Work Overload and its Effects on the Mental Health of Lecturers in the University of Bamenda, Northwest Region of Cameroon
Keywords:
Work overload, Mental Health, LecturersAbstract
As an academician, lecturers are tied to job scope that are related to teaching and learning, research, publication, consultancy, and community services. All these tasks have occasional loads and excessive load may cause stress to lecturers. The purpose of this study was to find out the effects of work overload on the Mental Health of Lecturers in The University of Bamenda. The research used a concurrent nested mixed method research design, implementing the quantitative and the qualitative methods at the same time, with the questionnaire and interview guide used as the research instruments. The target population was 586 with the sample of 191 lecturers. The sample was selected using the simple random sampling technique, while the schools/faculties were randomly selected. Instruments used for the study were the questionnaire for lecturers and interview guide. The Direct Delivery Technique (DDT) was used in administering the questionnaire to the respondents in each school/faculty and the interview guide for lecturers who were at the same time administrators. Data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. This was done with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 and Microsoft Excel. For the descriptive statistics, percentages, frequencies, tables and charts were used and for inferential statistics, the Pearson-Product correlation was used to verify the hypotheses. The qualitative data obtained from the open-ended questions from the interview guide were analyzed using the technique of content analysis. The sample correlation coefficient(R) for work overload was 0.190 and the coefficient of determination (R Square) was 0.036 indicating that 3.6% of the variance on mental health of lecturers was accounted for by work overload. On the basis of these findings, it was therefore recommended that the use of stress management strategies, such as; mindfulness, physical exercise, relaxation techniques, wellness programs and access to mental health resources can help lecturers to carry out their daily activities stress free and how to manage their workload. The Government should also ensure that universities in Cameroon are adequately staffed to reduce the level of workload on university lecturers.
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