The prevalence of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among internally displaced persons in Maiduguri, Nigeria
| Published date | 31 October 2019 |
| Pages | 159-168 |
| Date | 31 October 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-07-2019-0071 |
| Author | Deborah Oyine Aluh,Roland Nnaemeka Okoro,Adamu Zimboh |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Public mental health |
The prevalence of depression and post-
traumatic stress disorder among internally
displaced persons in Maiduguri, Nigeria
Deborah Oyine Aluh, Roland Nnaemeka Okoro and Adamu Zimboh
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence of depression and post-traumatic
stressdisorder (PTSD) among internally displacedpersons (IDPs) in Maiduguri.
Design/methodology/approach –The study was a cross-sectional study that took place among the
six IDP camps located in Maiduguri metropolis in Borno State. A non-randomized technique was used
to sample 1,200 respondents. Face-to-face interviews with selected members of households were
carried out confidentially. The study used the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Impact of
Event Scale-6 which were translated to Kanuri. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed
using SPSS version 21.
Findings –The response rate was 100 percent. In total,96.1 percent (1,153) of the respondents were
depressed, while78 percent (936) of the respondents were symptomaticfor PTSD. The prevalence rate
of comorbid PTSD with depression was 68.1 percent (817). About one-third of the respondents had
moderately severe depression (29.6 percent, n= 355) while about one in ten of them were severely
depressed (11.3 percent,n= 136). The odds of being depressed was 3.308 higher in peopleaged 51 –
60 years compared to people between 18 and 20 years. Significant predictors of depression in the
sampledpopulation were screening positive for PTSD andbeing unemployed.
Practical implications –The high prevalenceof depression and PTSD among the sampled population
calls for structured interventions to deal with mental health problems. The study findings suggest the
need for moreresearch (preferably qualitative)on the mental health issues in this population.
Originality/value –This study contributesto the sparse available literature on themental health of IDPs
in Nigeria.
Keywords Nigeria, Depression, PTSD, Boko Haram, Internally displaced person
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
According to the global report on internal displacement (GRID 2018), about 40m people
have been internally displaced due to conflict (GRID 2018, n.d.a). Sub-Saharan Africa
accounted for almost half of the 11.8m new displacements due to conflict and violence
reached in 2017 (GRID 2018, n.d.b). The Boko Haram insurgency is currently the biggest
security problem in Nigeria and is said to be responsible for the loss of 100,000 lives,
displacement of more than 2.6mpeople and has led to about $9bn worth of damage (Tukur,
2017). Boko Haram which literally means (“Western education is a sin”) originated in
Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State and the biggest city in Northeast Nigeria. The group’s
aim has grown over time from championing the cause of Islamic puritanism in Northern
Nigeria to the inception of the Islamic State in West Africa (Onuoha and Oyewole, 2018).
The uprising which was initially unorganized and unsophisticated had evolved into the
“world’s deadliest terrorist organization” by 2015 (Liang et al.,2015). Borno State remains
the most affected state in Northeastern Nigeria and continues to host the highest number
Deborah Oyine Aluh is
based at the Department of
Clinical Pharmacy and
Pharmacy Management,
University of Nigeria,
Enugu, Nigeria.
Roland Nnaemeka Okoro
and Adamu Zimboh are
both based at the
University of Maiduguri,
Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Received 7 July 2019
Revised 24 September 2019
Accepted 27 September 2019
The authors declare that there
is no conflict of interest.
DOI 10.1108/JPMH-07-2019-0071 VOL. 19 NO. 2 2020, pp. 159-168, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729 jJOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH jPAGE 159
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