Submission ID 118334
| Issue/Objective | This study addresses the growing mental health crisis among Nigeria's 3.4 million IDPs, focusing on anxiety and depression in conflict-affected settings. With displaced populations disproportionately impacted by psychosocial stressors, understanding context-specific factors associated with adverse mental health outcomes is critical to designing effective interventions. The objective was to quantify the prevalence, severity, and associated factors of anxiety and depression among IDPs in North Central Nigeria. This provided baseline findings for the RESETTLE-IDPs trial, a hybrid effectiveness-implementation study evaluating a life skills education intervention to strengthen resilience and integration outcomes. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Data were collected from September 2024 to January 2025 in Abuja's Durumi and Wassa IDP camps. A random stratified sampling strategy enrolled 264 participants aged 13-55. Mental health outcomes were assessed using validated tools (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 for anxiety), with scores ≥10 indicating moderate-to-severe symptoms. Binary regression models and R version 4.4.2 were used for analysis, adjusting for confounding variables. |
| Results | Adults aged ≥35 years had higher odds than adolescents (13-19 years) of moderate-to-severe depression (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 4.36; 95% CI: 1.48-14.32; p = 0.010) and anxiety (AOR = 6.64; 95% CI: 2.11-24.12; p = 0.002). Female participants had higher odds of moderate-to-severe depression (AOR = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.05-5.63; p = 0.043) and anxiety (AOR = 2.86; 95% CI: 1.22-7.35; p = 0.021) than males. In addition, individuals who reported not receiving psychological counseling had statistically significant higher odds than those who did of experiencing moderate-to-severe depression and anxiety. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Our findings underscore the need for targeted psychosocial interventions prioritizing older adults and women, who often experience compounded burdens due to economic instability, caregiving roles, and protracted displacement. Integrating mental health screening into humanitarian services and scalable life skills education could enhance coping mechanisms and resilience. The observed disparities in mental health problems align with broader evidence linking displacement, lack of psychosocial support, age, and gender-based vulnerabilities to adverse mental health outcomes. This research directly informs global health security efforts by highlighting strategies to mitigate mental health threats in displaced populations, a critical yet underprioritized dimension of health system preparedness in crisis-affected regions. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Andem Effiong Etim Duke Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine - Department of Psychiatry Bala Isa Harri Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine - Department of Psychiatry Rita Orji Dalhousie University Faculty of Computer Science Ejemai Eboreime Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine - Department of Psychiatry |
