ABSTRACT
This study investigated the influence of demographic characteristics on the mental health of Home Economics students in University of Benin. Seven research questions were raised to guide the study and three hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance.
The study adopted a descriptive survey of a correlational type. The population of the study consisted of 149 students from 100L to Fresh Graduates of University of Benin. The sample size of this study was 115 home economics students in University of Benin. The proportionate sampling technique of 77% was used to arrive at the sample size of the study. The research instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled “Influence of Demographic Characteristics on Mental Health of Home Economics Education Students in University of Benin (IDCMHHESUBQ)". The questionnaire consisted of two sections, section A, used to collect information relating to the demographic characteristics of the respondents such as gender, age and class level and Section B comprising of 30 closed question items which were raised from the research questions. The instrument for data collection was subjected to face validity by the researcher's supervisor and one expert in Home Economics Education and a psychometrician, all from Faculty of Education, University of Benin. To establish the reliability of the instrument, Cronbach alpha statistics was used to measure the level of consistency of the items. The instrument was administered to twenty (20) students in University of Benin, who were not part of the study population. A coefficient of 0.92 was obtained which showed the instrument was reliable. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean (x) and standard deviation (SD), and inferential statistics such as independent samples t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).
Findings show that Home Economics students at the University of Benin exhibit good mental health in the cognitive (x = 3.09), emotional (x = 2.98), behavioral (x = 3.14) and social (x = 2.96). Gender and age were found to have no significant influence on the mental health, while class is a significant predictor. Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded as students increase in class level, their mental health level drops. It was therefore recommended that lecturers should adapt their approaches to meet the unique needs of each class level, from individualized support for lower-class levels to mentoring and autonomy for upper-class levels.
