Mental health of internally displaced persons resettled at Tripura, a North Eastern state of India: the role of socio-demographic factors

Purpose In recent years, research on internally displaced persons (IDPs) has received much attention because they are generally heightened to vulnerability. Conversely, very limited research has been conducted on Bru community people who were internally displaced and resettled in the state of Tripura, India. This paper aims to identify the role of socio-demographic variables on the severity of depression and anxiety among the Bru community people (internally displaced) living in Tripura, India. Further, the study also examines the differences between socio-demographic groups with respect to depression and anxiety. Design/methodology/approach The current study was conducted on a sample of 383 Bru community people aged between 18 and 50 years (217 males and 166 females), and they were selected randomly from three relief camps of the Kanchanpur Subdivision of Tripura, India. Findings The results showed significant differences in depression scores of the study subjects with respect to their variations in age, gender, education, occupation and monthly income. However, in case of anxiety, no significant differences were observed across the socio-demographic variables. The study also showed that gender, education and monthly income of the participants predicted their feeling of depression. However, in case of anxiety, only their occupation predicted their anxiety feeling. Originality/value The present research provides new and significant information about the mental health status of Bru community. Awareness of this status of IDPs has implications for taking preventive and curative measures to use a variety of psychosocial intervention.