Coping Strategies of Elderly Widows in Southeastern Nigeria

In Nigeria,elderly widows face a lot of problems after the demise of their spouses and this leads to a good number of them taking to economic activities which yield them meager income with which to support their families. Many of these widows and their dependent children are economically impoverished and this economic situation is compounded by the ill treatments which these widows receive in the name of cultural practices. There is also a relationship between socio-economic status and coping with widowhood as those widows with high education and income cope better than the others with low education and income. From a health angle, the study found out that widowhood exposes elderly women to physical and mental stress as a result of too many activities and the burden of responsibility for their families at the demise of their husbands. The study from a Social Work perspective therefore calls attention to the need to bring Gerontology into the center of Social Work interventions and practice in Nigeria and also urges Social Workers to step up advocacy and brokerage for Widows in the country.

Autorentext

Kenechuwu N. Anugwom was born on 30th October,1975. She is from Orlu in Imo State, Nigeria. She is married with four kids and has a B.Sc. in Social Work and Community Development and an M.Sc. in Social Work(Social Gerontology).Presently, she is a Lecturer 1 in the Department of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.