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Global Health Econ Sustain COVID-19: Mental health in South-South Nigeria

Table 7. Multiple regression analysis of sociodemographic 4.2. Relationship between anxiety, age, and anger
correlates and anger expression disorders
Predictor β 95% CI (R =0.039) p‑value Both the physical and psychological well-being of the
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Age −0.185 −0.488, 0.119 0.233 youths are significantly influenced by their level of anger
Occupation 0.155 0.029, 0.282 0.016* (Kerr & Schneider, 2008). An important area of research for
gaining insights into mental health symptoms, functioning,
Monthly income 0.484 0.276, 0.691 <0.001** and physical health among males in the South-South
Marital status 0.016 −0.187, 0.219 0.879 region of Nigeria is examining the potential association
Family size 0.777 0.380, 1.174 <0.001** between anxiety disorder and rage disorder. Given the
Note: Statistical significance level: *p<0.05; **p<0.001. frequent interchangeability of terms such as irritation and
anger, unclear language can pose challenges in interpreting
monthly income was associated with a higher likelihood findings (DiGiuseppe & Raymond, 2006). Anger is a basic,
of experiencing anger. On average, respondents who had universal emotional state triggered by a sense of threat and is
larger family sizes expressed more anger by 0.777 more linked to thoughts about the wrongdoings of others (Deater-
than those with lesser family sizes (β = 0.777; p < 0.001). Deckard & Wang, 2012; DiGiuseppe & Raymond, 2006).
As opposed to this, irritability is a physiological condition
4. Discussion marked by a decreased threshold for reacting negatively to
Our research sought to identify the sociodemographic stimuli, frequently displaying anger and violence (American
determinants of selected mental health problems in Psychiatric Associations, 2013; Stoddard et al., 2014).
South-South Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the diagnostic process, irritability has been included
The respondents’ gender, age, marital status, educational as part of the diagnosis of GAD, whereas anger has not
attainment, job, individual income, and family size were been recognized as a feature or symptom linked with
utilized to explore their relationships with the selected anxiety disorders. There is evidence suggesting that the rate
mental health outcomes. It was found that awareness of and intensity of rage are higher in adult anxiety disorder
mental health was high (70.9%) among the respondents. samples compared to healthy control samples, and this is
In addition, a majority of the respondents (72.7%) knew specifically correlated with the degree of anxiety (Hawkins
where mental health care was provided, and 56.8% had & Cougle, 2011). Depending on the anxiety diagnosis,
heard of mental health challenges related to COVID-19. adults and children may display anger in different ways.
According to certain observational research, adults with
4.1. Relationship between gender and GADs
GAD may experience anger but tend to conceal it more than
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the South-South younger individuals (Deschenes et al., 2012; Fracalanza
region of Nigeria, males were observed to experience et al., 2014), resulting in higher levels of anxiety among
higher rates of GAD and anger disorders compared to adults. This simply implies that although adults tend to
females. This contrasts with findings from other studies suppress their anger, leading to increased worry, younger
where females were reported to suffer more from GAD individuals may express their anger more openly due to a
than males (Archibong et al., 2021; Anwar-McHenry et al., lack of control. Our study revealed a statistically significant
2013; Lebron-Milad & Milad, 2012; Segalàs et al., 2010). correlation (χ = 9.142; df = 2; p = 0.01) between age and
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The reason for this disparity may be attributed to the the display of rage, thereby rejecting the null hypothesis.
prevalence of reported cases of police brutality in Nigeria, Other studies have documented that younger individuals
particularly targeting young men who were wrongly occasionally mistake physical symptoms of anxiety for
stereotyped as internet fraudsters, known as “Yahoo boys.” anger, resulting in difficulty distinguishing between anger
These incidents sparked the ENDSARS protest during and anxiety as separate constructs (Lucia et al., 2018).
the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, demanding the
dissolution of the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad 4.3. Relationship between depression disorders and
(SARS) of the Nigerian Police Force, which had been gender
targeting mostly young males in Nigeria (Kazeem, 2020; Our findings revealed a statistically significant correlation
Kingsley & Ochi, 2021). The ENDSARS protest gained between gender and depression (χ = 3.32, df = 1, p = 0.34),
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significant momentum in major cities in South-South states with females being more affected. Females in the South-
during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a platform for South region of Nigeria suffered more depressive
youths to vent their frustrations regarding government disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to
policies and police brutality in the enforcement of their male counterparts. Similar trends were observed in
lockdown restrictions (Akinkuotu et al., 2020). studies done in Uganda during the COVID-19 lockdown

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 8 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2551