Dept of psychology

Narcotic drug trafficking is a criminal and punishable offence in every country the world over. The use of certain narcotic drugs, on the other hand (especially marijuana), has been legalised in some countries, but under strict regulations. Like other countries, and as a signatory to the United Nations Conventions on narcotic drugs, Ghana has implemented severe punitive sanctions for narcotic drug-related offences to deter people from engaging in this crime. This paper assesses in detail the legal regime dealing with the adjudication and treatment of narcotic drug offenders in Ghana. It reveals that narcotic-related offences carry severe sentences including fines, imprisonment, or both fine and imprisonment. However, as narcotic drug use is currently deemed a public health issue, offenders may be sentenced to treatment facilities rather than imprisonment. Such treatment may be received in either a public or a private facility, and involves a combination of evidence-based and faith-based approaches.

The mango is a rich source of various polyphenolic compounds. The major polyphenols in the mango in terms of antioxidative capacity and/or quantity are: mangiferin, catechins, quercetin, kaempferol, rhamnetin, anthocyanins, gallic and ellagic acids, propyl and methyl gallate, benzoic acid, and protocatechuic acid. The nutraceutical and pharmaceutical significance of mangiferin, which is a special polyphenol in the mango has been extensively demonstrated and continues to attract much attention especially in its potential to combat degenerative diseases like heart diseases and cancer. The amounts of the different polyphenolic compounds in the mango vary from part to part (pulp, peel, seed, bark, leaf, and flower) with most polyphenols being found in all the parts. Mango polyphenols, like other polyphenolic compounds, work mainly as antioxidants, a property that enables them to protect human cells against damage due to oxidative stress leading to lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, and many degenerative diseases. Use of pure isolated compounds has been found to be less effective than the use of crude mixtures from the particular mango part suggesting that synergism of the various mango polyphenols is important for maximum antioxidative activity. In this article, we review the major mango polyphenols, looking at their proposed antioxidative activity, estimated amounts in the different parts, their structures, suggested modes of action, and related significance to human health, with great emphasis on mangiferin.

Selfie-related activities have become pervasive to the point that they may affect the mental health of people who engage in them. To ascertain this mechanism, this study examined the mediating role of selfitis in the associations between self-esteem, problematic social media use, problematic smartphone use, body-self appearance, and psychological distress among young Ghanaian adults. A total of 651 participants completed a questionnaire with measures on self-esteem, body-self appearance, problematic social media use, problematic smartphone use, depression, anxiety, stress, coping skills, and selfitis. There were direct associations between all the variables except between self-esteem and selfitis. In addition, selfitis mediated the associations between problematic social media use, problematic smartphone use, body-self appearance, and psychological distress except between self-esteem and psychological distress. These findings suggest that selfitis can serve as a pathway by which peo...

The vast majority of research on mental health has been undertaken in high income countries. This study aimed at investigating the long-term course of maternal depressive symptoms and its association with various mother- and child-related characteristics in two West African lower middle income countries with focus on the relationship with long-term anxiety symptoms. In the Child Development Study, a prospective birth cohort study in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was answered by N = 776 women 3 months antepartum, and 3, 12, and 24 months postpartum between April 2010 and March 2014. Growth mixture modeling was used to identify distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms. Several psychosocial, obstetric, and sociodemographic characteristics were assessed and multinomial regression analysis was performed to investigate the influence of these variables on the different depression trajectories. We found three distinct classes of depressive ...

The current study is a qualitative exploration of the presence of the money illusion in the lived experiences of Ghanaian adult consumers after a currency redenomination. The results indicated that a switch from the old currency to the new currency had implications for self-worth determination, trivialization of price increases, changes in spending behaviour, and changes in the extent of benevolence. All these changes were related to the tendency to make judgments based on the nominal value of an amount of money, rather than its real value; the judgment bias is known as the money illusion.

ABSTRACT.
Growing old, is one of those inevitable life processes that cause significant distress and triggers a host of anxieties amongst individuals. Indeed, individuals experience some significant amounts of anxiety as they age and a qualitative study of eight (8) individuals made up of four (4) early adults (18-30) and four (4) middle adults (31-45) who were selected purposively has shed considerable light on the anxieties involved in ageing. The sample consisted of three (3) males and one (1) female in their middle adulthood as well as two (2) females and two (2) males in their early adulthood. The average age for the middle adults is thirty-nine (39) and that for the early adults is twenty-four (24). The study revealed that; inability to go about normal duties as a result of old age, increased level of difficulty in fulfilling one’s life mission, the prospect of ‘meeting death’ in old age, neglect by family and loved ones due to old age and retirement plans were the main factors that triggered anxiety in the subjects of study. Some of the participants however reported that they experience no anxiety whatsoever as far as ‘growing old’ is concerned and assumed an optimistic stance in facing the inevitability ahead. Family support, concrete retirement plans, positive life style, positive attitude towards one’s passion and establishment of meaningful lifelong relationships are some remedies that can help assuage the anxieties involved in the ageing process.
Keywords: Early Adulthood, Middle Adulthood, Anxiety, Ageing.

