Post-Conflict Socioeconomic Vulnerability among Marginalized Groups in Tigray, Ethiopia: Insights from a Qualitative Study

Post-conflict socioeconomic vulnerability is multidimensional and may be experienced differently by marginalized populations. This study examines how socioeconomic vulnerability was experienced among orphaned children, people with physical disabilities, destitute female-headed households (DFHHs), and older adults in post-conflict Tigray, Ethiopia. Using an integrated qualitative approach, data were collected between December 2024 and February 2025 through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews across six study sites. Data were analyzed using hybrid deductive–inductive thematic analysis, complemented by a qualitative prioritization matrix based on participants’ accounts and five predefined criteria. Findings indicate interconnected constraints in livelihoods and economic security, food access, health and psychosocial well-being, education, and social and institutional support. Economic and financial insecurity and food insecurity emerged as the most prominent challenges in the study context, followed by health access barriers, unemployment and livelihood disruption, humanitarian assistance gaps, educational exclusion, and psychosocial difficulties. Experiences also varied across the four groups, reflecting differences in pre-existing disadvantages, resources, and access to support. Interpreted through Sen’s Capability Approach, the findings suggest that conflict-related disruptions constrained resources and substantive opportunities to pursue valued ways of living. The study highlights the need for context-specific, multidimensional, and group-responsive post-conflict interventions.