Effects Of Widowhood Rites On The Psychological Distress And Life Satisfaction Among Konkomba Widows In The Saboba District, Northern Ghana

Abstract

The study investigated the effects of widowhood rites on the psychological distress and satisfaction with life satisfaction of Konkomba widows in the Saboba District of Ghana. The descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study. The multistage sampling technique, comprising purposive, stratified sampling technique, snowball sampling technique, and convenience sampling techniques were used to select 120 widows from the Saboba District for the study. Data were analyzed using frequency distributions, means, standard deviations, regression analysis, and Kruskal Wallis H-Test. Findings indicated that widows who underwent widowhood rites experience a high level of psychological distress.   Also, the psychological distress of widows affected their satisfaction with life. Based on the findings. It was recommended that government institutions, NGOs and health practitioners should incorporate a more comprehensive approach where the attention is not only on the physical needs of widows but also their psychological and social well-being.