Assessment of psychotrauma among internally displaced adolescent at Malkohi camp, Yola South Adamawa state, Nigeria

Abdulmalik Mohammed Jibrin

doi:10.21767/2574-2825-C4-012

Assessment of psychotrauma among internally displaced adolescent at Malkohi camp, Yola South Adamawa state, Nigeria

EuroSciCon Event on Nursing Diagnosis & Midwifery
September 10-11,2018 Prague,Czech Republic

Abdulmalik Mohammed Jibrin

AGMC (Adamawa German medical center) Yola, Nigeria

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Health Stud

DOI: 10.21767/2574-2825-C4-012

Abstract

Statement of the problem: Psychotrauma is a mind wound that affects the overall wellbeing of an individual’s life. It occurs when an individual experienced a traumatic event. Post-traumatic stress disorder {PTSD} is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any events that result in psychological trauma. The intensity of internal displacement arising from different factors, which include violent conflicts and natural disasters, has become a global problem. It has emerged as one of the great human tragedies of the 21st century. “Three quarters of the world’s 40.8 million people internally displaced by conflict are believed to be women and children” (IDMC, Global overview, 2016). Insurgent attack by the Boko-Haram insurgency for the past 7 years in North eastern part of Nigeria has left millions homeless and traumatized with women and children mostly affected. Conflict has a physical, emotional psychological impact on all children including adolescent. The study was set out to assess the psychotrauma in displaced adolescent at malkohi camp yola south LGA. Cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used. 100 adolescent IDPs were selected for the investigation through a simple sampling. Hopkins symptoms checklist and the Harvard trauma questionnaire for traumatic experience and diagnosis of symptoms of PTSD was used. Frequency, percentage and table were used to summarize data and simple linear regression was used to determine significant relationship between traumas and PTSD. The study found out a significant relationship between trauma and PTSD. The study was conducted three years post displacement by insurgency and only IDPs living in camp were studied. The study found out that majority of the IDPs had experienced psychotrauma as a result of insurgency attacks and are suffering from symptoms of PTSD and depression. Incorporation of mental health assessment and treatment as part of relief efforts to victims of crisis is hereby recommended.