PRESUMPTIVE BEHAVIOURAL INDICES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OFACADEMIC STAFF IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate presumptive behaviour indices (spirituality, health-seeking behaviour, and illness cognition) and the psychological well-being of academic staff in tertiary institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted. From three purposively selected tertiary institutions in Ogun State, a simple random technique was employed to select 208 respondents representing 10.1% of 2,050 academic staff. Namely Federal College of Education Abeokuta (83-39.9%), MoshoodAbiola Polytechnic (75-36.1%) and Federal University Agricultural (FUNNAB) (50-24.0%). The instruments used to collect data were the health-seeking behaviour questionnaire, psychological well-being scale, spirituality self-report questionnaire, and the brief illness perception questionnaire. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics and Multiple Regression. Results showed that except for spirituality, there was a significant relationship between the independent variables (health-seeking behaviour and illness cognition factors) and the psychological well-being of lecturers in the selected institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria. There was a significant composite contribution of health-seeking behaviour, spirituality and illness cognition and psychological well-being of lecturers in the selected institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria. There is a strong need to develop vibrant counselling centres for support services on psychological wellness which is very essential for all members of staff in our tertiary institutions. A good mental health policy is necessary to drive the provision of counselling services efficiently among academic staff.