Fifty Years After Nigerian Civil War: Social Support Is Associated with PTSD Symptoms Through Increased Self-Efficacy Among Biafran Veterans.

The Nigerian Civil War (or Nigerian-Biafran War, 1967-1970) was fought between the Nigerian federal government and the defunct Republic of Biafra. Biafra recruited young men and boys (child soldiers) to fight the war, but little attention has been given to understanding the mental health outcomes of the War on Biafran veterans. Although there are few studies on social support in relation to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in this older veteran population, the mechanism through which social support influences PTSD has not received much attention.

Mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between mindfulness and mental well-being among formal caregivers of psychiatric patients.

Professional caregivers of psychiatric patients are often exposed to circumstances and environments that threaten their mental well-being in the course of carrying out their professional duties. In this study, we examined the mediating role of emotion regulation in the association between mindfulness and mental well-being among professional caregivers of psychiatric patients. Three hundred and seven professional caregivers of psychiatric patients whose ages ranged between 22 and 63 years (mean age = 39.

Psychological flexibility as a moderator of the relationship between HIV-related stigma and resilience among HIV/AIDS patients.

HIV-related stigmatisation is common in many parts of the world and is experienced by all categories of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA). Although the negative consequences of HIV-related stigmatisation on the resilience of PLWHA is well documented, little is known about the plausible role of certain personal characteristics in moderating the stigma-resilience relationship. In addition to investigating the direct association of HIV-related stigma (personalised stigma, disclosure concern, concern about public attitude and negative self-image) with resilience, the present study examined whether psychological flexibility (PF) moderates the HIV-related stigmaresilience relationship among PLWHA.

Locating event centrality in associations of emotion regulation with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and posttraumatic growth in emerging adults.

Previous research suggests that cognitive reappraisal (CR) and expressive suppression (ES) strategies of emotion regulation (ER) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG). How the patterns of these associations may vary in the context of event centrality (EC) however requires investigation to help delineate groups for whom the impact of event centrality may be more salient. We examined whether EC would moderate the associations of CR and ES with PTSD symptoms clusters and PTG domains among 388 emerging adults (18-30 year-olds) of Tiv ethnic group who were survivors of armed attack by Fulani herdsmen and were temporarily sheltered in two internally displaced persons' (IDPs') camps in North-central Nigeria.

Relationship between mindfulness, meaning in life and post-traumatic growth among Nigerian cancer patients.

Understanding the psychosocial factors that predict recovery and promote growth from trauma is critical to effective management of oncology patients. Although previous studies have shown that mindfulness and meaning in life could be predictors of post-traumatic growth (PTG), no study to date has explored the combined role of mindfulness and meaning in life in the development of PTG among cancer patients. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 957 cancer patients (46.

Social support buffers the impacts of Diabetes distress on health-related quality of life among type 2 diabetic patients.

Diabetes patients experience significant distress. Improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is cardinal in the management of all chronic health conditions. We investigated the moderating role of social support (SS) in the relationship between diabetes distress (DD) and HRQoL.

Enacted support matters in the relationship between psychological distress and health-related quality of life among type 2 diabetes patients in Nigeria.

We examined whether the association between psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) and diabetes-related quality of life (DRQoL) among type 2 diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients in Nigeria was moderated by enacted support (ES). Participants were 279 T2DMpatients (Mage = 59.65, SD: 11.

Somatic symptoms among prison inmates: contributions of emotion regulation, dispositional mindfulness, and duration of stay in prison.

Purpose: The modern prison system is not only a necessity to keep the public safe but also a mode of punishment for crimes. The correctional role of prisons is hampered in situations of mental illness, given that mental illness in the prison or correctional setting is a serious security risk. Few studies have given attention to the modifiable factors that may influence the mental health status of prison inmates, especially in developing countries.

Does Posttraumatic Growth Buffer the Association Between Death Anxiety and Quality of Life Among People living with HIV/AIDS?

People living with HIV (PLWH) may experience death anxiety (DA), which can be detrimental to quality of life. Posttraumatic growth (PTG), however, is antithetical to DA, with its positive attributes at odds with negative psychosocial outcomes. Previous research has not examined the buffering effect of PTG on the association between DA and quality of life.

Emotional reactivity and surgical anxiety. The protective nature of perceived social support.

The study examined whether emotional reactivity is associated with surgical anxiety among patients scheduled for elective surgery, and whether any of the dimensions of perceived social support moderates this relationship. Participants consisted of 210 adult patients (females = 117, 55.7%) admitted for surgery at University of Nigerian Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozala, Enugu State, Nigeria.

Roles of Religious Commitment, Emotion Regulation and Social Support in Preoperative Anxiety.

Surgery is a relatively commonplace medical procedure in healthcare settings. The mental health status of the person undergoing surgery is vital, but there is dearth of empirical studies on the mental health status of surgery patients, particularly with regard to the factors associated with anxiety in surgical conditions. This study investigated the roles of religious commitment, emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and social support in preoperative anxiety in a sample of 210 surgical inpatients from a Nigerian tertiary healthcare institution.

Psychometric properties of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire - Hausa version among internally displaced persons in Nigeria.

Valid measurement of meaning in life (MIL) is crucial for cross-cultural understanding of the construct. The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), a widely used measure of MIL, has yet to be translated into any indigenous African language. The current study presents a preliminary report of a Hausa language translation of the MLQ, the MLQ-Hausa version (MLQ-H), and its reliability and validity in a Nigerian sample.

Emotional reactivity and blood pressure elevations: anxiety as a mediator.

There is a strong link between emotional reactivity and hypertension, yet little research to date has examined mediators of this relationship. Ourstudy  investigated the mediating roleof anxiety on the relationship between emotional reactivity and blood pressure elevations. Participants were226 hypertensive patients (93 men and 133 women, Mean age = 53.

Event centrality influences posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms via core beliefs in internally displaced older adults.

Objectives: There is substantial evidence regarding the role of event centrality (EC) in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, but little research has examined the explanatory pathways linking EC with PTSD symptoms severity. The present study examined whether core beliefs (CB) mediates the relationship between EC and PTSD symptoms in internally displaced older adults.

Method: Internally displaced older adults (N = 279; mean age = 62 years) sheltered in two camps located in north-central Nigeria, completed Tiv language versions of self-report measures, namely, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, the Centrality of Event Scale, Core Beliefs Inventory, and provided relevant demographic information.

Role of event centrality and emotion regulation in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among internally displaced persons.

Background: Event centrality and emotion regulation in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been documented in various global samples especially in Western cultures; but internally displaced persons (IDPs) still constitute an underrepresented population in psychotraumatology literature. This study tested the roles of event centrality and emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) in PTSD symptoms among IDPs in Nigeria.

Design: The multi-group cross-sectional design was adopted.

Gender and health behaviours of hypertensive patients: mediating role of control beliefs.

Previous studies have reported gender differences in patients' health behaviours but few studied hypertensive patients. The potential underlying factors that may mediate gender influences on health behaviours is also a more critical area worthy of investigation. This study examined health locus of control (HLC) as a pathway of gender effects on health behaviours of hypertensive patients.