Abstract:
COVID-19 pandemic affected people globally. It has created a lot of socioeconomic setbacks in different countries, organizations and individuals. This
research examined the implications of COVID-19 lockdown on the spiritual wellbeing of women in the Catholic Diocese of Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria. The study adopted
parallel convergence design, where both qualitative and quantitative data was
collected at the same time. The target population was 1700 women. A sample size of
324 was used. Sampling was done through simple random and purposive sampling
techniques. Data collection was done through open and closed ended questionnaire,
and an in-depth interview guides. This applied to Catholic women and women
leaders in the diocese respectively. From the findings, majority of women had given
up on important individual and family future plans. Some respondents confirmed
that, the lockdown came with challenges including loss of jobs, income, food
insecurity, challenges in accessing social and spiritual services as well as social
interaction limitations. However, to some, lockdown encouraged the presence of
family members at home therefore enhancing family bonding and love. The study
concluded that, COVID-19 lockdown impacted on the psycho spiritual well-being of
Catholic women in the diocese of Ijebu-Ode and therefore a need for relevant
interventions in future similar occurrences. The study recommends thorough
preparedness by the federal ministry of health and the church in relation to
infrastructure, personnel, Pscycho-spiritual well-being and medical supplies. There
is also, a need for a comprehensive handling of pandemics by all stakeholders to
avoid gaps in service delivery now and in the future.