Post-bereavement grief and depression following the death of a family member among Ibibio people of Nigeria

摘要

Death and bereavement have been universally acknowledged to be disruptive and troubling with immediate or delayed reactions of varying intensities. However, different people and cultures respond to loss of human life and display grief according to the embedded practices of their cultures. Their responses to the loss of a loved one to death also depend on the type of death and their relationship to the deceased. The consequences of bereavement can sometimes impact the bereaved negatively. Although bereavement has been studied in a variety of cultures, there is a dearth of such research among the Ibibio people of Nigeria. My cultural psychological study of post-bereavement grief among Ibibio people of Nigeria addressed the absence of scholarly literature on bereavement and grief among this cultural group. Adopting a grounded theory approach, this study used in-depth interviews with 14 bereaved participants, seven male and seven female, from Ibibio land in Nigeria to understand their experiences and conceptions of death/sudden death and the rituals of grief and bereavement that follow the death of a family member. The interviews were analyzed using open, selective and focused coding. Findings revealed that Ibibio people conceptualize death and dying in different ways. These very particular conceptualizations, the nature and timing of the death, and their relationship to the deceased influenced the reactions and the intensity of grief among the people. The study also revealed that familial/community support and religion are key to healing in the grief process. Healing from grief for Ibibios evolves from the transformative love that comes from the community. In part because of this transformative love, none of the participants suffered from depression. The findings from this study provide insights into the experiences and practices around grief and bereavement practices of the Ibibios, an understudied cultural group in the psychological literature. These insights are of special use to psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, and other health professionals who work with a variety of ethnocultural groups.