Ossai, Osita Victor

Dr. Osita Victor Ossai is a distinguished child psychologist and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Educational Foundations, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where he has served since 2017. With over a decade of academic and research experience, Dr. Ossai has established himself as a leading voice in child and adolescent psychology, mental health, human learning, and teacher education across West Africa and the broader African continent. His scholarly journey spans teaching, mentorship, and research at both national and international levels, including a prestigious Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa (2021–2025). Dr. Ossai's work integrates psychological theory with practical educational interventions, making significant contributions to the understanding of mental health, learning disabilities, occupational stress, and childhood wellbeing in Nigerian and African contexts.

Dr. Ossai's research interests lie at the intersection of psychology, education, and public health. His primary areas of scholarly focus include:

• Child Development — examining cognitive, emotional, and social growth in early and middle childhood
• Adolescent Psychology — studying identity formation, peer relationships, risky behaviour, and mental health among teenagers
• Human Learning and Cognitive Development — investigating how individuals acquire, process, and retain knowledge
• Teacher Education — exploring pre-service and in-service teacher preparation, mentoring, and professional competence
• Mental Health and Wellbeing — researching depression, anxiety, trauma, stress, and faith-based mental health interventions
• Educational Interventions — designing and evaluating evidence-based programs such as cognitive-behavioural therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and problem-solving therapy

Mentorship 

Master's Degree

Dr. Ossai has successfully supervised five master's degree students to completion, with thesis topics ranging from cognitive load and depression, to posttraumatic stress disorder, cyberbullying, and social media addiction among Nigerian students.

Doctoral (PhD) Supervision

He has co-supervised or supervised three PhD students, including two who have graduated and one ongoing. Research projects address trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy, socio-emotional learning in students with ADHD, and writing anxiety among university students.

Honours Supervision — University of Johannesburg

Dr. Ossai also supervised an honours student at the University of Johannesburg, whose project examined the representation of Black characters in children's literature.

• School of Postgraduate Award of Excellence, University of Johannesburg — 2022
• Funded Research Project: Ethnographic Study of Political Institutions in Igbo Land — jointly sponsored by the University of California and University of Chicago, 2022

• Faculty and Community Service

  Dr. Ossai has demonstrated sustained commitment to institutional leadership and service through a range of administrative and professional roles, including:

• External Examiner, IBB University, Lapai, Niger State, Nigeria
• Chairman, Ezikeoba Lecture Series
• Secretary, Departmental Publication Committee
• Member, Faculty Research Ethics Committee
• Assistant Chairman, Faculty ICT/Web Master Committee
• Assistant Chairman, Faculty Examination Committee
• Lead Programme Monitoring Team, Alvan Ikoku/UNN Affiliate
• Secretary, NCEP Conference 2019

• Selected Conference Presentations

• Conspiracy of Silence: Complicit Roles of Higher Education Institutions' Leadership in Cases of Sexual Harassment and Violence — Bretano Centre for Gender Studies, Freie University Germany, September 2025.
• Impact of Nutrition on Mental Health and Wellbeing of Primary School Children — Department of Educational Foundations, UNN, September 2024.
• Incivility and Sexual Harassment in Nigerian Universities — Faculty for the Future Fellows Nigeria, August 2020.
• Social Media Addiction as a predictor of risky sexual behaviour among undergraduates — NCEP Conference, UNN, September 2019.
• Parental Work-Family Conflict as a Predictor of Social Competence and Emotional Intelligence — NCEP Conference, College of Education Agbor, September 2018.
• Impact of Gender Orientation on Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy of University Undergraduates — NCEP Conference, ESUT, September 2016.

• Professional Memberships

• Member, Nigerian Council of Educational Psychologists (NCEP)
• Member, Association of Childhood Educators of Nigeria (ACEN)