Browsing by Author "Mburugu, Beatrice M."

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Efficacy Level of Therapeutic Counselling in Dealing with Anxiety Disorder among Adult Refugees: A Case of Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa County, Kenya.
(IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 2019-07) Mugambi, Lucy Kanyua; Mburugu, Beatrice M.
Kenya is a host to many refugees with majority located at Dadaab refugee camp which in the year 2011 was declared the largest refugee camp in the world. Most refugees in Dadaab camp are victims of disasters of political violence or war and drought especially from the war torn Somalia. The stressful experiences of the adult refugees throughout the migration period exposed them to emotional and psychological suffering that require therapeutic counselling. In Dadaab therapeutic counselling is mainly offered by five agencies. Despite the therapeutic counselling, anxiety disorder is prevalent at Dadaab refugee camp, hence the need to understand efficacy levels of therapeutic counselling. The purpose of this study was to investigate efficacy level of therapeutic counselling in dealing with anxiety disorder among adult refugees at Dadaab refugee camp. Ex post facto research design was adopted for the study. The target population was 164,356 adult refugees, section leaders and counsellors in charge of the counselling units. The two largest camps with an adult population of 94,619 were purposively selected. Adult refugees who had undergone therapeutic counselling were purposively selected after which simple random sampling was used to select those who took part in the study. The sample size consisted of 382 adult refugees comprising of 175 men and 207 women selected through proportionate sampling technique; 5 counsellors were purposively selected and 16 section leaders selected through simple random sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, and Focus Group Discussions. The instruments were piloted in Dagahaley refugee camp. Questionnaires yielded a reliability coefficient of α = 0.811 which was determined using Cronbach’s coefficient alpha. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics which included frequencies, percentages, means, and t-test. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0 facilitated analysis of data. The study established that therapeutic counselling was unsatisfactory in dealing with anxiety disorder. The findings of the study will assist the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, other international bodies and service providers in improving therapeutic counselling services. The researcher recommends that the counselling agencies should increase the number of counsellors and observe the 1951 convention on repatriation of refugees from Dadaab refugee camp.
Loss and grief counseling as a coping mechanism of widowhood: A comparative study of widowers and widows in Meru County Kenya
(academic Journals, 2020) Mburugu, Beatrice M.
Widowhood has been on increase globally and Kenya as nation is not exceptional. The state of widowhood globally has been made worse during this period of Corona Virus Disease which started in Wuhan in China in December 2019 (WHO, 2019). Losing a spouse through death is quite emotive and may affect the bereaved persons’ psychosocial wellbeing as well as coping mechanism. In Meru community of Kenya, few researches have been done on counselling as a coping mechanism of widowhood. The study’s main purpose was to determine how loss and grief counselling is used as a coping mechanism by comparing widowers and widows in Meru County Kenya. A descriptive survey was employed in the study where ex post facto’s causal-comparative research design was appropriately used. A total population of 80,332 widowed persons in Meru County was targeted. For comparison purposes, a total sample size of 384 respondents was used; half from each gender. Questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect data from respondents based on gender. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. Widows sought for loss and grief counselling more at 61% than widowers at 47 % and from FGDs more than 70% and less than 20% respectively. From t-test results there was a statistically significant difference which favored widows than widowers in seeking for counselling services. In conclusion, the study findings may assist the widows and widowers to seek timely loss and grief counselling services as a positive coping mechanism.
Self Esteem as a social effect of widowhood in Meru County, Kenya
(2015-11) Mburugu, Beatrice M.; Nyaga, Veronica K.; Chepchieng, Micah C.; Ngari, Stephen N.
Abstract Widowhood is a state of losing a spouse through death and has been on the increase in Kenya and all over the world. A spouse’s death may affect the widowed persons’ social well-being, as they go through the various stages of bereavement. They may become withdrawn and isolated which may affect their self-esteem. There may be adverse effects of widowhood that are social since the widowed persons may rate themselves low after the death of the spouse whom they shared life with. In Meru community, no research has been done on the social effects of widowhood yet widowhood is a common phenomenon in the community. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the social effects by comparing widowed men and women in Meru County Kenya. A literature gap exists in Kenya on self-esteem of widowed men and women thus motivating the authors to come up with such a study. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine self-esteem as a social effect of widowhood by comparing widowed men and women in Meru County Kenya. Ex post facto’s causal-comparative research design was considered appropriate for the study because of comparison of groups. Samples of 384 widowed persons (192 widows and 192 widowers) in four Districts were purposively selected making a total of 384 respondents. Data was collected by use of questionnaires which were administered to widowed persons and two Focus Group Discussions for widowed persons were held in each of the four selected Districts; one for the widowers and another for widows. Data analysis was done by use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Inferential statistics included t-test which was used to establish whether differences in self-esteem as a social effect existed between widowed men and women. Descriptive statistics that included frequencies, means and percentages were also used. The findings revealed variations in the widowed persons’ self-esteem as a social effect of widowhood where widows showed lower self-esteem than widowers. From the findings, it is evident that absence of either of the spouse negatively affects the self- value of the living spouse especially widows. Counselling programmes of widowed persons in the country are needed to assist and empower them especially widows who are not allowed to remarry. It is therefore recommended that the Ministry of gender, religious organisations, service providers and other stakeholders should use such programmes to address social needs of widowed persons. Finally, the findings will assist the widowed men and women to cope better socially with their state of widowhood as they attach meaning in life and bring up their families single handedly