GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

Widows are a vulnerable group globally. This study sought to investigate widowhood rites and emotional well-being of widows in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. The study which was conducted in Eket, was guided by three purposes and one hypothesis. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised of 820 widows from where a sample size of 260 widows was drawn for the study using multistage sampling procedure and snowball sampling technique. An adapted and restructured questionnaire titled "Widowhood rites and Emotional Well-Being of Widows Questionnaire (WREWWQ)”, comprising of three sections and 15 items was used for data collection. The instrument were validated by three experts, all in the University of Uyo. The reliability coefficient of 0.84 was obtained using Cronbach alpha. Data obtained was analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation while Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to test the research hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that the prevalent widowhood rites in the study area was cutting of hair with a mean value of x = 2.73; the respondents also indicated that taking independent decisions with a mean value of x = 2.82 would enhance their well being. The result of the hypothesis revealed that there is a significant relationship between widowhood rites and emotional wellbeing of widows in the study area. This indicates that widowhood rites have a negative effect on the emotional wellbeing of widows. The study concludes that widowhood rites significantly affects the emotional well-being of widows in the study area and therefore recommends that culture gatekeepers in Eket and Akwa Ibom State in general should abolish widowhood practices because it impinges on human rights amongst others.

KEYWORDS: Widowhood rites, Widows, Emotional Well-Being