This study examined the cognitive and experiential mechanisms underlying the recovery of primary perception through the conceptual framework of Tabula Rasa and receptive openness among a sample of 300 adult participants drawn from urban and semi-urban settings in East Africa. Primary perception, understood as the capacity to encounter reality with minimal cognitive filtering, conditioned interpretation, or habituated schema overlay, has been theorised as a fundamental aspect of psychological well-being and creative intelligence; yet empirical investigation of this phenomenon remains sparse. Using validated psychometric instruments including the Mindfulness Practice Scale (MPS), the Cognitive Load Index (CLI), the Primary Perception Score (PPS), the Perceptual Openness Scale (POS), and the Tabula Rasa Index (TRI), the study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Univariate descriptive statistics characterised the distribution of key variables; bivariate analyses including Pearson correlations, chi-square tests, and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) examined associations among mindfulness engagement, cognitive load, education level, and perceptual outcomes; and binary logistic regression identified independent predictors of high receptive openness. Results revealed that mindfulness practice was the strongest positive predictor of both primary perception (r = .624, p < .001) and perceptual openness (r = .591, p < .001), while cognitive load exerted a significant negative effect (r = −.612, p < .001). Logistic regression confirmed that each unit increase in mindfulness practice score was associated with 7% higher odds of high receptive openness (OR = 1.07, 95% CI [1.05, 1.09]), and daily practice nearly doubled these odds (OR = 2.39, 95% CI [1.50, 3.81]). Education level and urban residence further moderated perceptual outcomes. The findings provide robust empirical support for the theoretical claim that intentional mental unclogging through mindfulness cultivates conditions analogous to philosophical Tabula Rasa, facilitating the recovery of unfiltered, primary modes of experience. The study recommends integrating structured mindfulness curricula within educational and occupational wellness programmes, designing targeted cognitive loadreduction interventions, and conducting longitudinal research to track the developmental trajectory of receptive openness over time.

Marital persistence in the face of chronic dysfunction has long been interpreted through cultural, religious, and socioeconomic lenses as an expression of commitment and moral fortitude. However, emerging psychological and sociological discourse challenges this normative framing by foregrounding the cumulative psychological toll that such persistence exacts on individuals—particularly women—in structurally unequal union contexts. This study examined the psychosocial, economic, and structural determinants of dysfunctional marital persistence among married adults in Uganda, operationalising a newly conceptualised construct termed the Marital Erosion Index (MEI) to capture the latent transition from voluntary commitment to involuntary endurance. Drawing on cross-sectional survey data from 400 purposively and systematically sampled respondents across urban and peri-urban settings in Kampala, the study employed univariate descriptive statistics, Pearson bivariate correlations, multiple linear regression, and structural equation modelling (SEM) to test hypothesised relationships among emotional exhaustion, fear of social stigma, financial dependency, perceived social support, and marital erosion. Findings revealed that emotional exhaustion (β = .44), fear of social stigma (β = .31), and financial dependency (β = .26) were the strongest positive predictors of marital erosion, while perceived social support (β = -.22) exerted a significant protective effect. The SEM model demonstrated excellent fit (CFI = 0.967; RMSEA = 0.048) and confirmed that the MEI mediated the relationship between psychosocial stressors and dysfunctional persistence (β = .68, p < .001). The study concludes that marital persistence in dysfunctional unions is not a unidimensional moral stance but a structurally compelled behavioural outcome.
Recommendations are advanced for policy reform, counselling interventions, and social safety net programmes targeting women trapped in erosive marital arrangements.

Background: Uganda's expanding higher education sector has produced an unprecedented surge in graduate output at a time when the formal labour market remains structurally incapable of absorbing new entrants, generating acute tensions between graduate expectations forged by decades of credential-based socialization and the realities of an economy dominated by informal, precarious work.
Objective: This study examined the employment trajectories of Ugandan university graduates, assessed the sociodemographic and structural predictors of engagement in side hustles, and evaluated the perceived role of academic credentials in securing sustainable livelihood outcomes.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was employed, drawing a stratified random sample of 412 graduates from
five Ugandan universities who had completed their undergraduate or postgraduate programmes within the preceding
five years. Data were collected using a pre-tested, self-administered structured questionnaire and were analysed through univariate, bivariate, and binary logistic regression techniques using SPSS version 26. Categoricalassociations were tested using chi-square statistics, while logistic regression identified independent predictors of side hustle engagement at a 95% confidence level.
Results: Only 25.7% of graduates were formally employed at the time of the survey, while 39.8% reported primary reliance on side hustles as their main livelihood strategy. Statistically significant associations were found between side hustle engagement and absence of formal employment (χ² = 48.2, p < 0.001), urban residence, and exposure to entrepreneurship training. Binary logistic regression revealed that graduates without formal employment were more than four times as likely to engage in side hustles (OR = 4.21, 95% CI: 2.94–6.03, p < 0.001), while those who received entrepreneurship training were three times as likely to do so (OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 2.21–4.46, p < 0.001). Credential confidence was notably low, with only 22.4% of graduates believing their degree was sufficient to guarantee employment.
Conclusion: Ugandan graduates are undergoing a critical epistemic shift — moving away from blind trust in academic credentials towards adaptive livelihood diversification. Policy interventions must urgently realign higher education
curricula with labour market realities, expand formal employment pathways, and institutionalize entrepreneurship
support structures that transform side hustles from coping mechanisms into viable engines of economic growth.

This study examined the relationship between youth innovation and economic transformation in Uganda, interrogating
the structural, institutional, and human capital factors that either unlock or constrain the transformative potential of young Ugandans. Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 400 youth entrepreneurs, innovators, and policymakers across five regions of Uganda, the study employed univariate descriptive statistics, bivariate Pearson correlation analysis, ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression, and structural equation modelling (SEM) to establish the magnitude, direction, and mediation dynamics of key relationships. Findings revealed that the Youth Innovation Index was the strongest predictor of economic transformation (β = 0.342, p < .001), while digital skills (β = 0.261), access to finance (β = 0.198), and the policy environment (β = 0.174) also exerted statistically significant effects. SEM results confirmed that youth innovation served as a partial mediator between access to finance, digital skills, and economic transformation, with significant indirect effects observed (β = 0.093 and β = 0.109 respectively). The overall regression model explained 61.4% of the variance in economic transformation outcomes (R² = 0.614, F(5, 394) = 125.36, p < .001). The study concluded that youth are indeed the primary keyholders to Uganda's economic transformation, but their potential is contingent on systemic investments in digital education, finance access, mentorship infrastructure, and a responsive policy ecosystem. The study recommended targeted digital skills integration in national curricula, the establishment of a dedicated youth innovation fund, and the institutionalization of mentorship frameworks within government and private sector programmes.