Parental Verbal Abuse, Substance Use and Self-Esteem as Predictors of Mental Health among In-School Adolescents in Lagos, Nigeria

Uye, Emmanuel Etim; Omotuwa, Josephine O; Ehondor, Esohe G.

doi:10.22034/jmp.2024.461810.1108

Parental Verbal Abuse, Substance Use and Self-Esteem as Predictors of Mental Health among In-School Adolescents in Lagos, Nigeria

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Emmanuel Etim Uye ¹

Josephine O Omotuwa ²

Esohe G. Ehondor ¹

¹ Ph. D. Candidate, Department of Psychology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

² BSc, Department of Psychology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

10.22034/jmp.2024.461810.1108

Abstract

Objective: Mental health has remained an issue that affects various age groups with different levels of outcomes. One age group that needs urgent attention is the in-school adolescents. Studies have used various predictors to explore in-school adolescents’ mental health with varied results. Therefore, this study investigated parental verbal abuse, substance use and self-esteem as predictors of mental health among in-school adolescents in Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted while purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to select three local government areas and 200 in-school adolescents for the study. Data were collected using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Hare Self-esteem Scale, Verbal Abuse Questionnaire and Substance Use Scale and analyzed using multiple regression analysis.

Results: The results revealed that parental verbal abuse, substance use and self-esteem jointly predicted mental health among study participants [R2=.12, F (4,199) = 6.64, p <.05]. Also, parental verbal abuse (β = -.20, p < .05) and self-esteem (β = -.20, p < .05) independently predicted mental health among study participants. However, substance use (β = -.11, p >.05) did not independently predict mental health among study participants.

Conclusion: The study concludes that parental verbal abuse, substance use and self-esteem are strong predictors of mental health among study participants. The paper recommended that in order to enhance the mental health of in-school adolescents, government and other stakeholders should advocate for the development and implementation of policies that prioritize mental health support and resources for adolescents within Lagos State and Nigeria.

Keywords

In-school Adolescents

Mental health

Parental Verbal Abuse

Substance Use

Self-esteem

Subjects

Abnormal Psychology

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