Prevalence of Armed Conflict Exposure and Lived Experiences among Students in Catholic Secondary Schools in Bamenda III, Cameroon

The armed conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions has deeply affected students in Bamenda III, causing significant psycho-social challenges. This study examined armed conflict exposure and psycho-social well-being among Catholic secondary school students in Bamenda III. The objective was to assess the prevalence of armedconflict exposure, guided by stress process theory by Leonard Pearlin and psychological well-being theory by Carol Ryff. The study employed an embedded mixed methods design. The target population was 2,600 Catholic secondary students in Bamenda III where 335 students were sampled. Multi-stage sampling was used to obtain the participants. Data was collected using structured questionnaire and interviews were conducted among participants. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings shows that over 70% of Catholic secondary school students in Bamenda III have experienced some form of armed conflict-related trauma, with 41.7% showing moderate to severe exposure levels. Based on these findings, the stakeholders—including the Ministry of Education, schools, parents, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), faith institutions, local leaders, universities, and global donors—should collaboratively implement and support a national trauma-informed education policy featuring mental health training, psychosocial support programmes, community engagement, research, and inclusive funding in conflict-affected areas.