Self-Esteem, Resilience, And Mental Health Of Tribal Widowsin Kerala, India-A Study

Abstract

The Tribal Population In India Has Suffered Generations Of Isolation And Social Exclusion Which Has Turned Out To Be Very Disadvantageous For Their Progress. This Is Especially True For Tribal Widows Who Have To Often Face The Double Discrimination Of Being A Widow As Well As Someone Belonging To The Tribal Community.

Objective: The Aim Of The Present Study Is To Measure The Self-Esteem, Resilience, And Mental Health Of Tribal Widows In Idukki District, Kerala.

Method: Based On A Background Survey, It Was Found That There Were 479 Widows Among Three Tribal Communities Of Which The Researchers Selected 305 Widows As A Sample Using The Krejcie& Morgan (1970) Formula. The Individual Respondents Were Selected By Adopting Simple Random Sampling Technique Using Lottery Method. In Order To Measure The Self-Esteem Of The Tribal Widows, The Self-Esteem Scale Developed By Rosenberg (1965) Was Used. The Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (2003) Was Used To Measure Resilience, While The Mental Health Of The Respondents Was Measured Using The MHI-5 Scale.

Results: A Snapshot Of The Results Are As Follows- There Is A Statistically Significant Difference In The Mean Scores Of Self-Esteem, Resilience And Mental Health Of The Respondents At A Very High Level (P<0.001), Across Their Age And Occupation, Among Other Factors. Moreover, There Is A Positive Correlation Between Mental Health, Age Of The Respondents, Self-Esteem, Resilience, And Age At Widowhood, Among Other Variables.

Conclusion: The Plight Of Tribal Widows Is Indeed Worrisome. There Are Several Factors That Are Strongly Connected With Their Mental Health Such As The Age At Widowhood And Family Income. While It Is Difficult To Change Certain Aspects Of Their Plight, Certain Others Can Be Improved With The Right Policies And Thereby Help Improve The Lives Of These Tribal Widows.