior High School (JHS) students in the Central Region of Ghana and explore the relative impact of psychosocial factors accounting for its usage. Using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the Global School Based Survey [GSHS] questionnaire, a sample of 1400 school going adolescents students were drawn using multistage sampling procedure. Frequencies, percentages and binary logistic regression results indicated marijuana utilization prevalence of 9% (n = 122). Statistically, gender (OR = 0.52, 95% CI= 0.35 - .765, p = 0.001), religious affiliation (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.0 - 2.95, p = 0.034), socioeconomic background (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.33 - 1.23, p = 0.004) and geographical location (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.31 - .886, p = 0.016) significantly predicted marijuana utilization among school aged adolescents. No statistically significant variations were found in the odds of students’ marijuana usage for age (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.69 - 1.88, p = 0.590), parental communication (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.56 - 1.23, p = 0.348) and academic performance (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.66 -1.80, p = 0.744). Findings suggest that school based research should reflect and perhaps replicate existing prevalence, patterns of marijuana and other drug use through multiple school surveys nationwide. This pathway may provide useful information towards the design, evaluation and implementation of drug prevention cognitive-behavioural interventions and the development of stringent drug regulative standards.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial Factors Influencing Marital Distress In Ghanaian Married Couples

This study set out to examine how much distress men and women experience in their marital relationships, and what psychosocial factors are associated with marital distress. This was done by using the Marital Happiness Scale, and a questionnaire that measured demographic characteristics, as measuring instruments. Two research questions were answered and one hypothesis was tested. They covered the differences that exist in the marital distress experiences of husbands and wives, and psychosocial factors that impact marital distress. A total of eighty (80) married men and women comprising 40 husbands and 40 wives were conveniently selected to take part in the study. Descriptive statistics was used to answer research question one and two and a t- Tests was used to test the difference between husbands and wives in marital distress. The findings showed that wives tested more distressed than husbands in marriages. Certain psychosocial areas showed as areas of high distress in marriages such as communication, time spent together, sex relations, and friendliness.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial factors, Perceived Well-Being, and Safety Incidents among Long-Distance Commercial Drivers in Ghaha

This study aimed at exploring the levels of psychosocial hazards and the paths through which these factors predict perceived psychological well-being and safety incidents of long-distance bus drivers. A quantitative survey design was used to purposively and conveniently select 7,315 long-distance bus drivers who commute 140 km from Accra and Tema to other parts of the country and the neighbouring countries. A questionnaire was used for data collection. Kruskal Wallis H test, confirmatory composite analysis, and path analysis using partial least square structural equation modelling were used for data analysis. The results indicated high levels of psychosocial hazards (long driving hours, high job demand, low job resources, work-family conflict, lone driving, job insecurity and poor psychosocial safety climate) among long-distance bus drivers. Also, drivers who drive more than 41 hours a week were more likely to report high safety incidents. High driving-hour intensity was observed among drivers whose buses are individually owned. Job demand, job resources and psychosocial safety climate are significant direct predictors of perceived psychological well-being and safety incidents. Perceived psychological well-being partially mediated the effect of job demands and resources on safety incidents. Psychosocial safety climate also buffered the effect of job demands and resources on psychological well-being and the effect of psychological well-being on safety incidents. Efforts are needed to manage the psychosocial work factors of long-distance bus drivers and there should be a strict enforcement and integration of occupational health and safety standards in the road transport industry in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial Predictors of Recurrence of Bipolar Disorder in Two Psychiatric Hospitals in Ghana

In Ghana, about 13 % of the adult population is estimated to be affected by mental health disorders of varying forms of which bipolar is inclusive. Bipolar is a grave and long term mental health problem marked by recurring episodes of mania /hypomania and depression. This study therefore sought to determine the psychosocial factors influencing the recurrence bipolar disorder among patients in Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital and Accra Psychiatric Hospital. Specifically, the sought to: evaluate the role of emotion regulation in predicting recurrence of bipolar disorder, explore the knowledge of patients on interpersonal communication and how it predicts recurrence of bipolar disorder, determine the relationship between stress and rate of recurrence of bipolar disorder and investigate the impact of social support as a predictor of recurrence of bipolar disorder. Employing a retrospective and cross-sectional survey design, data was conveniently collected from 217 participants. Participants were administered measures of social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), emotion regulation (Difficulties of Emotion Regulation Scale), interpersonal communication (Interpersonal Communication Skills Inventory), and stress (Perceived Stress Scale). Data was evaluated using univariate logistic regression and bivariate analysis as well as through the computation of frequencies, and percentages. The study revealed that patients who had high stress levels, poor interpersonal communication skills and high difficulty in regulating their emotions had a higher rate of recurrence. In addition, it was found out that a staggering majority of 93% of the respondents had good support system in comparison to just 7% who had poor support. Based on these findings, the study concluded that psychosocial stressors played a major role in predicting recurrence and therefore much attention should be given to it just like the psychopharmacological treatment. Psychoeducation and psychotherapy should be aimed at helping patients gain mastery of regulating their emotions, learn adaptive ways of coping with stress, increase knowledge on interpersonal communication and keep encouraging strong social support systems in a bid to reduce incidence of recurrence of bipolar disorder

