This study examined work-related stress and burnout symptoms with respect to related sociodemographic factors among nurses in Nigeria.A representative sample of nurses (N = 393) was randomly selected from hospitals in Southeast Nigeria to take part in this cross-sectional, correlational study from June to December 2017. Participants received questionnaires by mail, which measured work stress and burnout symptoms, respectively. Data collected were analyzed using bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses.Among the sociodemographic factors investigated, sex was significantly correlated with work-related stress. The sociodemographic factors were not significantly associated with burnout symptoms. Stepwise multiple regression procedure produced a model that contained four sociodemographic factors and explained 4.5% of the variance in nurses’ work stress scores and 0.8% of the variance in nurses’ burnout scores. Age, work environment, and work experience did not make significant contributions to the prediction of work-related stress among the nurses. Finally, sex, age, work environment, and work experience did not make significant contributions to the prediction of burnout among the nurses.Nurses’ sociodemographic factors, which included sex, age, work environment and work experience accounted for only a small proportion of variance in nurses’ work stress and burnout in Southeast Nigeria. The study also furthers our awareness that sex is significantly linked to work-related stress among the nurses in Southeast Nigeria. Thus, the implications of the study for administrators, research, and policy were discussed.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a critical thinking intervention (CTI) on stress management among undergraduates of adult education and extramural studies programs. Method: A total of 44 undergraduates were randomly sorted into experimental and waitlist control groups. We used the Perceived Stress Scale for data collection at the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. We used unpaired t and paired t- tests to analyze the data collected. SPSS version 22.0 was used for the data analyses (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Results: It was shown that the CTI was effective in reducing the mean stress of the participants compared to the control group both in the post-test ( t [42] = −22.453, P < .001) and follow-up periods ( t [42] = −34.292, P < .001). There were statistically significant changes in the mean stress of participants in the experimental group from the pre-test to post-test phases ( t [23] = 26.30, P = .000, r = .08], and from pre-test to follow-up( t [23] = 37.10, P = .000, r = .30). The mean stress of the participants in the experimental group from post-test to follow-up signified the sustained positive influence of the CTI on the mean stress ( t [23] = 2.41, P = .000, r = .46) of the undergraduates. Conclusion: This study adds to the literature by showing that a CTI is a valuable strategy for stress reduction in a university environment. Given that the CTI demonstrated the ability to reduce stress among undergraduates enrolled in adult education and extramural studies programs, we hope that similar interventions will be adopted to manage and prevent stress among students in other departments and disciplines.

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The study investigated the level of involvement of male and female farmers in small scale production and processing of cassava in Abia State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to determine the socioeconomic profile of the cassava farmers, identify the constraints in cassava production and suggest the possible remedies to improve cassava production in the study area. The result revealed that despite the fact that both male and female farmers were actively involved in cassava production and processing, but in terms of labour, the women dominated in most of the activities like planting, weeding and harvesting of cassava. There is also a significant difference in the labour involvement both in production and processing. It also revealed that land ownership was one of the major problems in the area. Women do not own land according to the tradition, and this discourages agricultural production among women. Other constraint like lack of input, lack of fund and high cost of labour were militating against cassava output in Abia State, Nigeria. Based on the constraints, the farmers suggested ways to improve cassava production in the study area. The major suggestions were provision of input, provision of agricultural subsidy/labour. It was recommended that state government should address the problem of farmers by assisting them with improved inputs. Loans should be given to farmers. Land ownership in the rural areas should be addressed by government so that everybody will have equal right to land ownership.

Purpose -This study aims to determine the extent school-based management committee (SBMC) participates in enhancing quality assurance in secondary school management in Enugu state, Nigeria.Design/methodology/approach -A total of 1,305 people participated in the study, which included a sample of 843 comprising 281 principals in all the public secondary schools, 281 community representatives and 281 Parent Teachers Association (PTA) representatives were randomly selected form Enugu State, Nigeria. There were 17 local government areas in Enugu State where those public schools were located; a 29item questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. In addition, the questionnaire was developed using simple English words to facilitate their understanding. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while analysis of variance was used to test the hypotheses.Findings -The findings showed that SBMC enhanced quality assurance in public secondary schools in Enugu State to a low extent. The government should therefore educate the principals on the role of the SBMC to ensure quality in public secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria.Research limitations/implications -It was challenging for the researchers to help the principals understand the rationale and significance of the study. Thus, the researchers spent a great deal of time, explaining the parameters and goals of the study. Another limitation was that additional data from interview and focus group could have added more useful information. Therefore, future researchers should try as much as possible to add focus group discussion and interview in studies similar to this one.Practical implications -The finding that there are major problems militating against the operation of the SBMC in public secondary schools in Enugu State Nigeria implies that if proper policy is not made to ease the implementation of SBMC, it would be difficult to maintain quality assurance in the secondary schools. In addition, the findings show indication that educational counseling is lacking in the secondary schools in Enugu state, especially on the part of principals, and PTA. Therefore, there is need for the government to make quality assurance counseling available for principal and PTA to ensure quality assurance.