Employment, Perceived Government Achievement and Political Participation Contributions to Depressed Mood: Implications for Sustainable Governance

Abstract

The study investigated how Imo people’s level of political participation, perception of government achievement and employment status contributed to the prevalence of depression in the State. Three hundred respondents (69.3% males & 30.7% females) with age range of 18 to 80 years (M=36.09 years, SD=11.16) were selected from the three geo-political zones in Imo State using cluster sampling method. Respondents were assessed with Dosumu Government Achievement Rating Scale and Symptoms Distress Checklist-90. The study adopted a descriptive design and data was analyzed with generalized linear models. Result indicated that 91.3% of the respondents were depressed, 75% perceived government achievement to be poor, 59% expressed poor political participation and 50.3% were unemployed. The overall model showed that employment status, perceived government achievement, and political participation significantly contributed to depression. Specifically, employment status did not significantly contribute to depression; however, perceived government achievement was found to be the most significant contributor; followed by political participation. The study concluded that the people of Imo State were depressed, indicating that quality of life in the State was generally poor at the time of this study. Avoidance of anti-development governance practices, government display of the capacity to govern and implementation of strategic economic-recovery-oriented policies were recommended.