Risk factors for psychiatric morbidity among bank workers in a northern city of Nigeria

Abstract

Objective. To determine the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in bank workers in Ilorin, Nigeria, and the sociodemographic and work-related factors that may be associated with poor psychological health. Method. This cross-sectional two-staged study conducted between March and July 1999 involved screening using the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30), a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Present State Examination (PSE) schedule and diagnostic criteria from the 10th edition of the Internationa! Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Data source. Bank workers in the three local government areas (west, east, and south) of Ilorin, a city in the middle belt of Nigeria. Data analysis. Data were analysed using EpiInfo version 6.0. Frequency distribution, cross tabulation, and chi-square analyses were obtained. The level of statistical significance was set at 5%. Result. Four hundred and thirty workers responded satisfactorily to the questionnaires (response rate 76%); 77 respondents (18%) were GHQ-positive and therefore had psychiatric morbidity. There was a significant association between psychiatric morbidity and age, gender, number of children, belonging to a social club, workload, promotion, and job status. Conclusion. The implications of these findings are discussed and possible medical and administrative interventions advocated.