In Nigeria, even globally, various studies on sickle cell disease tend to generalize a predisposing factor of sickle cell disease in our society but nevertheless, there is yet a comprehensive study on the psychosocial impact of Sickle Cell Disease on the people living with Sickle Cell Disease and the effect it has on their quality of life and the coping strategies in order to reduce the frequency of crises. Methodology: Data for this study were obtained from both primary and secondary source. The primary source include structured questionnaire; a total of 105 copies of questionnaires were distributed randomly to people living with Sickle Cell Disease in hospitals, schools, Churches and Mosques, while the secondary data were sourced through information from current Journals from internet. The data obtained through these sources were analyzed using frequency tables and simple percentage analysis to discuss the findings of the study. Results: This study shows that the level of understanding and knowledge of respondents to psychosocial impact of Sickle Cell Disease and the management/treatment strategies was adequate. This is evidenced in the fact that greater percentage of the respondents agreed with all the options given i.e. Engaging in a particular intimate relationship, Having commitment ambition and industry, Maintaining a positive and cheerful outlook on the current situation, Letting others know what is of concern and enlisting support by organizing an activity and using professional adviser, such as Counselor. Besides the global burden of Sickle Cell Disease is on the increase on daily basis and same has really affected the quality of life of the victims. Also this psychosocial problems occurring concurrently both in Sickle Cell Disease patients and their caregivers was seen to be a phenomenon that can have negative impacts both on the victims and the family as a whole, hence this study suggests that parents should be seen in the context of their families holistically. The clinicians should provide the necessary psychological care and support to both the victims and caregivers in order to have better success of their treatment/management strategies. Conclusion: Therefore it is against this background that Policy makers and Non-governmental bodies should come together to organize public lectures and seminars to deliberate on the remedies to be employed in order to ameliorate the incidence of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in our society in order to maintain Healthy Nations.
Keywords: Coping Strategies, Local Government, People, Perceived Psychosocial Impact, Sickle Cell Disease
