Evaluating the Clothing Interest and Mental Health of Undergraduate Students in the University of Nigeria

Abstract

The study determined the relationship between clothing interest and undergraduates' mental
health at the University of Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was
employed for the study. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 696
undergraduates from five faculties in the university. Three specific objectives guided this
study. Clothing Interest Questionnaire and Mental Health Continuum short form were used
to collect data. The instruments were validated by three lecturers in the Department of Home
Science and Management, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The instruments were reliable with
Cronbach alpha values of 0.78 and 0.86 respectively. The data were analyzed using SPSS
version 23.0. Frequency, percentage, and Chi-square were used for data analysis. Results
showed that 61.5%of the respondents had an interest in clothes that make them unique, 54.6%
were interested in clothing for appearance enhancement, 54.3% had an interest in clothing for
experimenting, 59.1% had interest in clothing for security, and 65.7% of the respondents had
an interest in clothing that conforms to fashion in vogue. The respondents could belong to
more than one clothing interest category. A greater proportion (69.5%) of the respondents had
poor mental health. The finding showed that clothing interests for Security (χ2 = 15.49, p =
.000) and Uniqueness (χ2 = 12.0, p = .002) were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with positive
mental health. Clothing interests in appearance, experimenting, security, and fashion were not
associated with mental health (p≥0.05). Although the mental health of the respondents was
generally suboptimal, it was not mostly associated with their clothing interests. Mental health
services such as counseling services and support groups should be made readily available to
the students.