@article{CRSIJ26000111,
                  author = {Hussaini Ibn Mohammed, Aishatu Ali, Fatima Ibrahim Jajere},
                  title = {A Sociological Investigation on Salary Delays and the Mental Health of Workers in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions},
                  journal = {Cosmo Research and Science International Journal},
                  year = {2025},
                  volume = {1},
                  number = {5},
                  pages = {316-335},
                  issn = {3108-1584},
                  url = {https://cosmorsij.com/published/CRSIJ26000111.pdf},
                  abstract = {Salary delays have become a persistent phenomenon in Nigerian tertiary institutions, creating significant financial strain and psychological distress among workers. This study provides a sociological investigation into the relationship between salary delays and the mental health of workers in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The study examines how prolonged salary arrears, irregular payment schedules, and inadequate remuneration contribute to stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges among academic and non-academic staff. The study is grounded in the Stress Process Model, which explains how chronic stressors such as financial strain affects mental health outcomes, and Relative Deprivation Theory, which provides insights into how perceived disparities between expectations and reality generate psychological distress. A survey research design is employed, involving 200 workers selected from federal, state, and private tertiary institutions across three geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Data are collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, chi square tests, and regression analysis. The findings reveal that salary delays are prevalent, with 78.5 percent of respondents reporting experiencing salary delays of at least three months in the past two years. Financial strain resulting from salary delays is significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety at 62.5 percent, depression at 55.0 percent, and sleep disturbances at 48.5 percent. Workers in state institutions report the most severe delays, with 85 percent experiencing delays exceeding three months. The study identifies coping mechanisms employed by workers, including reliance on social networks, informal borrowing, and reduction of basic expenses, which often exacerbate long term vulnerability. The study concludes that salary delays constitute a structural stressor that systematically undermines the mental health of tertiary institution workers, with implications for job performance, institutional effectiveness, and the quality of higher education in Nigeria. Recommendations include establishing timely salary payment mechanisms, providing mental health support services, strengthening financial safety nets, and implementing policies that address the structural determinants of salary delays.},
                  keywords = {Salary Delays, Mental Health, Tertiary Institutions, Financial Strain, Stress Process Model, Nigeria},
                  month = {March}
        }