PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES OF DIPO RITES OF PASSAGE AMONG THE KROBO IN THE EASTERN REGION OF GHANA

ABSTRACT

Dipo is a prominent transitional rite of passage among the Krobo which has been carried out for years in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This ceremony is held annually and it is expected that initiates (Krobo girls who undergo the rites) spend 3 days at a place called Dipo house. Its relevance is to prevent promiscuity, teenage pregnancy and premarital sex until Krobo girls were of age to marry. The present study examined 145 participants comprising 80 initiates and 65 non-initiates recruited from Odumase-Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The study was conducted in three phases. The first and second phases (qualitative) recruited 35 Krobo girls (12-20 years). The qualitative study examined the perception of Dipo and girl‘s sexual behaviour in today‘s society in a focus group discussion and one-on-one interview. Themes generated include early-late initiation, source of income, love life, traditional rite, morals and lessons from Dipo. The study revealed two main findings. First, the belief that Dipo is traditional and true Christians must not participate in such activities. Second, the belief that, Dipo is a cultural rite of passage which is necessary for all community members. These two views might have resulted in different stereotypic behaviours that could cause psychological distress among members in the community. The second phase examined different psychosocial correlates such as psychological distress, self-esteem, Dipo perception, gender and cultural identity. The results revealed that, girls who have not undergone Dipo rites recorded a higher level of psychological distress than initiates. Initiates on the other hand recorded higher positive score on Dipo perception than non-initiates. However, there was no significant difference in relation to self-esteem, cultural and gender identity. Implications of the results are discussed.