Mental health and psychosocial support needs among people displaced by Boko Haram in Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Since 2013, the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has left almost 2 million people displaced and 10 million in need of life-saving services. While the humanitarian response has focused on provision of food, shelter, and physical health needs, mental health needs remain largely overlooked. This mixed-methods project explored the mental health and psychosocial (MHPS) burden, existing resources and coping mechanisms, and remaining needs among internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Borno State, Nigeria. Survey findings reveal a high burden of mental health needs: 60% of participants strongly endorsed at least one mental health symptom, and 75% endorsed functional impairment associated with mental health symptoms. Unexpectedly, we found that adult men had the highest rates of symptom burden, suggesting that typical approaches focusing on women and children would miss this vulnerable population. Qualitative findings (free lists, interviews, focus group discussions) reflect MHPS needs that could be addressed through solutions-focused approaches, although tailored interventions would be needed to support stigmatised and vulnerable groups such as drug users and rape victims. Finally, participants emphasised the breakdown of community and political leadership structures, as well as of economic and livelihood activities, suggesting that MHPS interventions should focus on restoring these key resources.

KEYWORDS:

• Boko Haram
• humanitarian emergency
• internally displaced persons (IDPs)
• mental health and psychosocial support
• Nigeria

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to our research assistants and all those who participated in this study. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of CRS or USAID.

Data availability statement

Data available upon request to corresponding author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Bonnie N. Kaiser http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0742-1302

Brandon A. Kohrt http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3829-4820

Notes

1 An informal settlement is defined as a completely closed-in compound or semi-closed area on privately owned land where IDPs have been given the permission to stay by the landowner and, in some cases, local religious authorities (imam, etc.).

2 NGOS are assigned to certain host communities based on need and in order to avoid duplication of effort.

Additional information

Funding

Support for this project was provided by Catholic Relief Services with funds from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Cooperative Agreement No. AID-620-A-13-00003 and technical support from Gede Foundation. Dr Kaiser was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (F32MH113288). Dr Kohrt and Dr Kaiser are supported by the US National Institute of Mental Health (K01MH104310, R21MH111280).