Psychosocial impacts of communal conflicts in a sample of secondary school youths from two conflict communities in south east Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, communal conflicts arise due to misunderstanding from ownership of land for farming, oil deposits, solid minerals or water for fishing activities. It may also arise in defence of community pride and properties or even in defence of the people involved in the conflict. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), The Short Screening Scale for Post traumatic stress disorder, The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2) were used to assess psychosocial impacts of communal conflicts among 560 secondary school youths from two communities in south east Nigeria. Result revealed various forms of psychosocial impacts of communal conflicts among the youths.

Keywords:

• Communal conflict
• psychosocial impacts
• youths

Acknowledgements

The authors remain grateful to all the school authorities, the school counsellors and the head teachers from the various schools, where data for this research work was collected, for their unflinching corporation and allowing us unrestricted access to their students who acted as subjects for this study. Furthermore we thank all the respondents who gave their consent to participate in this study.