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Human Insecurity and Mental Health Among Young Nigerien IDPs: a Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Quality of Life as a Risk and Protective Factor

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Abstract

This study sought to qualitatively explore dimensions of human insecurity and their effect on the quality of life as an antecedent of general well-being and mental health among a group of young internally displaced people (IDPs) living in refugee camps in the region of Diffa, Niger. Thirty-six IDPs (56% female, 44% male; MAge = 15; SD = 1.96) took part in 9 focus group discussions in which they were asked to describe two types of people, one with poor and one with good general well-being after displacement. Additionally, participants were asked to comment on their personal experiences. Five main themes emerged from the thematic content analysis (TCA): Experience of human insecurity during the internal displacement, sources of functioning and protective factors, coping strategies, adverse health and mental health outcomes, and positive mental health outcomes depicted the participants’ perceptions and concerns. Mental health and quality of life proved to be interlocked constructs, where the psychological dimension is affected and contextualized by human insecurity, general well-being, and human rights–related factors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Sciences “R. Massa”, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1 - 20126, Milan, Italy

    Guido Veronese, Federica Cavazzoni, Marzia Vigliaroni & Rachel Pancake

  2. Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Guido Veronese

  3. UNHCR, Niamey, Niger

    Marzia Vigliaroni

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  1. Guido Veronese
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  2. Federica Cavazzoni
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  4. Rachel Pancake
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Veronese, G., Cavazzoni, F., Vigliaroni, M. et al. Human Insecurity and Mental Health Among Young Nigerien IDPs: a Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Quality of Life as a Risk and Protective Factor. J. Hum. Rights Soc. Work 7, 46–58 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-021-00207-8

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