A Longitudinal Investigation of Occupational Psychological Wellbeing Trajectories Among Young Nigerian Professionals During the First Five Years of Employment

The psychological well-being trajectory of young professionals during early career is a critical research domain with implications for workforce sustainability, but no longitudinal study has tracked these trajectories among young Nigerian professionals across sectors in their first five working years. This study conducts a five-year prospective longitudinal investigation of occupational psychological well-being trajectories among young Nigerian professionals across three major cities. A cohort of 500 young professionals aged 22 to 28 years at first employment is recruited from Lagos, Abuja, and Kano through employer partnerships across banking, ICT, healthcare, and education sectors. Validated instruments including Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory are administered annually across five measurement waves. Latent growth curve modelling and latent class growth analysis in Mplus identify distinct trajectory groups and their predictors. Annual qualitative interviews with a purposive sub-sample of 40 participants supplement quantitative trajectories. Demand-Control-Support Model, the Job Demands-Resources Model, and the Life Span Development Theory by Baltes provide the theoretical framework. This study makes an original methodological contribution as the first multi-wave longitudinal occupational psychology study of young professional well-being trajectories in sub-Saharan Africa. Findings will inform graduate employer well-being investment strategies and early-career psychological support service design in Nigeria. Keywords: occupational well-being, longitudinal trajectories, young professionals, latent growth curve, Nigeria.