Personal Variables, Pastoral Counselling and Patients’ Psychosocial Adjustment in Government Hospitals in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of Personal Variables, Pastoral Counselling on Psychosocial Adjustment of Patients in Government Hospitals in Cross River State, Nigeria. Three hypotheses directed the study and relevant literature was reviewed. The ex-post factor research design was used. The population consisted of 4,200 inpatients in Government Hospitals in Cross River State, Nigeria. 420 respondents were randomly selected as sample for the study. The questionnaires titled “Personal Variables, Pastoral Counselling and Patients’ Psychosocial Adjustment Questionnaire (PEVAQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was subjected to validation by experts in Measurement and Evaluation Pastoral Counsellors in the Faculty of Education, University of Calabar. The test-retest reliability method was used with sub-scale estimates of 71-80 were found to be high enough, hence the instrument was deemed reliable. Independent t-test was used to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance with relative degree of freedom. The result showed that age, perception towards pastoral counselling, counselling except gender significantly influence patient’s psychosocial adjustment in Government Hospitals in Cross River State, Nigeria. It was concluded that personal variable, pastoral counselling influence patients’ psychosocial adjustment in the hospitals. It was therefore recommended among others that apart from administering drugs therapies on patient, their psychology, emotion, self-concept should be worked upon to boost their self-confidence, their resolve and their mentality to adjustment and recovery while on admission in the hospitals.