Psychological Trauma, Coping Strategies, and Mental Health Outcomes Among Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria have been exposed to armed conflict, communal violence, and forced relocation, yet few studies have tested how trauma exposure and coping together relate to post-traumatic stress symptoms in this population. This cross-sectional correlational study involved 400 IDPs (214 men, 186 women) drawn from camps and host communities in Borno and Adamawa States through multistage sampling. Participants completed the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, the Brief COPE, and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Data were analyzed with Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. Trauma exposure correlated positively with post-traumatic stress symptoms (r = .28, p < .001), whereas coping correlated negatively with them (r = −.19, p < .001); trauma exposure and coping were unrelated to each other (r = .02). Together the two predictors accounted for 11.6% of the variance in symptoms, F(2, 397) = 26.07, p < .001, with trauma exposure (β = .28) contributing more than coping (β = −.19). Trauma exposure was therefore associated with higher, and coping with lower, symptom severity among displaced Nigerians, although most of the variance remained unexplained. Trauma-informed screening and coping-skills programs within displacement settings are warranted.