Influence of Self-Care Awareness on the Physical Well-Being of African Religious Women in Karen, Nairobi, Kenya: A Psycho - Educational Intervention

Abstract

Purpose: This study explored how self-care awareness practice influences the physical well-being of African religious Women of the Catholic Church in Karen, Nairobi-Kenya. Methodology: Qualitative paradigm and phenomenological design were used. Target was all African religious women living in Karen. Maximum variation sampling technique was used to select four religious women’s congregations that participated in the study. Criterion sampling technique was used to select 10 participants for the study, comprising of 4 religious women, 2 religious brothers, 2 priests and 2 lay persons. Methodology: Findings revealed that, religious women in Karen-Nairobi were prevented from adequate self-caring due to overwork, negligence, wrong concept of religious life, poor remuneration, poverty, influence of entrenched gender role, inability to integrate prayer life, the apostolate and community life as well as a misunderstanding of the meaning of self-care. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: This study concluded that the lack of self-care awareness among African Catholic Religious Women in Karen affected their physical well-being. Suggested remedial interventions included awareness creation, greater access to education, designing and use of a self-care curriculum, regular supervision of self-care practice by superiors, the replacement of life-diminishing structures in the religious life and the Church, revision of life and establishing economic sustainability.