Gender differences in the manifestation of brain fag, depression and indices of anxiety among secondary school students in Nigeria

Introduction Secondary school students in Nigeria are under intense pressure to perform well in their academics so as to have competitive advantage in advancing their studies. This pressure has been linked to western derived psycho-pathologies such as depression, anxiety and culture bound syndrome such as brain fag syndrome. Aim To examine gender differences in the manifestation of brain-fag syndrome, depression, and anxieties among students about to participate in Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (JSCE) and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Nigeria. Methods Two hundred and nine (209) students (X age = 14.27, SD = 2.18) were administered a battery of tests comprising of the Brain Fag Syndrome Scale, Brain Fag Propensity Scale, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire, Mathematics Anxiety Inventory and Test Anxiety Inventory. The data was subjected to a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results The result showed no significant gender differences in the manifestation of brain-fag syndrome, depression, and anxieties, F (6, 202) = 0.947, P  ≥ 0.01; Pillai's Trace = 0.03, partial η 2  = 0.02. In consonance with earlier studies, males reported higher brain fag mean scores than female participants (X = 5.46, SD = 2.06; X = 4.88, SD = 2.43). Conclusions The study has shown that adolescents who are about to take their final examinations manifest brain fag propensity and go on to manifest symptoms of the brain fag syndrome. But, there is no significant gender difference in the manifestation of brain fag syndrome among males and females.