Dr. Kennedy O. Obohwemu, distinguished alumnus and former National President of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) Nigeria, has made an unprecedented academic and professional breakthrough by developing and publishing two innovative psychological theories and their corresponding psychometric scales. These groundbreaking contributions offer new ways to understand and measure emotional resilience, particularly crucial in today’s rapidly evolving, post-pandemic world.
Recently published in the prestigious journal Mental Health & Prevention by Elsevier—a globally recognized platform indexed in Scopus and Web of Science—Dr. Obohwemu’s latest innovations, the Self-Comforting Attitude Theory (SCAT) and the Self-Comforting Attitude Scale (SCAS), explore the internal perceptions and attitudes people hold towards self-comforting behaviors. These include everyday actions like positive self-talk, mindfulness, and cognitive reframing, which individuals often use instinctively to manage emotional stress.
His earlier scholarly work, the Self-Comforting and Coping Theory (SCCT) and its associated Self-Comforting and Coping Scale (SCCS), laid the foundational understanding of the behavioral aspects of emotional self-regulation. Together, these four integral components form the comprehensive Self-Comforting and Coping Framework (SCCF)—the world’s first validated model that captures both the internal beliefs and external actions associated with emotional resilience.
Reflecting upon the profound personal experiences that inspired his research, Dr. Obohwemu shared, “The Self-Comforting and Coping Framework was born out of one of the most challenging periods of my life. Upon my arrival in the UK just days before the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown began, I found myself completely isolated—without family, without friends, and under immense academic and financial pressure. During these overwhelming moments, I instinctively relied on self-comforting strategies simply to endure each day.”
He continued, “These theories and scales are more than academic concepts—they emerged from a deeply human experience of vulnerability. My hope is that this research helps individuals recognize the legitimacy and strength in self-comfort, ultimately enabling greater emotional resilience, especially in our post-pandemic reality.”
FECAMDS proudly celebrates this remarkable achievement by Dr. Obohwemu, whose work embodies the organization’s core values of excellence, compassion, and service. His journey underscores the importance of combining personal experience with rigorous academic inquiry, demonstrating how true innovation often arises from life’s most challenging moments.
Dr. Obohwemu’s groundbreaking contributions are now globally accessible, offering invaluable resources for healthcare professionals, educators, students, and all who strive to better understand the nuances of emotional wellbeing.
🔗 Access the recent SCAT & SCAS publication in Mental Health & Prevention:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2025.200425
🔗 Explore the earlier SCCT & SCCS research:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389969860