Edward Ab | University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana (original) (raw)

Papers by Edward Ab

Public Policy and Administration Research, 2012

This study examined how locus of control and self esteem are associated with organisational commi... more This study examined how locus of control and self esteem are associated with organisational commitment of survivors of layoffs in selected organisations in Ghana. Two hundred and nineteen participants (survivors of layoffs) were made to complete survey items on locus of control, self esteem and organisational commitment. Using MANOVA and Hierarchical Multiple Regression analysis; results indicated that internals reported significantly higher overall, affective and normative organisational commitment than externals. Internals and externals, however, did not differ in terms of continuance commitment. Self esteem did not predict normative commitment among the participants. Based on these findings, implications for managing downsizing and layoffs have been discussed.

Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences, 2011

International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH, 2014

This study explores the biopsychosocial factors that affect the decision of Ghanaian men to use s... more This study explores the biopsychosocial factors that affect the decision of Ghanaian men to use sexual enhancers/aphrodisiacs. The study was qualitative in nature and made use of thematic content analysis as its main tool of analysis. Two focus groups involving ten (10) participants were used in the study. Participant age ranges was between 25 – 59 years. Findings indicated that the decision to use an aphrodisiac involve a complexity of interactions between social, psychological and biological factors. The main social findings were that a man’s sexual ability to perform sex is indicative of status and prestige in society. The psychological reason for the use of aphrodisiacs was to punish women. The biological reasons were to use sexual enhancers as tools to prove masculinity and as a function of age and absence of disease. The study also gave the easy availability of sexual enhancers in Ghana, as one of the reasons. Recommendations centred on education on the effects of sexual enha...

This article is based on a study that examined and compared the attitudes of students from educat... more This article is based on a study that examined and compared the attitudes of students from education discipline versus other disciplines (Physics, Chemistry, Biology and others) of Gomal University towards the teaching profession in Pakistan. The design of the study was quantitative survey. A sample of 292 students (178 males & 114 females) participated in the study. The findings of the study showed that the attitudes of the students towards the teaching profession were generally positive. However, surprisingly no significant differences in attitudes were found with regards to gender but significant difference in attitudes of students offering Education and students who offered other disciplines (Physics, Chemistry, Biology and others) were found towards the teaching profession. Students offering Education reported the most positive attitudes and those with the least positive attitudes were those who offered “other” courses. The other courses are courses other than Chemistry and phy...

This study examined the prevalence of depression of the students at the University of Ghana, the ... more This study examined the prevalence of depression of the students at the University of Ghana, the perceived causes and the coping strategies they use. Three hundred and twelve students were drawn from Legon and Accra City Campuses of the University of Ghana through stratified sampling. A self designed questionnaire and Beck’s Depression Inventory was used to collect the data. MANOVA, ANOVA, t-test and Regression Analyses were used to analyze the results which revealed that students had mild depression and their major stressors were related to the academic load. The stressors affected mostly Level 300 students and those on Study leave. The stressors accounted for 43% of the signs of depression in them. Females had more signs of depression whilst level 400 students had the least signs. The commonly used coping strategy was the cognitive. The recommendations centred mainly on addressing academic problems and organizing stress management workshops for them.

This book is based on research exploring the quality of life of public sector retirees in Ghana. ... more This book is based on research exploring the quality of life of public sector retirees in Ghana. Retirement is inevitable in the life of a public servant and that of others. It is a world on its own and anecdotal evidence has shown that it comes with its own joy and challenges. The book brings to bear some fundamental literature on the subject "Retirement and Quality of Life". It goes further to highlight what constitute quality of life of public sector retirees in Ghana and the factors that influence the desired quality of life. The book concludes with recommendations to improve quality of life of public sector retirees in Ghana.

This study investigated the attitudes and practices of nursing mothers on exclusive breastfeeding... more This study investigated the attitudes and practices of nursing mothers on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in the Bolgatanga municipality using a qualitative approach. A total of 12 nursing mothers recruited from the Antenatal clinic of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital were interviewed on their attitudes and practices on EBF. Results indicated that participants did not appropriately and effectively practice EBF. Results include late initiation of EBF, inappropriate positioning of babies during breastfeeding and inadequate feeding frequency. Recommendations based on the findings included teaching mothers not only to exclusively breastfeed but the details of EBF practice.

International journal of applied psychology, 2017

Character strengths are important personal qualities that are proposed to be productive and criti... more Character strengths are important personal qualities that are proposed to be productive and critical for lifelong optimal human development. This study investigated the distribution of the Values in Action character strengths among high school students and their relationship with satisfaction with life of the students. Using data from a sample of 210 students, results indicated that the top seven strengths were forgiveness, self-regulation, kindness, leadership, hope, love of learning and fairness whiles the least five were creativity, bravery, perseverance, curiosity and appreciation of beauty. Judgment, zest, love, kindness, prudence and humor independently significantly correlated with subjective wellbeing. Regression results showed that bravery, judgment, prudence, gratitude and humor made significant contribution in explaining subjective wellbeing with bravery making the largest unique contribution. Females scored significantly higher than males on five strengths. Implications ...

