Volume 14, Issue 1, 2026

Impact of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy Intervention in the Management of Economic Hardship Induced-Depression in a Sample of Nigerian Undergraduates’ Population

Alexander Okezie Onwu, Francisca Ngozi Ogba, Okechineke Benjamin Chukwunonso, Agujiobi Uju Perpetual & Okechineke Chinelo Sandra

Abstract

There have been shred of empirical studies which supported that undergraduates with
economic hardship-induced depression are at alarming rate on a daily basis. This
necessitated the calls for immediate intervention to manage this wave of economic
hardship induced depression affecting the well-being of Nigerian undergraduates. On this
note, the present study investigated on impact of rational emotive behavioral therapy
intervention (rebti) in the management of economic hardship induced- depression in a
sample of Nigerian undergraduates’ population.
The study used a randomized control-trial-pretest-posttest design. The researchers used
the sample size of 286 of Nigerian undergraduates identified with economic hardship
induced depression through the inclusion criteria based. The adapted Beck Depression
Inventory-II (BDI-II) by Beck et al (1996) in English language which consists of 21 items
was used to identify economic-induced depressed Nigerian undergraduates for data
collection. The item statements indicated various levels of symptom severity rated on a
4-point likert scale, (0) Not at all, (1) Hardly True, (2)Mostly True and (3)Exactly True.
Using Cronbach Alpha in this study, the reliability of BDI was estimated at 0.86. The
Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was the statistical technique used to ascertain the
impact of REBT in the management of economic hardship induced- depression affecting
Nigerian undergraduates’ population. Again, the effect size of REBT was gotten through
Partial eta square and adjusted R2 values. The result of this study showed that the impact
of rational emotive behavioral therapy intervention (REBTI) in the management of
economic hardship induced depression in a sample of Nigerian undergraduates’
population was significant. In other words, the strength and managerial ability of REBT
on economic hardship induced depression affecting Nigerian undergraduates was
effective. Based on the finding of this study, the researchers recommended that the
Nigerian university management, school counsellors and school administrators should
employ the services/activities of REBT and its principles in managing economic hardship
induced depressive symptoms impeding the well-being of Nigerian undergraduates
especially in Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ebonyi State (AEFUNAI).
Financial and material support should be provided by the government, NGOs and
individuals to ensure that the activities of REBT intervention is been carried out without
stress; since it has been empirically proven to be significant in the management of
depression

Keywords

REBT, economic hardship induced- depression and Nigerian undergraduates

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