Social determinants of impaired functioning among Nepali widows: A mixed methods study
Kathryne S Mezzanotte1, Anvita Bhardwaj2, Yoona Kim3
1Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Global Public Health
|September 6, 2022
Summary
Widows in Nepal face significant challenges. Low social support, discrimination, and lack of life control are key factors impacting their societal functioning, highlighting a need for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Psychology
Background:
- Widows in Nepal experience considerable social stigmatization.
- Factors influencing their societal functioning remain under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate psychosocial factors associated with impaired functioning among Nepali widows.
- To understand the lived experiences of widows regarding societal integration.
Main Methods:
- Mixed-methods approach combining qualitative (focus groups, interviews) and quantitative (logistic regression) analyses.
- Data collected from 204 widows, including psychosocial exposures and functioning levels.
- Analysis of qualitative data from 25 in-depth interviews and 12 key-informant interviews.
Main Results:
- Low social support, particularly from family members, significantly increased the risk of impaired functioning (aOR=3.3).
- Experiences of discrimination (aOR=2.97) and low life control (aOR=4.3) were identified as major risk factors.
- Support from the husband's family was found to be more critical for a widow's functioning than support from her own parents.
Conclusions:
- Psychosocial factors like social support, discrimination, and life control are crucial determinants of functioning for Nepali widows.
- Qualitative insights illuminate the mechanisms through which these factors impact well-being.
- Findings underscore the need for interventions addressing social support and discrimination to improve the lives of widows in Nepal.
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