Investigating the Culture Around Sexual Harassment in First-Generation Universities in Southwestern Nigeria: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

The phenomenon of sexual harassment (SH) is a complex issue with multiple prongs that concerns all members of academia and raises serious challenges, particularly regarding prevention and response. SH in tertiary institutions remains a huge problem worldwide, leading to severe emotional, academic, and career difficulties, as well as undue suffering. Institutions have responded in various ways to alleviate the burden of SH with little success, especially in Nigeria. The prevalence is high but reportage is low because of the culture of silence around SH in most educational institutions. This study aims to identify factors associated with SH in tertiary institutions in Nigeria and explore factors surrounding reportage or nonreportage following the experience of SH, the institutional mechanisms to prevent and respond to SH, and the lived experience of survivors of SH.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to present a study protocol that is designed to identify factors associated with the experience of SH in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, the institutional mechanisms to prevent and respond to SH, and the lived experience of survivors of SH.

METHODS

A mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods approach is used consisting of a policy review of existing antisexual harassment policies in the selected universities, a quantitative survey to determine the correlates of SH, focus group discussions to explore the perspectives of the university community concerning SH, in-depth interviews to explore the lived experiences of survivors of SH, and key informant interviews to understand the perspectives of people who provide interventions to survivors.

RESULTS

This study was funded in July 2022 by the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa, and data collection started in November 2022. The SH policies were comprehensive, with clear policy statements and definitions, and recognized a wide range of survivors and perpetrators. However, there was no clear mention of prevention and response to same-sex SH. Lived experiences showed negative psychological and social sequelae and little institutional support.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study that has a component investigating same-sex SH in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This is also one of the first studies to explore the lived experiences of survivors of SH in Nigerian universities. The findings from this study suggest that periodic evaluation of SH policy implementation will improve institutional support, thus creating safe spaces for survivors and will thereby encourage reportage and support; prevention and response strategies need to be more inclusive; and more interventions should focus on strengthening prosocial skills and healthy, equitable relationships.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/49126.

Psychological correlates of stress among Nigerian high school adolescents during the third wave of COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the mental health of adolescents. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence and psychological correlates of stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic among high school adolescents in Nigeria.Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive online study involving 1008 Nigerian adolescents. Respondents completed study-specific sociodemographic questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale– 21, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale-10, Paediatric Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction, Insomnia Severity Index-7, Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, Drug Abuse Screening Test -10.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 15.60 (SD 1.24) years. The prevalence of stress was 61.6%, while the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 57.4% and 50.8%, respectively. There were statistically significant positive correlations between stress and anxiety (r = 0.669, P = <0.001), p depression (r = 0.612, P = <0.001), insomnia (r =0.355, P =<0.001), suicidal tendencies (r = 0.257, P = p p p <0.001), drug abuse (r = 0.251, P =<0.001) as well as between stress and age (r = 0.129, P = <0.001). p p There was a statistically significant negative correlation between stress and quality of life (r = -0.375, P = p <0.001). The adolescents undergoing abnormal stress had higher odds of experiencing higher anxiety levels and depression.Conclusion: Stress is associated with anxiety, depression, insomnia, substance abuse, suicidal behaviours, and reduced quality of life among Nigerian adolescents. Hence, there is a need to plan adolescent-centered mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.