NATURE [ Dec. 5, I 889 genus) have been reproduced, intercalated in the text, in a manner which is highly creditable to the Lithographic Etching Company. Considering how much remains to be done in the investigation of the fish-fauna of India and its British dependencies, it is a matter of regret that so little attention has been paid to the subject since Mr. Day's departure from India. The supplement to the "Fishes of India," published in 1888, records no more than sixty additions to the number of species, a figure which might easily have been doubled in the same lapse often years but for the unaccountable wa:1t of interest shown in this most important branch of study. As an example of the results which may be attained by an enthusiastic collector in those regions, we may allude to the collections of fishes brought together during the last three or four years by Mr. J ayakar, a surgeon stationed at !YI us cat, at the

Men cannot solely manage all the activities of our institutions; women also play tremendous role in management. However, some people have negative attitude towards women in management positions. The present study examined how gender differences influence attitude towards women in managerial positions. The study also examined whether attitude towards women in managerial positions is determined by the perceived integrity of the women. A total of two hundred (200) undergraduate students of the University of Ghana were selected using convenience sampling to complete the Perception of Integrity Scale and Leadership Scale Inventory. Data was analysed using the independent t-test and the Pearson r. Results revealed that females had significantly positive attitude towards women in management than males. Christians had significantly positive attitude towards women in management than Muslims. There was a significantly positive relationship between perception of integrity of women in management and attitude towards women in management. The implication of the study is that perceived attitude towards women is influenced by the integrity of the women.

Epilepsy may be associated with a wide range of neuropsychological deficits. The study examined the neuropsychological deficits (language skills, attention skills and executive functioning) associated with epileptic children. The role of medication compliance on the neuropsychological deficits was also assessed. Seventy-two participants consisting of 36 epileptic patients visited the neurological clinic at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (children's department) and 36 healthy control group from West African Basic School were selected to complete the Digit Span Tasks, Kilifi Naming Test (KNT), Trail Making Test (TMT) and the Morisky 8-Item Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). An analysis was done using Pearson correlation and the MANOVA. Findings of the study indicated higher deficits in language skills, attention skills and executive functioning among epileptic patients compared to healthy control group. Medication compliance was found to enhance the deficiencies associated with attention, language skills, and executive functions among epileptic Original Research Article

Cognitive and psychological deficits may be frequent in patients with epileptic disorders. The study was aimed at assessing the cognitive (memory and academic achievement) and psychological (anxiety and depression) deficits associated with epileptic disorders. The study also examined the effect of socioeconomic status of the patient in ameliorating the cognitive and psychological deficits associated with the epileptic disorder. One hundred (n=100) respondents consisting of epileptic children (n=50) visiting the neurological clinic at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and healthy control group (n=50) from West African Basic School were selected to respond to questionnaires measuring cognitive and psychological deficits. Data were analysed using the MANOVA. Results of the study indicated higher psychological deficits among epileptic children compared to healthy control group.

Parents, to a large extent, determine the behavioural and emotional outcomes of their children. This study investigated the influence of parenting styles on behavioural and emotional outcomes (aggression and assertiveness) among University of Ghana undergraduate students. The study also examined gender differences in behavioural and emotional outcomes. One hundred and sixty (160) respondents were selected conveniently from the population to complete the Parenting Styles Inventory, Assertiveness Scale and the Aggressive Behaviour Questionnaire. The multivariate analysis of variance was used in data analysis. The findings indicated that authoritative parents nurtured more assertive and less aggressive students compared with authoritarian and permissive parents. Authoritarian parents also nurtured more aggressive students compared to permissive Original Research Article

The aim of the present study was to develop a circulating microRNA expression signature for early prediction of osteoporotic fractures and to validate the results using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. The GSE70318 dataset was downloaded from GEO and used to build an osteoporotic fracture prediction model based on the receiver operating characteristic curve and support vector machine (SVM) classification index. The GSE74209 dataset was used as a validation dataset. Additionally, in vitro, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was measured in the presence or absence of microRNA (miRNA/miR) treatments in human osteoblast cells. The expression of two selected genes was detected by western blotting. miR-188-3p, miR-942-3p, miR-576-3p and miR-135a-5p were differentially expressed between controls and osteoporotic patients with fractures. SVM classification using these four miRNAs provided better dichotomization. It was further confirmed that miR-576-3p and 135a-5p in the GSE74209 dataset could also significantly discriminate between the controls and fracture patients, the area under the curve of SVM2 was 0.9722 with 95% CI 0.8885-1.056. Further analysis indicated that the target genes of the two miRNAs participated in the Wingless-related integration site, Hedgehog and transforming growth factor-β signaling pathways and osteoclast differentiation. miR-576-3p and miR-135-5p transfection decreased ALP activity and ALP activity was increased in the presence of blocking antisense oligonucleotides. Western blotting indicated miR-576-3p and miR-135-5p decreased CSNK1A1L and LRP6 levels, respectively. In conclusion, two miRNA signatures were developed and validated for the prediction of osteoporotic fractures.

In a 2x3 factorial experiment design to examine gender differences in dual tasks (divided attention) recall on within and cross modalities, 171 students comprising of 95 males and 76 females were systematically sampled from PSYC421 Cognitive Psychology II students of the University of Ghana main and city campuses. The result showed that there is no significant difference between males and females in the performance of within and across modality on dual tasking, There was however a significant difference in the overall performance of within modality against cross modality dual tasks on recall, where recall of targeted words within modality were higher compared to cross modality.