David Onyekachi defends his PhD thesis

Title

'Internally Displaced Children and Adolescents in North-East Nigeria'.

Time and place

10 March 2023 at 9 am (CET).

The defence will take place in Auditorium 1.1.18 at The Faculty of Social Sciences (CSS), Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen.

The defence will also be streamed on Zoom. 

Join the Zoom meeting.
Passcode: 035219.

Assessment committee

  • Associate Professor Karen-Inge Karstoft, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen (chair)

  • Professor Morten Sodemann, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark

  • Professor Brian Hall, Center for Global Health Equity, NYU Shanghai

Supervisor

  • Associate Professor Jesper Dammeyer, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen

Abstract

There is substantial evidence that children and adolescents who are internally displaced by conflict are extremely vulnerable to mental health problems. Protective factors, including coping resources and coping strategies, have been identified as a priority research area for mental health and psychosocial support among conflict-displaced populations. However, in the context of displacement in Nigeria, little is known about the mental health problems of conflict internally displaced adolescents (IDAs), especially in the north-eastern region. This lack of information means the specific needs of this population are unknown and that developing an understanding of the coping resources and strategies that support good mental health of IDAs is necessary. The overall aim of this thesis was to explore traumatic exposure, mental health problems, coping mechanisms, and other personal and psychological factors that might mitigate mental health problems. This was achieved using a multi-method design, which comprised three approaches: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods.