Browsing by Author "Anum, A."

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Adverse life experiences and mental health of adolescents in Ghana: a gendered analysis
(International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 2022) Adjorlolo, S.; Anum, A.; Huang, K.
Adolescents living in sub-Saharan Africa have increased exposure to adverse life experiences (ALEs). The current study examines gender differences in the prevalence of ALEs, mental health outcomes and association between ALEs and mental health outcomes of school-going adolescents in Ghana, West Africa. A sample of 1,886 adolescents (1,174 females) completed mental health and ALEs self-report measures. A series of descriptive and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted. Results revealed girls report higher mental health problems than boys. However, there was gender similarity in the prevalence of ALEs, except for substance misuse and trauma to head were reported more by boys. The effect of ALEs on mental health outcomes was largely invariant across gender, substance misuse, victimization experiences and school-level stress significantly predict depressive symptoms in both boys and girls. Interventions targeting the ALEs investigated in this study would help improve the mental health of boys and girls
Can we measure cognitive constructs consistently within and across cultures? Evidence from a test battery in Bangladesh, Ghana, and Tanzania
(Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 2018-01) Holding, P.; Anum, A.; van de Vijver, F.J.R.; Vokhiwa, M.; Bugase, N.; Hossen, T.; Makasi, C.; Baiden, F.; Kimbute, O.; Bangre, O.et.al.
We developed a test battery for use among children in Bangladesh, Ghana, and Tanzania, assessing general intelligence, executive functioning, and school achievement. The instruments were drawn from previously published materials and tests. The instruments were adapted and translated in a systematic way to meet the needs of the three assessment contexts. The instruments were administered by a total of 43 trained assessors to 786 children in Bangladesh, Ghana, and Tanzania with a mean age of about 13 years (range: 7-18 years). The battery provides a psychometrically solid basis for evaluating intervention studies in multiple settings. Within-group variation was adequate in each group. The expected positive correlations between test performance and age were found and reliability indices yielded adequate values. A confirmatory factor analysis (not including the literacy and numeracy tests) showed a good fit for a model, merging the intelligence and executive tests in a single factor labeled general intelligence. Measurement weights invariance was found, supporting conceptual equivalence across the three country groups, but not supporting full score comparability across the three countries.
Depressive symptomatology in adolescents in Ghana: Examination of psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9
(Journal of Affective Disorders, 2019) Anum, A.; Adjorlolo, S.; Kugbey, N.
Background: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) has been used extensively in research and clinical settings. However, there is limited information regarding the psychometric properties of the PHQ-9 among adolescents, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Data were collected from 553 adolescents (girls = 322, 58.1%) using a cross-sectional survey design to investigate the factorial validity, construct validity and internal consistency of the PHQ-9 in Ghana. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA support a one-factor structure of the PHQ-9 that was invariant across gender. The PHQ-9 correlates significantly with measures of anxiety, depression, mental wellbeing, and suicidal behavior. The internal consistency of the PHQ-9 was 0.71. Limitation: The study did not include a gold standard measure of depression to assess the diagnostic properties (e.g., sensitivity and specificity) of the PHQ-9. Conclusion: The results suggest that major depressive disorder, measured by the PHQ-9, is a homogeneous construct across gender and that the PHQ-9 can be used to screen for depressive symptoms in adolescent boys and girls in Ghana. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.
Differences in intelligence test scores among urban children in Ghana: Examining test characteristics and socio-economic factors
(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Anum, A.
Performance on standardized cognitive tests among children in low income or less developed countries have consistently been low. The difference in test scores usually range between 1 to 2 standard deviations lower than published norms. Explanations for this difference have been attributed partly to IQ differences between different races which has been a subject of debate in scientific and academic research since the inception of IQ testing in the early 20th century. The debate about race differences in intelligence concerns the interpretation of research findings that Caucasian test takers tend on average to score higher than individuals of African descent. This was followed subsequently with the finding that test takers of East Asian background tend to score higher than Caucasians. Part of the explanation for racial differences in IQ or test scores is the issue of test bias, that is, test items tend to favor individuals for whom the test was initially developed. Although tests are standardized on local populations to address this challenge, significant differences are still found between groups separated by socioeconomic factors, even on measures that are supposed to be culture-fair. It therefore appears that differences in test scores may be explained by other factors apart from cultural differences. In the current study, we examined performance on three tests with varying degrees of cultural bias. We examined the effects of different socioeconomic factors on test performance and found expected superior performance for children in high socioeconomic groups on all tests. The difference in scores however diminished on tests that had low cultural bias. The findings from this study are discussed in the light of differences in wealth, parents' influence, and quality of school and teaching.
Dispositional Empathy and Perceived Caregiver-Child Interactions in Early Childhood Care and Education: Examining the Moderating Effects of Age and Personality
(University of Ghana, 2016-07) Aboagye-Acquaah, R.O.; Anum, A.; Osei-Tutu, A.; University Of Ghana, College Of Humanities, School Of Social Sciences, Department Of Psychology
Although various studies have established a relationship between dispositional empathy and caregiver-child interactions, the influences of the individual dimensions of dispositional empathy have not been adequately explored among caregivers in the early childhood care and education (ECCE) setting. The current study examined how the empathic dispositions of ECCE caregivers in the Ghanaian setting influenced their beliefs and intentions about their interactions with the children in their care, while controlling for training, years of experience, job commitment and satisfaction with salary. The moderation effects of age and three personality dimensions on the relationship between caregivers‟ dispositional empathy and their perceived interactions with the children were also examined. The study design was a cross-sectional survey, which involved 154 participants, who were ECCE caregivers within the Ga East District in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. The stratified random sampling technique was used to select participants. The results indicated that perceived caregiver-child interaction (PCCI) was positively predicted by empathic concern and perspective-taking and negatively predicted by personal distress. Empathic concern accounted for the highest variance in caregivers‟ perceived interactions with the children. Additionally, neuroticism significantly moderated the relationship between dispositional empathy and perceived caregiver-child interactions. The implications of the findings on both theory and practice are discussed in the context of ECCE, and recommendations made for future research.
Do ethnicity and sex-role ideology influence self-esteem among US and West-African young adults: An exploratory cross-cultural study
(Journal of Psychology in Africa, 2018-12) Anum, A.; Akotia, C.S.; Akin-Olugbade, P.
We explored ethnicity and sex-role ideology influences on self-esteem among young adults contrasting self-report data by university students from West-Africa (n = 144; females = 58.33%) and the United States (n = 57; females = 73.68%). The students (N = 201) completed measures of sex-role ideology and personal and collective self-esteem. Following regression analysis, we found ethnicity differences in self-esteem. US students scored higher than West-African students did on three self-esteem measures. Sex-role ideology did not predict self-esteem both between and within cultural settings. Findings may be explained by the conflation of ethnicity and sex-role ideology in the study sample.
Do police experience trauma during routine work? An analysis of work-related potentially traumatic events and expressed trauma in a sample of Ghanaian police officers
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2021) Barnett, C.; Anum, A.; Acquah, B.; Dzokoto, V.
Existing research associates police work with stress and mental health challenges due to routine exposure to potentially traumatic incidents. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are under-represented in this literature. In this study, we explored the relationship between work related potentially traumatic events and expressed trauma symptoms in a sample of 121 Ghanaian police officers. Ninety-seven (97) male and 24 female police officers participated in a semi-structured interview about on-the-job potentially traumatic events and completed a self-report measure of trauma symptoms. Overall, 71.9% of officers were exposed to at least one work-related PTE and 61.2% of officers endorsed at least one trauma. We found that dealing with traffic accidents, assaults and observing autopsy are the top critical incidents. We also found that observing autopsy and officer rank were predictive of expressed trauma. We discuss the findings within the context of a need to examine effects of potentially traumatic events on work and implications for mental health.
Does Socio-Economic Status Have Different Impact on Fluid and Crystallized Abilities? Comparing Scores on Raven’s Progressive Matrices, Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children II Story Completion and Kilifi Naming Test Among Children in Ghana
(Frontiers in Psychology, 2022) Anum, A.
Current literature shows an association between intelligence and socio-cultural or socio-economic factors. The available evidence supports a stronger effect of exogenous factors on measures of crystalized intelligence than on fluid intelligence. Despite this, the sources of variability in fluid and crystalized intelligence have not been explored adequately in intelligence research. The purpose of this study was to compare performance on tests that measure fluid and crystallized intelligence among children selected from public and private schools in Ghana. We tested the assumption that socio-economic status (SES) will have a stronger effect on tests that measure crystallized intelligence than on fluid intelligence. We selected 185 children between 6 and 12 years old from private and public schools, and used inclusion in a private or public school as a proxy for SES. We administered the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM), a fluid intelligence test, and the KABC II story completion subtest as a measure of inductive reasoning and crystallized intelligence and the Kilifi Naming Test, a verbal ability measure designed to minimize the effect of school on vocabulary. The results showed age-related improvement in scores on all three tests, with effect sizes ranging from from 0.42 to 0.52. We also found significant effect of type of school on all the tests with effect sizes ranging from 0.37 to 0.66. The results also showed an increasing disparity in performance on the tests favoring children selected from private schools. These suggest that fluid and crystallized intelligence are affected by socioeconomic factors. The results also showed that SES factors tend to affect crystallized ability more than fluid ability. The results are discussed in the context of differences in socioeconomic resources available to children, such as the quality of education in low- and middle-income countries.
Editorial: African Cultural Models in Psychology
(Frontiers, 2022) Serpell, Z.N.; Dzokoto, V.A.A.; Anum, A.; Belgrave, F.Z.
Emotion Regulation Strategies and Psychological Health Across Cultures
(American Psychologist, 2023) Tamir, M.; Anum, A.; Ito, A.; et al.
Emotional regulation is important for psychological health and can be achieved by implementing various strategies. How one regulates emotions is critical for maximizing psychological health. Few studies, however, tested the psychological correlates of different emotion regulation strategies across multiple cultures. In a pre-registered cross-cultural study (N = 3,960, 19 countries), conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, we assessed associations between the use of of seven emotion regulation strategies (situation selection, distraction, rumination, cognitive reappraisal, acceptance, expressive suppression, and emotional support seeking) and four indices of psychological health (life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and loneliness). Model comparisons based on Bayesian Information Criteria provided support for cultural differences in 36% of associations, with very strong support for differences in 18% of associations. Strategies that were linked to worse psychological health in individualist countries (e.g., rumination, expressive suppression) were unrelated or linked to better psychological health in collectivist countries. Cultural differences in associations with psychological health were most prominent for expressive suppression and rumination, and also found for distraction and acceptance. In addition, we found evidence for cultural similarities in 46% of associations between strategies and psychological health, but none of this evidence was very strong. Cultural similarities were most prominent in associations of psychological health and emotional support seeking. These findings highlight the importance of considering the cultural context to understand how individuals from diverse backgrounds manage unpleasant emotions.
Examining relations between performance on non-verbal executive function and verbal self-regulation tasks in demographically-diverse populations
(Developmental Science, 2021) Dutra, N.B.; Anum, A.; Chen, L.; et al.
Self-regulation is a widely studied construct, generally assumed to be cognitively supported by executive functions (EFs). There is a lack of clarity and consensus over the roles of specific components of EFs in self-regulation. The current study examines the relations between performance on (a) a self-regulation task (Heads, Toes, Knees, Shoulders Task) and (b) two EF tasks (Knox Cube and Beads Tasks) that measure different components of updating: working memory and short-term memory, respectively. We compared 107 8- to 13-year-old children (64 females) across demographically-diverse populations in four low- and middle-income countries, including: Tanna, Vanuatu; Keningau, Malaysia; Saltpond, Ghana; and Natal, Brazil. The communities we studied vary in market integration/urbanicity as well as level of access, structure, and quality of schooling. We found that performance on the visuospatial working memory task (Knox) Cube) and the visuospatial short-term memory task (Beads) are each independently associated with performance on the self-regulation task, even when controlling for schooling and location effects. These effects were robust across demographically diverse populations of children in low- and middle-income countries. We conclude This study found evidence supporting visuospatial working memory andvisuospatial short-term memory as distinct cognitive processes which each support the development of self-regulation
Expectations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Intellectual Disabilities in Ghana: A Comparison Between Service Providers and Parents
(Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2023) Washington-Nortey, M.; Anum, A.; Serpell, Z.; Xu, Y.
Little is known about care providers’ expectations for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) in Ghana. This study used group concept mapping (n=9) and a quantitative survey (n=128) to explore and compare service providers’ and parents’ expectations for children with ASD or ID. Data were analyzed using hierar chical clustering procedures and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Concept mapping results revealed several expectation clusters, including independence, love and acceptance, equal social rights and opportunities, and professional and caregiver training. MANOVA results revealed significant differences between parents, teachers, and healthcare pro viders in their perceptions of the importance and likelihood of a child achieving these expectations. Results are discussed in reference to the cultural context, and implications are outlined
Gender, culture, and inequality in Ghana: An examination of sociocultural determinants of gender disparity
(Psychology of Gender Through the Lens of Culture: Theories and Applications, 2015-04) Akotia, C.S.; Anum, A.
The gender gaps that exist in education, income, poverty, access to health and wealth, inheritance, and household decision-making has been reported widely in Ghana and in Africa. There is copious evidence which suggests that while these differences are found in all societies, in developing countries these gender gaps are biggest with associated greater negative impact on women. In Ghana for example, gender gaps have been reported in access to health, education, employment opportunities, rights, and inheritance. The focus of this chapter is threefold: first, we examined gender gaps and disparity in education, poverty, health, and political participation and decision-making. Second, we explored major interventions that have been implemented in Ghana and examined the successes and failures of these programs in addressing the gender disparity. Finally, we discussed the factors that account for the failures of some of these interventions such as culture, patriarchy, economic instability, and poverty. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.
Lay representations of chronic diseases in Ghana: implications for primary prevention.
(Ghana medical journal, 2012-06) de Graft Aikins, A.; Anum, A.; Agyemang, C.; Addo, J.; Ogedegbe, O.
Ghana's health system is ill-equipped to tackle the country's double burden of infectious and chronic diseases. The current focus is on empowering lay communities to adopt healthy practices to prevent chronic diseases. Understanding how individuals make sense of health, illness and chronic illnesses is an important first step to developing practical interventions. Six focus group discussions with lay people (N= 51) in Accra, Nkoranza and Kintampo to explore: (1) knowledge of prevalent chronic diseases in Ghana; (2) chronic disease causal theories; and (3) chronic disease treatment. Nineteen conditions were listed cumulatively. Diabetes and hypertension were listed by all groups. Rural groups included HIV/AIDS on their list as well as diseases with alleged spiritual roots, in particular epilepsy and sickle cell disease. Multiple causal theories were presented for diabetes and hypertension; cancers were attributed to toxic foods; asthma attributed to environmental pollution. Biomedical care was preferred by the majority. Lay representations were drawn from multiple sources: medical professionals and chronically ill individuals were the most legitimate knowledge sources. This study provides insights on how lay representations of common chronic diseases and their major risk factors provide public health specialists with the conceptual tools to develop primary prevention strategies. The first challenge will be to train health experts to provide accurate information in practical language that lay people can understand and apply to their daily lives. A second challenge will be to develop sustainable behaviour-change interventions. Best practices from other African countries can inform interventions in Ghana.
Perception of Stigma on the Psychological Well-Being of Siblings of Children with Intellectual Disability
(University of Ghana, 2013-07) Nartey, S.; Anum, A.; Sefa-Dedeh, A.
Siblings’ relationships are one of the longest and one of the most influential relationships in the development of psychological well-being, and the formation of attitudes. The present study investigated the influence of the presence of having a brother or sister with intellectual disability and the positive and negative sibling relationship on the psychological well-being of the siblings. A sample of 69 siblings of a brother or sister with intellectual disability from four special schools in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana participated in this study. A correlational survey research design was used. Tests assessing, psychological well-being, perceived stigma and attitude towards intellectual disability, family relationship were administered to participants. Parents or guardians were asked to rate siblings’ relationship with their intellectually disabled brother. Results of the study show that only positive sibling relationship one develops affects their psychological well-being. The type of intellectual disability, siblings’ attitude towards intellectual disability and perceived stigma did not predict the siblings’ psychological wellbeing. This study implies that developing of quality positive sibling relationship between a sibling dyad helps maintain the psychological well-being of siblings of an intellectually disabled person in spite of perceived stigma
Perceptions of the appropriate response to norm violation in 57 societies
(Nature Communications, 2021-04) Akotia, C.S.; Anum, A.; Eriksson, K.; Strimling, P.; Gelfand, M.; Wu, J.; Abernathy, J.; Aldashev, A.
Norm enforcement may be important for resolving conflicts and promoting cooperation. However, little is known about how preferred responses to norm violations vary across cultures and across domains. In a preregistered study of 57 countries (using convenience samples of 22,863 students and non-students), we measured perceptions of the appropriateness of various responses to a violation of a cooperative norm and to atypical social behaviors. Our findings highlight both cultural universals and cultural variation. We find a universal negative relation between appropriateness ratings of norm violations and appropriateness ratings of responses in the form of confrontation, social ostracism and gossip. Moreover, we find the country variation in the appropriateness of sanctions to be consistent across different norm violations but not across different sanctions. Specifically, in those countries where use of physical confrontation and social ostracism is rated as less appropriate, gossip is rated as more appropriate.
Performance of Ghanaian School Children on the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition (Kabc-Ii) – An Exploratory Validation Study
(University of Ghana, 2014-07) Quartey, D.S; Mate-Kole,C.C.; Anum, A.; University of Ghana, College of Humanities , School of Social Sciences , Department of Psychology
The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-second Edition (KABC-II) is a foreign psychological test which is increasingly being employed by practitioners in Ghana in the assessment of intelligence and cognitive abilities in children although it has not been locally normed as yet. Thus, the performance of 90 school children in Ghana aged between 6 and 12 years, whose sociocultural backgrounds may differ considerably from those for whom the KABC-II were normed, was investigated in this study. Children aged between 10 years and 12 years 11months performed significantly better than those aged between 6 years and 7 years 11months on all five subscales but only on two subscales when the former age group was compared to those aged between 8 to 9 years 11 months. Children from private schools performed significantly better than those from public schools on all five subscales. On the global indexes, those from private schools performed better on the FCI than the MPI whereas the converse was true for children in public schools. The findings of the study suggest a suitability of the KABC-II as an assessment tool in Ghana. However, the socioeconomic background of the child being examined must be taken into consideration.
Positive and negative psychosis risk symptoms among adolescents in Ghana
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2021) Adjorlolo, S.; Anum, A.
Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) have attracted increased scholarly attention; however, there are limited empirical studies in Africa where environmental risk factors for psychosis such as maltreatment are highly prevalent. The study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of PLEs, as well as the association between PLEs and behavioural maladies among adolescents in Ghana. Data were collected from 553 adolescents (girls = 322, 58.1%) using a cross-sectional survey design. The prevalence of the positive PLEs ranges from 3.8% to 41.2, whereas, for negative PLE, the prevalence ranges from 4.9% to 13% . The PLEs dimensions were significantly associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as suicidal tendency. Cluster analysis identified three groups of participants: normative, low risk and high risk for psychosis. The psychosis risk groups significantly reported more PLEs and behavioural maladies, com pared with the normative group. This preliminary study suggests that psychosis risk symptoms are prevalent in adolescents in Ghana.
Predicting risk and protective factors of generalized anxiety disorder: a comparative study among adolescents in Ghana
(International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 2019-12-03) Gyasi-Gyamerah, A.A.; Ahulu, L.D.; Anum, A.
In this study, we investigated psychosocial factors associated with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) among adolescents in two socioeconomically and ethnically different communities in Ghana. We examined two objectives; to test the predictors of GAD and to examine differences between the two groups on the predictors of GAD. We studied 300 adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years who responded to a sixscale questionnaire that measured GAD, parental perception, adolescent coping, adolescent religiosity, peer pressure, and self-esteem. We found a higher prevalence of GAD in Obuasi and consistent patterns of risks and protection in both communities. Non-productive coping and low parental involvement were found to be risk factors while self-esteem was found to be a protective factor against GAD. We discuss these findings in the context of socioeconomic and psychological differences among the adolescent population in Ghana
Psychological Health and Coping Strategies among Caregivers of Burns Patients
(University of Ghana, 2014-06) Bonsu, K.; Danquah, S. A.; Anum, A.; University of Ghana, College of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology
This study examined psychological health and coping strategies among caregivers of burns patients. A sample of 100 caregivers (50 formal and 50 informal) were recruited from the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The study employed a cross-sectional survey method and the participants were administered the Brief COPE (Carver, 1997), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet & Farley, 1988), Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck, Epstein, & Brown, 1988), Beck Depression Inventory(Beck, Ward, & Mendelson, 1961) and the WHOQOL-BREF (WHO,2004). Data was analysed using Independent t-test, Pearson correlation, and Hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results obtained from the analysis indicated that formal caregivers reported better quality of life as compared to informal caregivers. It was also observed that informal caregivers reported more anxiety and depressive symptoms as compared to formal caregivers. Further analysis revealed that as compared to informal caregivers, formal caregivers adopted more problem-focused strategies in dealing with stressors. However, there was no significant difference in their use of emotion-focused coping strategies. A significant positive relationship between social support and caregivers’ quality of life was also established. A significant negative relationship was established between social support and anxiety. Depression was also negatively related to social support. Problem-focused coping strategy correlated positively with caregivers’ quality of life. However, the predicted negative relationship between emotion-focused coping and quality of life was not supported. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis did not show any significant moderation effect of coping (emotion-focused and problem-focused) on the relationship between social support and quality of life. Majority of the findings are consistent with previous literature and the implications of these outcomes are discussed in relation to formal and informal caregiving and the health sector. It is concluded that the caregiving role (especially for those without formal training) could impact negatively on the psychological health of the caregiver. Use of effective coping strategies and strong social support could help lessen the negative impact of the caregiving role. Psychological services should be extended to caregivers to enable them perform their much needed roles to the optimum.