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Factors Contributing to the Resilience of Sub-Saharan African Widows: A Scoping Review.

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Title: Factors Contributing to the Resilience of Sub-Saharan African Widows: A Scoping Review.
Authors: Akinduyo, Tosin Emmanuel1 (AUTHOR), Theron, Linda C.2 (AUTHOR) Linda.theron@up.ac.za
Source: Omega: Journal of Death & Dying. Jun2026, Vol. 93 Issue 2, p995-1019. 25p.
Subject Terms: *Psychological resilience, *Culture, *Cultural values, *Psychological adaptation, Dehumanization, Research funding, Psychology & religion, Systematic reviews, MEDLINE, Bereavement, Spirituality, Online information services, Social support, Widowhood, Psychology information storage & retrieval systems
Geographic Terms: Sub-Saharan Africa
Abstract: This scoping review aims to synthesize the factors contributing to the resilience of African widows, a topic that has been overlooked. This oversight is concerning, considering the substantial population of African widows, as well as the increasing number of young widows in Africa. We conducted a comprehensive search across various databases (including Academic Search Complete, Africa-wide, PsycARTICLES, PsychINFO, Humanities Sources Worldwide, Proquest, Pubmed, Scopus, Wiley Online, and Taylor & Francis) to identify studies of the resilience of widows living in Africa. From an initial pool of 124 records, we carefully evaluated 19 papers for inclusion. Employing a narrative synthesis approach, we synthesized the findings from the eight selected studies. This analysis revealed that the resilience of African widows is a multifaceted socio-ecological process, primarily facilitated by personal and relational resilience factors. Notably, there is a limited emphasis on the role of cultural resources, which may be attributed to the prevalence of dehumanizing cultural practices experienced by African widows. In conclusion, our findings underscore the need for greater attention to macrosystemic resources, including culturally supportive practices, to bolster the resilience of African widows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Omega: Journal of Death & Dying is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Factors Contributing to the Resilience of Sub-Saharan African Widows: A Scoping Review.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Omega%3A+Journal+of+Death+%26+Dying%22">Omega: Journal of Death & Dying</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 93 Issue 2, p995-1019. 25p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sub-Saharan+Africa%22">Sub-Saharan Africa</searchLink>
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  Data: This scoping review aims to synthesize the factors contributing to the resilience of African widows, a topic that has been overlooked. This oversight is concerning, considering the substantial population of African widows, as well as the increasing number of young widows in Africa. We conducted a comprehensive search across various databases (including Academic Search Complete, Africa-wide, PsycARTICLES, PsychINFO, Humanities Sources Worldwide, Proquest, Pubmed, Scopus, Wiley Online, and Taylor & Francis) to identify studies of the resilience of widows living in Africa. From an initial pool of 124 records, we carefully evaluated 19 papers for inclusion. Employing a narrative synthesis approach, we synthesized the findings from the eight selected studies. This analysis revealed that the resilience of African widows is a multifaceted socio-ecological process, primarily facilitated by personal and relational resilience factors. Notably, there is a limited emphasis on the role of cultural resources, which may be attributed to the prevalence of dehumanizing cultural practices experienced by African widows. In conclusion, our findings underscore the need for greater attention to macrosystemic resources, including culturally supportive practices, to bolster the resilience of African widows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Omega: Journal of Death & Dying is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=193752805
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        Value: 10.1177/00302228241252857
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 25
        StartPage: 995
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Psychological resilience
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Culture
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cultural values
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological adaptation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Dehumanization
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research funding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychology & religion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Systematic reviews
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: MEDLINE
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Bereavement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Spirituality
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Online information services
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social support
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Widowhood
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychology information storage & retrieval systems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sub-Saharan Africa
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Factors Contributing to the Resilience of Sub-Saharan African Widows: A Scoping Review.
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              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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