By Stephen Adeleye
March 25, 2025
In a world where the voices of African innovators are too often sidelined, Dr. Kennedy Oberhiri Obohwemu is quietly shifting the foundations of psychological science—from the heart of the African diaspora.
Based in the United Kingdom but born and raised in Nigeria, Dr. Obohwemu has developed a groundbreaking psychological tool: the Self-Comforting and Coping Scale (SCCS). It is the first comprehensive instrument designed specifically to measure self-comforting behaviours—those deeply human acts of calming oneself in moments of emotional distress. Alongside it, he has introduced the Self-Comforting and Coping Theory (SCCT), a new framework that reframes how we understand emotional resilience.
This innovation could not be more timely. The global mental health crisis is growing, and the need for tools that are culturally adaptable, clinically valid, and emotionally intelligent has never been more urgent. Dr. Obohwemu’s work rises to that challenge.
But this is more than a story about a new psychological scale. It is a story about representation, about the overlooked power of the African diaspora in driving global innovation. Too often, narratives from the continent—and from its global citizens—are framed around crisis, struggle, and scarcity. Rarely do we shine a spotlight on those shaping the future of science and wellness. Dr. Obohwemu’s work demands that we do.
His SCCS does what few tools have done before: it places the spotlight on how people soothe themselves, how they survive, and how they rebuild—quiet, everyday acts of resilience that often go unnoticed in clinical literature. While traditional scales like the Brief COPE or Self-Compassion Scale examine general coping mechanisms, the SCCS homes in on the specific strategies people use to regulate distress—be it through mindfulness, cognitive reframing, or even compassionate self-talk.
And these are not abstract ideas. These are the behaviours millions of people use—many of whom do not have access to therapy, psychiatric care, or formal support. The SCCS is not just academically rigorous; it is grounded in reality. It speaks to the lived experiences of people from diverse backgrounds, particularly those for whom self-reliance is a cultural necessity.
Perhaps that’s the most powerful element of Dr. Obohwemu’s contribution: its rootedness in lived experience. As a Nigerian academic with a strong background in medicine and public health, working in the UK, he straddles two worlds—one that often lacks the resources for mental health support, and another that has the tools but not always the cultural fluency. His work bridges that gap.
The African diaspora has long been a wellspring of creativity, resilience, and intellectual firepower. From medicine to technology to the arts, its contributions are global in scale. And yet, innovation from this community is still too often seen as the exception, not the rule.
Dr. Obohwemu challenges that notion. His research doesn’t just add a new theory or scale to the shelves of psychologists—it opens up an entirely new way of thinking about mental health: one that is inclusive, culturally responsive, and profoundly human.
As the world grapples with mental health disparities, particularly across underserved and marginalized populations, we need more voices like Dr. Obohwemu’s—voices that bring new ideas, new tools, and new compassion to old challenges.
His story is a powerful reminder that innovation is not confined to Silicon Valley labs or Ivy League towers. Sometimes, it comes from a Nigerian-born doctor with a bold idea, a quiet determination, and a vision big enough to change the way we heal.
Stephen Adeleye is a writer and mental health commentator focused on global health equity, innovation, and diaspora excellence.
