The Mediating Role of Mental Health and Emotional Intelligence in Personal Growth Initiative and Achievement Striving Behavior of Political Office Holders in South-West Nigeria

Abstract: Political office holders are chiefly entrusted with the formulation and implementation of government policies and programmes designed to enhance sustainable development. Their activities can therefore make or unmake a nation, geo-political region initiative. The mental health and emotional intelligence of political office holders had been linked with their personal growth initiative and achievement striving behaviour in other parts of the World aside from Nigeria. The present study was therefore conducted to examine the mediating role of mental health and emotional intelligence in personal growth initiative and achievement striving behaviour in a sample of 200 political office holders in South-West, Nigeria. Correlation and regression analyses were employed. Results showed that there were significant inter-relationships among achievement striving, personal growth initiative, mental health, and emotional intelligence and that personal growth initiative significantly contributed to achievement striving behaviour. It was also found that whereas mental health had a significant mediating effect, emotional intelligence had no such effect.