Omunyin, Maximilla Nangira2024-08-022024-08-022024-05https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/28574A Research Project Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirments for the Award of the Degree of Master of Arts (Counselling Psychology) of Kenyatta University, May 2024 Supervisors:Though Christianity and modernization have greatly influenced the mourning process and death rituals, many communities in the world still perform their traditional rites for the dead. Some communities purely bury their loved ones solely guided by traditions (Mwandayi, 2011), others use combined approaches with religious beliefs and modern methods while others accept purely modern or religious burial and mourning practices. These practices presumably have psychological effects on the grieving individuals. With the different approaches of mourning processes, this study sought to establish the effects of mourning rituals on grief resolution to immediate family members of the deceased among the Bakhayo, Basamia, Bamarachi, Banyala, to mention but a few in Busia County. The research was informed by the Kubler-Ross Theory of Grief and the Continuing Bonds Grief Model developed by Klass, Silverman, and Nickman. The study was conducted using descriptive and correlational research designs. 205,136 people living in Funyula and Nambale Sub-Counties were the study's target group. A total of 400 residents were included in this research study. Descriptive statistics was employed to examine demographic data and address the research questions, while linear regression was used to analyze the study's hypothesis. The researchers employed a non-probability sampling method to ensure that that target group is drawn within the population from the Sub-Counties. The actual participants for the study were selected purposefully from each Sub-County. To test the research instruments, a pilot study was conducted, involving 40 individuals from Butula Sub-County hence the main study was conducted in Funyula and Nambale Sub Counties. Data collection involved the use of a questionnaire. To test the hypothesis, linear regression was employed. The results indicated that majority of the bereaved (54%) had high level of grief resolution. Results from a linear regression analysis showed that there is an association between mourning rituals and grief resolution (=0.321, p=0.009). The findings further established that 67.7% of the bereaved had a positive psychological effect in the use of morning rituals. The anticipation is that the findings from this study will be valuable for families and religious leaders, aiding in their understanding of the significance of mourning practices observed by certain families. This will shed light on why individuals and families continue to embrace African cultural practices for therapeutic purposes.enThesis