Divorce and Mental Health in Northern Nigeria: Exploring Post-Divorce Risk Factors

Background: Divorce rates have increased since the 1960s, with significant psychosocial implications, particularly in northern Nigeria's traditional societal context. The region's patriarchal norms and limited economic opportunities for women can intensify the psychological impact of divorce. Aim: To examine post-divorce risk factors for psychiatric disorders among divorced women in northern Nigeria, exploring marital experiences, psychological history, health conditions, abuse history, family background, and socio-economic status. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 divorced women from the Association of Divorced and Widows of Kano State. Participants were selected using simple random sampling technique. Data was collected using a sociodemographic and divorce related factors questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) and analyzed with SPSS version 20.0. Results: Significant factors associated with psychiatric disorders included: child custody arrangements (OR=3.5; CI=1.8 - 7.1,p=0.04), engaging in post-divorce sexual relationships (O.R=6.9; CI=.9 - 56.3,P=<0.001), pre-existing mental disorders (OR=19.1; CI=2.5 – 146.4,P=<0.001), divorce responsibility attribution,( aOR=5.4, CI=2.4, p=0.004) and unwillingness to remarry the ex-husband (OR=3.5; CI=1.8 - 7.1,p=0.04), Frequent headaches (OR=3.9; CI=1.3 – 12.0), sleep problems (OR=6.0; CI=2.2 - 16.2, p=0.004), previous abuse history (OR=3.4; CI=1.8 - 7.1,p=0.004) and parental divorce history (OR=3.5; CI=1.8 - 7.1,p=<0.001) were also linked to higher psychiatric morbidity. Poor social support (O.R=10, CI=6; 3.1 – 36.6,P=<0.001) emerged as a strong predictor of psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: Post-divorce experiences significantly impact psychiatric health, highlighting the need for targeted mental health interventions and support systems for divorced women.