Research Article
Perceived Road Hazards and Commuter Anxiety as Predictors of Coping Strategies Among Residents of Offa Local Government Area, Kwara State
Oladele Damilare Ayodeji*
Issue:
Volume 1, Issue 4, December 2026
Pages:
110-117
Received:
12 October 2026
Accepted:
23 October 2026
Published:
9 November 2026
Abstract: Daily movement along busy roads is part of life in many Nigerian towns, and in Offa it often means sharing narrow roads with commercial motorcycles and pedestrians who are not always attentive. This cross-sectional study examined perceived road hazards and commuter anxiety as statistical predictors of coping strategies among residents of Offa Local Government Area, Kwara State. A descriptive correlational design was adopted, and 384 adult residents were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected with the Perceived Road Hazard Scale (15 items), the Commuter Anxiety Scale (12 items) and the Brief Coping Strategies Scale (18 items), each scored as the mean of its items. The coping score combines adaptive and maladaptive responses, so a higher score indicates greater reported use of coping responses and not necessarily healthier or more effective coping. Pearson correlation showed that perceived road hazards (r =.642, p <.001) and commuter anxiety (r =.589, p <.001) were each positively related to coping strategies. Hierarchical multiple regression showed that the two variables jointly accounted for 48.7% of the variance in coping strategies (R2 =.487, F (2, 381) = 181.11, p <.001), with perceived road hazards (β =.454) contributing more than commuter anxiety (β =.332). Because the data were collected at one point in time, these findings describe associations and do not show that hazards or anxiety cause particular coping responses. The results suggest that road safety education and counselling support for commuter stress may be worth considering for residents of Offa, and future studies should analyse adaptive and maladaptive coping separately.
Abstract: Daily movement along busy roads is part of life in many Nigerian towns, and in Offa it often means sharing narrow roads with commercial motorcycles and pedestrians who are not always attentive. This cross-sectional study examined perceived road hazards and commuter anxiety as statistical predictors of coping strategies among residents of Offa Local...
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