Nigerian Women, Mental and Physical Health, COVID-19, and Spirituality

Mental and physical health vulnerabilities of women have been of great concern in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria. Most indigenous Nigerian women have reported preference for spiritual help for their health problems, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reasons include stigmas associated with mental illnesses, cultural practices that encourage spiritual interventions, and common perceptions that all problems have spiritual undertones and therefore can be treated only via spiritual means. This essay focuses on Nigerian women's use of spirituality to address their mental and physical health problems, especially during the COVID pandemic. © 2002 Taylor and Francis.