Browsing by Author "Wandati, Anne Njeri"

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    Impact of Stigma of Handling Dead Bodies on the Psychological Well-Being of Mortuary Workers in Nairobi County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2024-10) Wandati, Anne Njeri
    Research has shown that stigma can lead to harmful effects on an individuals’ self-concept and their mental health. Many studies indicated that mortuary workers carry an important role in society by handling the dead bodies in preparation for burial or cremation on behalf of the bereaved families yet there were a few studies that have investigated the psychological effects of mortuary work on mortuary workers especially in the Kenyan context. This study sought to establish the impact of stigma on psychological distress of mortuary workers. Social stigma theory was used to inform the study. The researcher employed Concurrent triangulation design to determine the relationship between the independent variable, stigma and the dependent variable, psychological distress of mortuary workers in Nairobi County. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 60 funeral workers that handled dead bodies from public, institutional and private mortuaries in Nairobi County. The study adopted three different instruments- Kessler Wellness Scale (K-1O) to test anxiety and depression, Everyday Discrimination Scale to test perceived stigma experience and a self-developed individual interview schedule to assess perceived stigma. Descriptive statistics in form of frequencies and percentages were used to analyze demographic data while linear regression analysis was used to make inferences on collected data. The discrimination scale determined that most mortuary workers faced stigma, up to 46.7% receiving poorer service, 29.7% being considered worse than other people, and 57.5% being insulted. In addition, the Kessler Scale found that 43.5% of the respondents agreed that they experienced depressed mood over the past 30 days. Moreover, more than 60% established that they felt fidgety, nervous, sad, and worthless. Linear regression findings established that level of stigma had a statistically significant positive impact on psychological distress (β=0.305, p=0.002). The study recommended that mortuary workers be provided with professional support as well as funeral homes administrators improving working environment of mortuary workers through training and providing psychological help in order to mitigate the effects of psychological distress.
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    The Stigma of Handling Dead Bodies and the Psychological Well-Being of Mortuary Workers
    (Eastern African Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2025-01) Wandati, Anne Njeri; Githae, Eunice Njango
    This study investigated how the perceived stigma of handling dead bodies impacted the psychological well-being of mortuary workers. Many studies indicate that the psychological well-being of morgue workers is affected by the reactions of the community tothe work that they do. Social stigma theory was used to inform the study while correlational design was employed to determine the relationship between perceived stigma and psychological distress of mortuary workers in Nairobi County. The study adopted theKessler Wellness Scale (K-1O), Everyday Discrimination Scale and an individual interview schedule. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographic data, while Pearson correlation and regression analysis were used to make inferences from the collected data. Study findings indicated 46.7% received worse service when they revealed their profession while 29.7% believed that others treated them as inferiors, and thus positioned themselves above them. In addition, 57.5% of the funeral directors mentionedthat they had been insulted but did not specify when or by whom the insults were made. Furthermore, Kessler Scale results showed that a large number of employees experienced mental health problems where 43.5% expressed feeling depressed while 67.4% had anxiety. The results established a Pearson correlation coefficient of r=0.37, and a multiple correlation coefficient (R value) of 0.675, indicating a moderate positive correlation between stigma and psychological distress. The study recommended that workingin morgues exposed the workers to psychological distress and efforts should be made to enhance their psychological wellbeing especially by providing support systems.