Humanities and Social Sciences Letters, 2016

Character strengths are positive traits that are critical in many positive life outcomes. This st... more Character strengths are positive traits that are critical in many positive life outcomes. This study examined the distribution of character strengths and their relationship with life satisfaction among teachers in selected schools in the Builsa District of the Upper East Region in Ghana. Data from a sample of 104 basic and senior high school teachers revealed that the top 7 character strengths of the teachers were gratitude, kindness, fairness, love of learning, honesty, perspective(wisdom) and open mindedness (judgment). There was a strong positive relationship between overall character strengths and satisfaction with life. Creativity, perspective, love, teamwork, prudence, and gratitude were each significantly correlated with life satisfaction. Prudence, humour, modesty/humility, self-regulation and capacity to love and be loved each made unique and significant contribution in explaining life satisfaction with prudence making the largest unique contribution. Implications of the study and directions for future research are discussed.

International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 2015

The levels and sources of stress among diploma nursing students in the nursing training colleges ... more The levels and sources of stress among diploma nursing students in the nursing training colleges have received little attention worldwide. The purpose of this study therefore was to examine the levels and sources of stress among diploma nursing students in two nursing training colleges in Tamale, Ghana. A total of 273 State Registered Nursing, Community Health Nursing, and Midwifery students who were selected using the stratified random sampling strategy were made to complete self administered questionnaires on stressors they encounter. Data was analysed using a One-Way ANOVA, One-Way repeated measures ANOVA and Independent sample t-test on SPSS version 17. Results indicated that students experience severe levels of stress. They also reported significantly higher Personal stressors, followed by Academic stressors and finally Social stressors. There was no significant difference in the levels of overall stress with regards to academic discipline (course type), gender and marital status. However, married students reported significantly higher academic stressors than those who were single and separated/divorced or widowed. Based on the findings, recommendations such as educating fresh students on adapting to college stressors, provision of counselling services in the colleges and focusing counselling on personal stressors as much as on academic related ones were made for stakeholders and future researchers. Implications of the findings include the fact that they can be useful in the management and counselling of nursing students on coping strategies.

International Journal of Applied Psychology, 2015

The present study examined stress coping strategies adopted by nursing students in nursing traini... more The present study examined stress coping strategies adopted by nursing students in nursing training colleges in Tamale, Ghana. It also examined differences in coping methods based on course type, gender and marital status. A total of 273 State Registered Nursing, Community Health Nursing, and Midwifery students were selected using the stratified random sampling strategy and were made to complete self administered questionnaires on stress coping strategies they utilised to cope with stress. ANOVA and independent sample t-test results indicated that students mainly used cognitive coping methods, followed by both Behavioural and Spiritual, Social and Avoidance ones. With regards to course type, there was a significant difference in the Behavioural coping method with mean scores for Community Health Nursing (CHN) students differing significantly from those of Midwifery students. For the other coping methods (Cognitive, Spiritual, Social, Avoidance) and overall coping, there was no significant difference. There was also no significant difference in the levels of the various coping strategies and overall coping among male and female students. Finally, respondents who were separated, divorced or widowed reported using significantly more Spiritual coping methods as compared to Single and Married respondents although there was no significant differences in Behavioural, Cognitive, Social and Avoidance methods as well as overall coping among the respondents with regards to marital status. Implications of the findings were discussed.

Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2012

This study is aimed at finding out the distribution of depression, anxiety and stress among nurse... more This study is aimed at finding out the distribution of depression, anxiety and stress among nurses at Pantang hospital with regards to demographic characteristics such as age, gender, rank, duration and hospital unit worked. A sample of 57 Nurses of Pantang Hospital was randomly selected for the study. ANOVA tests were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that there was a significant difference in all the emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress with regards to the ages of the nurses. The results showed that the higher the age of the Nurse the more he or she is exposed to these emotional conditions and the stress level was higher in Rehabilitation Unit as compared to the rest of the Units. It was therefore recommended that Nurses who are vulnerable should be screened with the DASS scale and those with high scores should be counseled.

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 2014

American Journal of Applied Psychology, 2014

This paper examined the occurrence of test anxiety among student nurses in selected Nursing Schoo... more This paper examined the occurrence of test anxiety among student nurses in selected Nursing Schools in Ghana. A total of one hundred and sixty four student nurses (N= 164) were drawn from five Nursing Training Schools in Ghana using stratified sampling technique. The Westside Test Anxiety Scale was administered to students from the various schools who came to Pantang Psychiatric Hospital for affiliation. Results were analysed using the independent t test and ANOVA. The findings of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in test anxiety among the various ages of the students. Secondly, there was no significant difference in anxiety scores among males and females. Thirdly, there was no significant difference in test anxiety between Christians and Muslims. There was also a significant difference in test anxiety levels among the various types of training with Health Assistant Clinical (HAC) students reporting higher test anxiety compared to both Registered General Nursing (RGN) and Midwifery students. The final finding was that there was a significant difference in reported test anxiety levels among students from the various schools with those from private institutions reporting significantly higher levels. It was recommended that the various HAC schools should organised training programmes for students on how to prepare and take exams and tests successfully.

Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 2012

This research examined how perception of procedural justice relates to organisational commitment ... more This research examined how perception of procedural justice relates to organisational commitment of survivors of layoffs. It also examined the effects of locus of control and self esteem on perception of procedural justice. Two hundred and nineteen (219) participants (Survivors of layoffs) were made to complete survey items on perceived procedural justice, locus of control, self-esteem and organisational commitment. Pearson ProductMoment correlation, Hierarchical Multiple regression and independent ttest analysis of results revealed that perceived procedural justice was significantly positively related to affective commitment but did not relate to normative and continuance commitment. Internals were also found to perceive significantly higher procedural justice than externals and finally, self-esteem positively predicted procedural justice. The findings of the current study have practical implications for managing downsizing in organisations. These implications have been discussed.