The Stoic Philosophy of Resilience and Its Relevance to Youth Mental Health in Kaduna State

Stoic philosophy, particularly its emphasis on rational self-governance, acceptance of circumstances beyond one's control, and the cultivation of inner virtue, has gained renewed global attention as a therapeutic philosophical tradition applicable to mental health challenges. This study examines the relevance of Stoic resilience concepts, drawn from Epictetus's Enchiridion, Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, and Seneca's Letters, to the mental health experiences of youth in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with questionnaires administered to 200 university students at Kaduna State University, measuring both awareness of Stoic principles and self-reported resilience and mental health indicators using the Brief Resilience Scale. Qualitative interviews with 25 participants deepened understanding of how respondents philosophically process adversity. Findings reveal that students who demonstrated familiarity with Stoic reasoning showed significantly higher resilience scores (mean 4.2 versus 3.6 on a 5-point scale). Many students independently articulate Stoic-like principles in describing how they cope with economic stress, insecurity, and academic pressure, suggesting convergence with Islamic and indigenous Hausa philosophical traditions of acceptance. The study concludes that Stoic philosophy offers a culturally translatable resilience framework for northern Nigerian youth and recommends its integration into guidance and counselling programmes at Kaduna tertiary institutions alongside existing pastoral and Islamic support systems.

Keywords: Stoic philosophy, resilience, youth mental health, Kaduna State, classical reception