African Research Review 

About: African Research Review is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Government. It has an ISSN identifier of 1994-9057. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1239 publications have been published receiving 5585 citations.

Psychometric properties of the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21)

Abstract: Depression, anxiety and stress are recognised as global public health problems especially in developing countries. Early detection of these disorders is essential to provide psychological interventions for individuals experiencing these negative emotional conditions. This study determined the Nigerian psychometric properties for the 21-item version of the depression, anxiety and stress scale among a sample of medical students. Two hundred and forty medical students from the Lagos State University College of Medicine, Lagos, Nigeria completed the depression anxiety and stress scale, state trait anxiety inventory and self-rating depression scale. The reliability, discriminative, concurrent and convergent properties were determined. The reliability of DASS-21 showed that it has excellent Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.81, 0.89 and 0.78 for the subscales of depressive, anxiety and stress respectively. It was found to have excellent internal consistency, discriminative, concurrent and convergent validities. The depression and anxiety subscales of DASS-21 had good correlations with self-rating depression scale and state trait anxiety inventory. The DASS-21 was found to have commendable psychometric properties. It is reliable, valid and easy to administer. Its utility by clinicians will enhance the diagnoses of depression, anxiety and stress among university students. Keywords: DASS-21, depression, anxiety, Stress, psychometric properties, Lagos, Nigeria

Methods of Conflict Resolution in African Traditional Society

Abstract: This study examined the patterns or mechanism for conflict resolution in traditional African societies with particular reference to Yoruba and Igbo societies in Nigeria and Pondo tribe in South Africa. The paper notes that conflict resolution in traditional African societies provides opportunity to interact with the parties concerned, it promotes consensus-building, social bridge reconstructions and enactment of order in the society. The paper submits further that the western world placed more emphasis on the judicial system presided over by council of elders, kings’ courts, peoples (open place) assemblies, etc; for dispute settlement and justice dispensation. It concludes that traditional conflict resolution techniques such as mediation, adjudication, reconciliation, and negotiation as well as cross examination which were employed by Africans in the past, offer great prospects for peaceful co-existence and harmonious relationships in post-conflict periods than the modern method of litigation settlements in law courts. Key words : African Conflict, Mediation, Reconciliation, Adjudication, Negotiation, etc

The Role of Stock Market Development on Economic Growth in Nigeria: A Time Series Analysis

Abstract: This study investigated the role of stock market development on economic growth of Nigeria using a 15-year time series data from 1994 - 2008. The method of analysis used is Ordinary Least Square (OLS) techniques. The study measures the relationship between stock market development indices and economic growth. The stock market capitalization ratio was used as a proxy for market size while value traded ratio and turnover ratio were used as proxy for market liquidity. The results show that market capitalization and value traded ratios have a very weak negative correlation with economic growth while turnover ratio has a very strong positive correlation with economic growth. Also, stock market capitalization has a strong positive correlation with stock turnover ratio. This result implies that liquidity has propensity to spur economic growth in Nigeria and that market capitalization influences market liquidity. We should view with caution the notion that stock market size is not significant for economic growth since multicollinearity exists in the data used for this analysis. The government should make policies that boost the interest of domestic investors in Nigeria as this might spur investors’ interest and boost stock market activity. Keywords : Stock Market Development, Economic Growth, Time Series Analysis, Nigeria, Market capitalisation, liquidity.

Challenges of Youth Unemployment in Nigeria: Effective Career Guidance as a Panacea

Abstract: Unemployment has become a major problem bedeviling the lives of Nigerian youth, causing increased militancy, violent crimes, kidnappings, restiveness and socially delinquent behaviour. Youth unemployment is devastating to both the individual and the society as a whole both psychologically and economically. The paper examines the issue of youth unemployment and looks at potential interventions such as effective career guidance, technical and vocational education as well entrepreneurship education. A number of recommendations were made which include that youths should be trained to possess skills which are congruent with real labour market demand, developing a special focus on career guidance and counselling support in schools and introduction of entrepreneurship education into the school curriculum.

Human Capital Investment and Economic Growth in Nigeria

Abstract: The role of human capital in the growth process of any nation is crucial. It is a major tool for poverty reduction. The main aim of this paper is to carry out an empirical investigation on the relationship between investment in education, health and economic growth in Nigeria, using time series data from 1982 to 2011. This paper employs trend analysis, the Johansen cointegration and ordinary least square technique. Empirical findings however indicate that there is a long-run relationship between government expenditure on education, health and economic growth. The variables: health and education expenditure, secondary and tertiary enrolment rate and gross fixed capital formation appear with the expected positive signs and are statistically significant (except government expenditure on education and primary enrolment rate). The findings of this work have strong implications on education and health policies and considering that they are of great debate in the country. Therefore, this study recommends that in order to accelerate growth and liberate Nigerians from the vicious cycle of poverty, the government should put in place policies geared towards massive investment in the education and health. Key words : Economic growth, Human Capital, Education, Health and Gross fixed capital formation.