PSYCHOTRAUMATOLOGY IN NIGERIA’S POST-CONFLICT ZONES: A CLINICAL STUDY OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED ADOLESCENTS IN ISU TOWN, ABIA STATE

Communities from Isu in Arochukwu LGA of Abia State Nigeria including Iheosu, Aba and Amachi faced violent conflicts with neighboring Utuma, Ukwa and Ito since 2018 which led to extended periods of internal displacement. The Isu Secondary Commercial School along with others has stopped operating which leaves adolescents in a psychosocial crisis due to violence exposure and educational disruption alongside early pregnancy and community decline. The study examines how trauma manifests in internally displaced adolescents (IDAs) from a post-conflict region by analyzing PTSD, C-PTSD, and depression symptoms through psychotraumatological methods. We examine adolescents between 12 and 19 years old through a convergent mixed-methods approach using standardized tools such as CPSS, HTQ, and BDI-II while incorporating narrative interviews to understand trauma expressions like “broken mind,” “burning inside,” and “spirit attack.” The initial findings show prevalent trauma experiences alongside gender-specific manifestations of symptoms and extreme failures within institutional and family-based support systems. The study demands immediate incorporation of trauma-informed care into both community recovery programs and humanitarian operations within Nigeria’s southeastern conflict zones. The study delivers early clinical mappings of adolescent trauma in Isu Town while making policy-relevant recommendations that support mental health care alignment with Nigeria's National Mental Health Act (2021).