ROLE OF GROWING-UP EXPERIENCES ON MENTAL RESILIENCE AND CREATIVE THINKING OF NIGERIAN YOUTHS

Abstract

Nigerian youths either surrender to hopelessness, helplessness, or engage in ill-conceived risk-taking. Nigerian society (leaders) hardly plan for youths. This study examined role of growing-up experiences on mental resilience and creative thinking of Nigerian youths, psychometric properties of 101 participants, mean-age 21.74, SD 2.50, cross-sectional design, descriptive and MANOVA statistics, plus cluster and incidental sampling methods. Findings were: “Growing-up experiences” significantly influenced Nigerian youths’ “mental resilience” (P< 0.011 < 0.05, F = 6.723, N = 101, df = 1;101); “Growing-up experiences” had non-significant influence on Nigerian youths’ “creative thinking style” (P< 0.539 > 0.05, F = 0.381, N = 101, df = 1;101); Gender had non-significant influence on Nigerian youths’ “mental resilience” (P< 0.436 < 0.05, F = .613, N = 101, df = 1;101); and Gender had nonsignificant influence on Nigerian youths’ “creative thinking style” (P< 0.222 > 0.05, F = 1.511, N = 101, df = 1;101). Recommendations were made to create enabling opportunities to improve creative thinking prowess of female gender; check growing-up experiences of drug-use and sexual activities of youths; curb different abuses experienced by growing-up persons; and check youths’ obsession with “Technology Abuse”.