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Rates of Occurrence and Influence of Trauma Exposure on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among Survivors of Terrorist Attacks in Northeast Nigeria

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Abstract

Research has shown that trauma exposure is associated with increased symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, knowledge is sparse on whether there are differential predictions of specific clusters of PTSD symptoms by trauma exposure. We investigated the rate of trauma exposure and prevalence of PTSD as well as the contributions of trauma exposure to severity of four PTSD symptoms clusters among persons who were displaced due to terrorist attacks. Participants were Nigerian internally displaced persons (IDPs, N = 1059, 54.8% males; mean age = 34.30 years, SD = 13.69) who completed Hausa language versions of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire – Part 1 for measuring trauma exposure and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 for assessing PTSD symptoms. The most frequently reported traumatic stressors were lack of basic needs, losses, maltreatment/torture, and violent deaths. Prevalence of PTSD was high (65.72%). Trauma exposure uniquely and strongly predicted increased PTSD symptoms severity across all the PTSD symptoms clusters by adding more variances above and beyond the demographic factors. Regular provision of relief materials is necessary in IDPs’ camps. Psychological interventions and mental healthcare services should be prioritized in comprehensive management of the displacement crisis resulting from terrorist attacks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

    Emmanuel Ekpedoho Abiama

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu state, 41000, Nigeria

    Chuka Mike Ifeagwazi & JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji

  3. Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, 44115, USA

    JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji

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  1. Emmanuel Ekpedoho Abiama
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Correspondence to JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji.

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All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Ethical clearance for the study was granted by the relevant institutional review committee, and permission to conduct the study was granted by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) office in Abuja, Nigeria.

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Emmanuel Ekpedoho Abiama, Chuka Mike Ifeagwazi, and JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Appendices

Appendix 1

Table 5 Harvard Trauma Questionnaire – Part 1 (Hausa version) GABATARWA: Karkasin wannan tambayar game da kai da asalin iyalin ka da makwabtan ka, watakila wani ya tabbatar koya shaida, iyalin a na nufin na asali. Ka tabbatar da gashiyar ko rashin gaskiyar alamani abunda ya faru cikin watani shida da saka wuce. Mai yiwa akwai abunda ya sa mai tambaya yake so ya sani amma kai baka son yasani: Kwata kwata, Dan kadan, Wani locaci, Akai akai, Kada yaushe
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Appendix 2

Table 6 PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (Hausa) GABATARWA: Karkashin wannan damuwan a kan mutan da wani lokaci su kan same kansu cikin matsanancin kunci. Na′ roke ka ka sa alama kewaye a inda ka taba samun kanka cikin wani kunci ko damuwa a watsannin da wuce, yi amfani da wayannan a watannin da wuce, yi amfani da wayannan alamu: 0 = Babu, 1 = Kadan, 2 = Matsakaa, 3 = Kadan, 4 = Sosai
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Abiama, E.E., Ifeagwazi, C.M. & Chukwuorji, J.C. Rates of Occurrence and Influence of Trauma Exposure on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among Survivors of Terrorist Attacks in Northeast Nigeria. Int J Ment Health Addiction 20, 2478–2492 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-021-00527-w

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