Nigeria Women and Mental Health Challenges: Causes, Cultural Models and Mitigation Through Music Therapy

Abstract Nigerian women, by the roles they play and their innate qualities, express life and life processes in very deep, mysterious, and mystical ways. To a huge extent, their affective domain is involved in the creation, manipulation, and propagation of cultural demands, normal life processes, and personal goals. Their interactions with nature, their spouses, their children, and themselves evoke unique emotional qualities, which they express and handle in various ways. Also, pregnancy and childbirth stand as part of the points in women’s biological life where their mental state is engaged and vigorously altered by their hormone levels. Do these engagements affect and consequently alter the mental state of women? Therefore, the focus of this paper is on how to mitigate and harness altered mental states to enhance women's mental health. The researchers used a qualitative analytical design to look at the cultural, musical, and poetic parts of some songs and texts, with the main goal of finding out how they could improve therapy for mental health. A set of 1–7 Igbo songs and cultural texts was chosen for their relevance to therapeutic goals and cultural significance. The Igbo song was selected for its emotional and spiritual relevance to grieving women, conveying themes of solace and contemplation, making it a potential tool for music therapy. The study used Sonic Visualiser to analyse the musical structure, melody, harmony, tempo, and rhythm of the songs, assessing their potential to induce relaxation, positive emotions, or mental clarity. Thematic analysis revealed recurring themes such as gratitude, positivity, emotional resilience, and healing, particularly for women in vulnerable situations. The research demonstrates that Nigerian women can achieve significant mental stability using music and music therapy interventions. Nigerian cultural models are evident in this process.