Mental Health Milestone: UK-Based Nigerian Researcher Kennedy Obohwemu Unveils Second Psychological Theory

Dr. Kennedy Obohwemu, a Nigerian researcher based in the UK, has made a major breakthrough in global mental health with a fresh lens on emotional resilience and self-comforting behaviours.

His latest contribution is the Self-Comforting Attitude Theory (SCAT), along with a new measurement tool, the Self-Comforting Attitude Scale (SCAS). The findings were published in Mental Health Prevention (Vol. 38), a high-impact journal under Elsevier, and are now indexed in both Scopus and Web of Science.

This new study builds on Obohwemu’s earlier work—the Self-Comforting and Coping Theory (SCCT) and the Self-Comforting and Coping Scale (SCCS)—creating a full framework for understanding how people respond to emotional distress, both in action and in mindset.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from Lokoja, Obohwemu explained that self-comforting refers to internal strategies people use to deal with emotional stress. These include activities like listening to music, sleeping, exercising, or even smoking or drinking—all aimed at easing anxiety, stress, or emotional pain.

According to him, the SCAT and SCAS help uncover the beliefs and attitudes that shape how individuals perceive and engage in these behaviours—such as whether they see self-comforting as a sign of strength or weakness.

Obohwemu, who lectures at Oxford Brookes University and GBS Partnership in Birmingham, said the research was partly inspired by the emotional toll of the COVID-19 lockdowns. “In difficult times, people turn to inner resources to stay afloat emotionally,” he said. “But whether they use those resources often depends on how they view them—are they helpful or harmful, essential or indulgent?”

Mental health experts, educators, and researchers have welcomed the development, calling it a timely and culturally relevant approach to emotional wellness.

With the publication of SCAT and SCAS, Obohwemu has now completed what he calls the Self-Comforting Framework—a four-part model offering both researchers and clinicians powerful tools to assess not just how people cope, but how they think about coping.

He believes this framework has the potential to reshape how we understand emotional regulation and build psychological resilience.

source: nannews.ng