Vatsonga Cultural Practices and their Impact on the Health of Widows and Significant Others

Abstract

This paper presents the Vatsonga cultural practices regarding widowhood and how those practices impact personal health. The purpose of the study was to gain an in-depth understanding of how the Vatsonga manages widowhood and how those practices affect the management of HIV/AIDS. This ethnographic study was conducted in Bushbuckridge and is grounded in Leininger’s theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality. Data was collected from participants using individual face-to-face interviews and observation. In addition, ethnographic content analysis was utilized for data analysis. Results indicate that there are practices such as widow cleansing and widow inheritance that the Vatsonga people practice following the death of an individual’s husband. These practices impact physical, social, psychological, spiritual, emotional, and economic well-being and affect the bereaved women and the significant others in the community. To address these practices, the authors recommend the application of the process of preservation, accommodation, and re-patterning of practices based on the impact of such practices on health.