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Cited by 72Child Nutrition and Water AccessWater Resource Management and QualityWater Governance and Infrastructure

‘Everyone is exhausted and frustrated’: Exploring psychosocial impacts of the lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation in Usoma, Kenya.

Bisung, Elijah, Elliott, Susan J.·2016·Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
DOI 10.2166/washdev.2016.122
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Abstract

The lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation pose significant health challenges for many individuals and communities in low and middle-income countries. Aside from direct health issues, the lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation is increasingly associated with psychosocial concerns that affect the wellbeing of individuals and communities. However, the nature of these concerns has received little attention in peer-reviewed literature. This paper draws on environmental stress and ecosocial theories to explore psychosocial concerns related to water and sanitation in Usoma, a lakeshore community in Western Kenya. The study used qualitative key informant interviews (n = 9) and focus group discussions (n = 10). Results reveal deep feelings of anxiety and frustration, embarrassment, negative identity, feelings of marginalization, and lack of self-efficacy. These stressors were a byproduct of daily lived experiences associated with lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation, as well as the coping strategies people adopted. The paper suggests that benefits of water interventions transcend disease reduction to improved wellbeing through complex social pathways. The findings contribute to knowledge gaps within the water–health nexus and direct policy responses toward largely unexplored psychosocial concerns associated with water and sanitation.

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  • Fears or experiences of harm from domestic and wild animals and insects were reported for both water collection and sanitation activities; women and girls reported fear and actual experiences of injury at and when accessing sanitation locations, regardless of sanitation type.

    “Fears or experiences of harm from domestic and wild animals and insects were reported for both water collection and sanitation activities [62, 135, 143, 170, 172-174, 177-179, 184, 187, 189-191, 198, 201, 214, 226, 229, 257, 258, 296].Women and girls reported fear and actual experiences of injury at and when accessing sanitation locations, regardless of sanitation type [135, 168, 172, 174, 184, 18”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [170]

  • Women in Kenya reported quarrels over contributions toward sanitation activities and maintenance of shared toilets.

    “Additionally, women in Kenya reported quarrels over contributions toward sanitation activities and maintenance of shared toilets, [170]”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [170]

  • These stressors have been identified at the community level and are detrimental to health and wellbeing.

    “These stressors have been identified at the community level and are detrimental to health and wellbeing [31].”

    From What if your husband doesn’t feel the pressure? An exploration of women’s involvement in WaSH decision making in Nyanchwa, Kenya. (2019) · cites this paper as [31]

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Authors
Bisung, E., & Elliott, S. J.
Affiliations
University of Waterloo (CA)
Corresponding author
Bisung, Elijah
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
Publisher
IWA Publishing
Published
2016-05-14
Volume
6
Issue
2
Pages
205-214
ISSN
  • 2043-9083 (ISSN-L)
  • 2408-9362
DOI
10.2166/washdev.2016.122
OpenAlex
W2368994949
Cited by
72
References
34
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 1
FWCI
5.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Water Resource Management and Quality
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Water Governance and Infrastructure
Keywords
safe water access, psychosocial impact, ecosocial theory, embarrassment, negative identity, marginalization, self-efficacy, coping strategies, well-being

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