Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Dogonahawa and Zawan, North-Central Nigeria, Four-Years after Communal Violence: Prevalence and Risk Factors

Abstract

Survivors of mass violence are at high risk of developing psychological disorders. However, little is known about the impact of trauma in post conflict low income countries. This study assessed the prevalence of and socio-demographic risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder among conflict survivors in North-Central Nigeria in comparison to a control group drawn from a population that was not exposed to armed-conflict. This is a cross-sectional study that employed a multi stage sampling technique to select respondents in both groups. The Mini international neuropsychiatric interview was used to assess for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and their socio-demographic variables obtained with socio-demographic questionnaire. The results showed that 55.5% and 9.8% of the respondents in the conflict exposed group and the control were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. Respondents exposed to mass violence were significantly more likely to experience posttraumatic stress disorder compared to the control group (p< 0.001). Being a female was the consistent risk factor for the disorder in both groups, while being never married and having individual monthly income below N20,000.00 were also predictive of posttraumatic stress disorder in the group exposed to conflict. In conclusion, posttraumatic stress disorder prevalence was higher among the group exposure to armed conflict. Thus, an effective model for immediate and long-term mental health support for trauma victims needs to be developed in order to reduce the incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder among conflict survivors.