Source: UCC
Psychosocial safety climate as predictor of occupational health and safety of fuel station attendants in Accra, Ghana

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of organisational psychosocial safety climate (PSC) among Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and their fuel service stations (FSSs) in Accra, explore the paths through which PSC predicts health and safety (H&S) of the attendants and the extent to which job resources (JR) and PSC mediate the effect of job demands (JD) on H&S of the attendants. The survey involved four purposively sample OMCs (Allied Oil, Goil, Shell and Total Petroleum) and 876 conveniently sampled attendants from these companies. An instrument derived from three pre-existing ones was used for data collection. The questionnaire yielded composite reliability between 0.91 and 0.95. Tools for the data analysis included One-way ANOVA, factorial MANOVA and SEM-PLS. The results revealed a general high risk (36.08) perceived PSC, with forecourt attendants having significantly higher risk perception (M = 34.98, SD = 12.47) than lube bay (M = 37.61, SD = 13.20). Also, ANOVA indicates a significant difference H&S status among the attendants by their OMCS, F (3, 872), 6.14, p = 0.01, Shell attendants (M = 18.15, SD = 5.77) reported poorer status than those at Allied (M = 19.79, SD = 5.81), GOIL (M = 20.36, SD = 5.97), and Total (M = 20.34, SD = 5.57). Further, PSC significantly and directly and indirectly, via the path of JR, predict H&S. PSC and JR are also partial mediators of the effect of JD on H&S of the attendants. Fuel station environment is posing a serious H&S threat to the total well-being attendants. Management needs to provide a strong safety leadership in all matters concerning the H&S of the attendants. The supervisors are also encouraged to increase their support for the attendants. A longitudinal study exploring changes in H&S of the attendants as PSC, JD and JR change over time is needed.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial Safety Climate Predicts Health and Safety Status of Ghanaian Fuel Attendants

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of psychosocial safety climate (PSC) at fuel stations in Accra and test the paths via which PSC predicts health and safety of the attendants. We surveyed 876 conveniently sampled attendants from four major Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). A questionnaire derived from three pre-existing ones (PSC-12, Job Content Questionnaire and Short Form Health Survey) was used for data collection. It yielded composite reliability between 0.91 and 0.95. Partial Least Squared-Structural Equation Model was used for analysis. Results shows a high risk of (36.08) PSC perception among the attendants. PSC directly, and indirectly, via the path of job resources, predict health and safety of the attendants. Job demands have significant direct influence on health and safety with its path being the strongest (r = -0.66) and most significant (t = 39.48, p = 0.00) compared with PSC (r = 0.16) and job resources (r = -0.12). The health, safety and well-being of the fuel station attendants appears to be preserved where management takes practical steps to raise PSC of the fuel stations and supervisor provides increased support for the attendants. An increase in PSC is most likely to cause increase in supervisor support to the attendants. In such stations, daily productivity is more likely to increase due to well-being of the workers.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial Stress among Bankers due to Long Working Hours: Case Study of University of Cape Coast Banks

The study aimed at investigating the impact of psychosocial stress among bankers in the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. The study focused specifically on the following: examine the psychosocial stress on bankers due to long working hours, find out the strategies that bankers could adopt to reduce stress associated with long working hours and lastly assess the impact of psychosocial stress on the health of bankers. The convenience sampling technique was used to select 76 participants for the study. The results of the study indicated that on the psychosocial stress associated with long working hours among bankers, bankers generally reported that they were aware of the psychosocial stress based on the statement outlined on the questionnaire. Health-wise, to a great extent that psychosocial stress associated with long working hours do not affect the health of bankers in the University of Cape Coast. Management commitment to employee-related issues such as paying attention to workload conflict and the introduction of proper stress management training programmes were perceived as significant steps which if embraced, were identified as major contributory factors that could contribute to the alleviation of psychosocial stress among staff.

Source: UCC
Psychosocial Stress among Bankers Due To Long Working Hours: Case Study of University of Cape Coast Banks.

The study aimed at investigating the impact of psychosocial stress among bankers in the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. The study focused specifically on the following: examine the psychosocial stress on bankers due to long working hours, find out the strategies that bankers could adopt to reduce stress associated with long working hours and lastly assess the impact of psychosocial stress on the health of bankers. The convenience sampling technique was used to select 76 participants for the study. The results of the study indicated that on the psychosocial stress associated with long working hours among bankers, bankers generally reported that they were aware of the psychosocial stress based on the statement outlined on the questionnaire. Health-wise, to a great extent that psychosocial stress associated with long working hours do not affect the health of bankers in the University of Cape Coast. Management commitment to employee-related issues such as paying attention to workload conflict and the introduction of proper stress management training programmes were perceived as significant steps which if embraced, were identified as major contributory factors that could contribute to the alleviation of psychosocial stress among staff.

Source: UCC