Nigerian Medical Doctor Makes Global Impact With ‘New Theory’ On Emotional Resilience

A Nigerian-born medical doctor and academic, Dr. Kennedy Oberhiri Obohwemu, has earned international recognition for his latest contribution to mental health science.

Dr. Obohwemu, originally from Delta State, and now based in the United Kingdom, has developed a second world-first psychological model that is already being recognised as a game-changer in global mental health research.

His newly published Self-Comforting Attitude Theory (SCAT) and the accompanying Self-Comforting Attitude Scale (SCAS) provide a novel framework for understanding how individuals perceive and respond to self-soothing behaviours—those quiet, personal strategies used to cope with emotional distress.

The study was published this month in Mental Health and Prevention, a respected journal from Elsevier, indexed in Scopus and the Web of Science.

This breakthrough follows Dr. Obohwemu’s earlier work—the Self-Comforting and Coping Theory (SCCT) and Self-Comforting and Coping Scale (SCCS)—which received widespread attention after their release earlier this year.

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All the four contributions now form a comprehensive research system known as the Self-Comforting Framework, the first of its kind globally.

While the SCCT and SCCS focus on what people do to manage stress—such as mindfulness, emotional reframing, or self-talk—the SCAT and SCAS explore how people feel about those behaviours, including whether they view them as helpful, acceptable, or even necessary.

This dual approach is considered revolutionary in assessing emotional resilience.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Correspondent in Lokoja, Kogi State, at the weekend, Dr. Obohwemu, who completed his medical training at Delta State University, Abraka, and later earned a PhD in Public Health in the UK, said the inspiration behind the theory came from his personal struggles.

“Arriving in the UK just before the COVID-19 lockdowns, I experienced extreme isolation, financial hardship, and psychological stress—conditions that pushed me to rely heavily on internal coping mechanisms.

“When people are alone or unsupported, they often turn inward. But what we think about those coping behaviours—whether we consider them signs of weakness or strength—determines how we use them.

“That’s what this theory helps us understand,” Obohwemu explained.

The SCAT and SCAS are already being embraced by researchers and clinicians for their potential to transform how mental health is understood and supported, particularly in African contexts where emotional expression and mental health beliefs are deeply influenced by cultural attitudes.

Experts say Dr. Obohwemu’s work is especially relevant for Nigeria and other low-and-middle-income countries, where formal mental health services are limited and individuals often depend on internal coping strategies for survival.

With two pioneering theories and two psychometric tools now published in high-ranking international journals, Dr. Kennedy Obohwemu is proudly flying the Nigerian flag in global research circles—and inspiring a new generation of African scholars to turn lived experience into life-changing science.