Psychological Effects of Boko Haram Insurgencies in Some Liberated Communities across Yobe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Millions of people have been exposed to Boko Haram insurgencies in the last decade, systematic studies on the mental health consequences in affected communities are still rare. This study investigates the psychological effects of the insurgency across several affected communities within Yobe state, Nigeria. Participants from five (5) war-affected local governments in Yobe state were recruited through a random-walk technique. In each of these regions, 3 affected localities were randomly selected, resulting in a selection of 15 localities across all 5 local governments. In each locality, 3 streets were randomly identified. Every fourth household was selected until a maximum of 5 interviews for one street were completed. The history of potentially traumatic experiences were assessed using a specifically amended version of the Life Stressor Checklist. The study shows a strong positive correlation between exposures to traumatic events as a result of the insurgency with the development of psychological stress. Over one third (36.01%) of respondents met symptom criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and close to half (47.90%) of the respondents met symptom criteria for depression. Men were more exposed to trauma events, however women developed higher symptoms of psychological stress compared to men. Conclusively, the study provide evidence of mental health distress among populations exposed to Boko Haram insurgencies in Yobe state, Nigeria.

Keywords: Boko Haram; Communities; Psychological Stress and Yobe State.

DOI: 10.7176/DCS/11-7-04

Publication date:July 31^st 2021