Date of Conferral

11-14-2025

Date of Award

November 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Nicole Hamilton

Abstract

In Nigeria long-standing sociocultural norms dictate widowhood practice, which widows are expected to undergo when they lose their husbands. The impact of this ancient culture, which has continuously been encouraged from generation to generation to date, has been devastating for widows. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to investigate the effects of widowhood practices on the well-being of young widows in southeastern Nigeria. Feminist theory was the conceptual framework. Through semistructured, audio-recorded interviews conducted via Zoom, data were collected from 10 young widows between age 18 to 45 in the southeastern Nigeria. After the data were collected, Braun and Clarke’s six-step framework for thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. Six main themes emerged: (a) life of trauma, (b) trying to survive, (c) inconducive living conditions, (d) painful period, (e) acts of coping, and (f) improved quality of life. Fourteen subthemes were identified: (a) losing my husband, (b) husband’s burial, (c) financial constraints, (d) struggling, (e) in-laws, (f) blame and accusation, (g) infringement of rights, (h) belief, (i) encouragement, (j) support, (k) confidence, (l) children’s welfare, (m) moving forward, and (n) God. This study has potential implications for promoting positive social change by raising awareness among individuals, the community, and nongovernmental agencies, as well as advocating for government policies that will help eradicate inhumane widowhood practices affecting the well-being of young widows in southeastern Nigeria.

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