Draft:Witchcraft beliefs and illness interpretations in Nigeria: Difference between revisions

This is a draft Articles for creation (AfC) submission. It is not currently pending review. While there are no deadlines, abandoned drafts may be deleted after six months. To edit the draft click on the “Edit” tab at the top of the window. To be accepted, a draft should: It is strongly discouraged to write about either yourself or your business or employer. If you do so, you must declare it. Where to get help If you need help editing or submitting your draft, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. These venues are only for help with editing and the submission process, not to get reviews. If you need feedback on your draft, or if the review is taking a lot of time, you can try asking for help on the talk page of a relevant WikiProject. Some WikiProjects are more active than others so a speedy reply is not guaranteed. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags.

{{subst:AfC submission/co/$1}}

Witchcraft beliefs and illness interpretations in Nigeria refer to traditional explanations of disease causation that attribute illness to supernatural forces such as witchcraft or spiritual agency^[1]. It is also attributed to the cultural understandings of illness, misfortune, and unexplained health outcomes, superstitiously believed to be caused by supernatural powers or malicious spiritual forces. These beliefs persist across many ethnic and religious groups in Nigeria, despite the growth of biomedical health care systems.^[1]

Witchcraft is commonly understood in many Nigerian communities as the use of occult powers to cause harm to others, often manifesting in illness or death.^[1]
These beliefs are integrated into cultural narratives about causation and misfortune, affecting health-seeking behaviour and interpretations of disease symptoms^[1]

Studies revealed that community members have attributed various health conditions, especially unexplained illnesses or complications in pregnancy and early childhood, to spiritual attacks or witchcraft rather than biomedical causes. Such beliefs can result in delayed presentation at health facilities, preference for traditional healers, prayer houses, or spiritual interventions, and lower uptake of medical interventions^[2].

Belief in witchcraft is deeply rooted in social and cultural systems where spiritual causation of disease and misfortune is a normative explanatory model. Individuals may simultaneously utilize biomedical care and traditional spiritual interpretations as a phenomenon described as “cognitive polyphasia.”^[3]

Research has demonstrated that witchcraft beliefs influence decisions around antenatal care, childbirth, and child health services, often reducing timely engagement with formal health care systems. Such interpretations shape community understanding of illness causation and treatment preferences^[1]