Coping strategies for widows : A case of Meru South District of Tharaka-Nithi county

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to high-light the success story cases of widows who had successfully coped with widowhood, explore the secret behind their success and use this information to empower other widows who are living with widowhood. The study examined the adjustment strategies employed by widows in adjusting to widowhood. The significance of the study was to serve as an encouragement to widows to cope with widowhood and supply widows with useful information on adjustment strategies and on how to cope with widowhood and be respected in the society as heads of their families and also provide them with useful and relevant accounts of how other widows were able to cope with widowhood as well as providing valuable source of information to scholars and professional counselors in the field of counseling on how to help widows acquire valuable adjustment strategies on how to cope with widowhood. The study used qualitative design and was carried out among 46 widows who are struggling to cope with widowhood and who were purposely selected through purposeful sampling. The data was collected using self-scoring questionnaire for widows. Validity of instruments was achieved using the modified questionnaire; piloting and consulting supervisors who ensured that the questionnaire captured the objectives of the study. The data was analyzed using frequency percentages and was presented using tables and pie charts. The study established that the development of adjustment ( coping) strategies was affected by the social-economic status of the widow, age, widows religious group and the degree of commitment to a particular religion, closeness to her children, relatives, friends, community and widows support groups among other factors. The study recommended a countywide study on the coping strategies of widowhood be carried out, involving such communities as pastoralists' communities, slums and urban population among others, that a legistration be put in place to protect the rights of widows and an office be established to deal with the initial trauma, and protect widows from various forms of abuse and exploitation.