Pervasive and unrelenting violence threatens the safety and security of women and
children, present day survival and collective future of the people in various communities
and nations, across the globe. This tragic crisis has become one of the most serious
issues compelling the increasing attention of governments, at all levels, scholars in
traumatic stress studies, psychology, psychiatry, contemporary medicine, human
development, military and police administrators. Countries and communities are being
destroyed by violence. Images and accounts of violence pervade the media; it is on the
streets, homes, schools, workplaces and institutions. It has become a universal scourge
that tears at the fabric of society. In a world desperate to comprehend, address and
arrest the seemingly ever-enlarging explosion of violence and its psychological
aftermath, the Three-Dimensional Psychological Intervention Strategy (3-DPIS) Model
has been developed to explain the underlying factors that perpetuate violence in society
and the 3-DPIS Model to holistically address these factors and break the vicious circle
(Igboegwu, 2016).
In this paper, the concept of genuineness, as expressed by Carl Rogers in ClientCentered Psychotherapy, is the platform on which efforts of some Nigerian citizens and governments to curb the spread of corona virus (COVID-19) is discussed. The genuineness in seeing COVID-19 as real, the political goodwill, the sincerity in administering the COVID-19 funds, in carrying out the internationally mapped out measures to contain the virus, and in the distribution of the palliatives to cushion the adverse effects of the lockdown, are questioned. A call for attitudinal change on the part of the concerned citizenry and the governments are therefore made.
The rate at which youths commit suicide and the number who attempt suicide is on the increase every day. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and entire countries and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. This study investigates Personality Trait and Drug use and Abuse as predictors of suicidal ideation among adolescents in Makurdi Metropolis in Benue State, Nigeria, and makes suggestions for effective psychotherapeutic treatment of suicidal ideation among the youth. The study employed survey research design where 325 participants were randomly drawn from Makurdi Metropolis in Benue State through Stratified, Convenience and Simple Random Sampling Methods. Personality Trait Scale, Drug use and Abuse Scale, Bio data and Suicidal Ideation Scale were used for data collection.
Three hypotheses were tested using multiple regression and simple regression analyses. The result revealed a positive relationship between Personality Trait and suicidal intention among adolescents. Drug use and Abuse also shows significant influence on suicidal intention among the youths. There was a significant interactive influence of Personality Trait and Drug use and Abuse on suicide ideations among the adolescents.
Based on these findings, it was concluded that Personality Trait and Drug use and Abuse are predictors of suicidal ideation among youths in Makurdi Metropolis in Benue State, Nigeria. It is recommended that understanding personality traits of youths, type of substance used and abused can further help Clinicians during psychotherapeutic sessions with youths in solving problems of suicidal ideation. Parents and caregivers
should be enlightened on the behavioral and attitudinal signs to watch out for when their
wards are abusing drugs and also the danger of the use and abuse of drugs.
In rural African communities, traditional healers hold an esteemed and powerful position in the diagnosis and treatment of various illnesses. They assume a significant role in addressing the mental health care needs of individuals by offering cultural appropriate treatment and they are easily accessible. This was a qualitative study, and specifically, the case study method was utilised. Ten traditional healers were chosen through purposive and snowball sampling to participate in the study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using the thematic analysis method. The findings revealed that several procedures (like throwing of bones and direct observation of patient’s behaviours) are used to diagnose mental illness. The findings also revealed that mental illness can be treated through the use of traditional remedies and practices (like rituals). From the findings of the study, it can be suggested that both traditional medical interventions and some culturally relevant psychological procedures are used to treat mental illness. Increased cooperation between western oriented psychotherapists and African traditional healers is therefore highly recommended.
The author examined the effective and ineffective coping mechanisms of English language undergraduate students during the total lockdown in Nigeria as a result of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) global pandemic. The participants in the study were twenty undergraduate students of English language in a state university. The students were interviewed on telephone on their coping styles during lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Their responses were recorded on the phone, transcribed, and thematically analysed using qualitative methods. Results show that they used such effective coping mechanisms as having a positive attitude towards the lockdown, and therefore used the opportunity for reading novels, writing poems, playing and dancing music at home, and painting/drawing. Other effective coping activities reported were: Having quiet moments for meditation and prayers, home physical exercises and aerobic, sleeping/resting, watching television and movies, gardening/farming, family bonding/reunion, and expected/desired pregnancy. Some of them also reported some ineffective ways of coping, such as denial of reality of COVID-19, feeling anxious, boredom/loneliness, weight gained, substance abuse/use, domestic violence, unwanted pregnancy, longing for intimate sexual partner, being angry with the governments because of food-shortage/starvation, and obsessive-compulsive behaviour. The author concludes that the effective coping mechanisms would enhance their proficiency in English language, and should be encouraged; while the ineffective ways of coping would definitely be detrimental to their future professions and life in general, and should be discouraged.
