Mental Health And Quality Of Life Of Residents In Cement-Producing Communities In Ogun State

Abstract

The study assessed the impact of stress on the quality of life of residents in cement-producing communities, and it investigated the influence of anxiety on quality of life. The study also determined the impact of depression on quality of life and examined the joint influence of stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms on quality of life of residents in the study area. These were with the view of ascertaining the mental health status and quality of life of residents in cement-producing communities. Quantitative and qualitative data were used for the study. The data were collected from residents in Ogun State. Four hundred participants were selected from the population of the study. The questionnaire used are World health Organization quality of life (WHOQOL BREF) used to measure quality of life, the perceived stress scale (PSS) used to measure stress, and the Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAR-S) for measuring anxiety and the Center for epidemiological studies depression scale revised (CESDS-R) measures depression. Data collected were analyzed using independent sample t-test for hypothesis one and three, one-way Anova for hypothesis two and multiple linear regressions for hypothesis four. Also, health practitioners were interviewed. The result indicated that stress had a statistically significant impact on the quality of life of residents in cement-producing areas [t (345) = 6.067; p < .05]. Anxiety had a significant influence on quality of life of cement-producing communities [F = 3,333; p <.05]. Depression significantly influenced the quality of life, [t (339) = 5.86; p < .05]. Finally there was a significant joint influence of stress, anxiety and depression on quality of life of residents of cement-producing communities, [F(3, 333) =31. 115; p< 0.05]. Interview reports with health practitioners reveal that there are more physical ailment attended to than mental illness among residents of cement-producing communities than those in non- cement-producing communities. The study concluded that a mental health effect such as stress, anxiety, depression has an impact on the quality of life of residents in cement-producing areas.