Predictors of Igbo Adolescents’ Well-being and Behavioral Problems in Southeastern Nigeria : Exposure to Armed Conflict and Physical Punishment at Home

The overall aim of the thesis is to investigate the mental well-being and behavioral problems among Igbo adolescents in Southeastern Nigeria, living in an environment of constant armed conflict in the form of violent attacks from Fulani herdsmen. Despite existing studies on the relationship between armed conflict and behavioral problems among adolescents, the mechanisms through which the former influence the latter are not well understood. The current studies were conducted with the purpose to decrease some of this research gap. The studies were conducted with two separate samples of Igbo adolescents. Study 1: The aim of the study was to analyze the negative effects of the violent attacks by the nomadic Fulani herdsmen in Southeastern Nigeria, with a focus on adolescents living in the region. Data were collected with a questionnaire administered to secondary schools. Two-hundred and fifty adolescents (170 girls, 80 boys; 15–17 years of age) completed a questionnaire pertaining of both single items and seven scales measuring PTSD, physical punishment, domestic violence, parental negativity, anti-social behavior, poverty and war experiences. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on symptoms of PTSD. Of the 250 adolescents, 20.8% had lost someone close to them during the war, and 8.4% had themselves been injured. Nine percent had themselves injured someone during the war, and 5.2% had actually killed someone during the war. Three (1.8%) had been raped by an armed group, and two (1.2%) had been taken as a sex slave. The results indicate that the Fulani herdsmen attacks had a strongly negative impact on the adolescents which are likely to affect them throughout the rest of their lives. Study 2: The relationship between exposure to the Fulani herdsmen attacks among Igbo adolescents in Southeastern Nigeria and depression was examined. Although previous research suggests a direct relationship between armed conflict and depression to exist, it is not known from the literature whether there are indirect paths involved. In a conditional process analysis, it was examined whether physical punishment mediated, and gender moderated this relationship. A sample of 385 secondary school students (227 girls, 157 boys; Mage = 16.3; SD = 1.35) completed a questionnaire during class. Variables in the analysis were measured with reliable scales. The conditional process analysis was conducted with PROCESS. Exposure to the Fulani herdsmen attacks predicted depressive symptoms among the adolescents, and the effect was partially mediated by the experiences of physical punishment at home. The indirect effect on depression via physical punishment at home was stronger for girls than boys, while the direct effect of exposure to the Fulani herdsmen attacks on depression was stronger for boys than for girls. The findings suggest that living in an environment of armed conflict may exacerbate parents’ use of physical punishment, which in turn may lead to increased levels of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Study 3: The current study examined the relationship between exposure to the Fulani herdsmen attacks among Igbo adolescents in Southeastern Nigeria and antisocial behavior. Using a mediation analysis, it was examined whether physical punishment mediated the relationship. A sample of 385 secondary school students (the same sample as in Study 2) completed a questionnaire during class. It was found that exposure to the Fulani herdsmen attacks predicted antisocial behavior among the adolescents, and the effect was weakly mediated by the experiences of physical punishment at home. The findings suggest that living in an environment of armed conflict may lead to increased levels of antisocial behavior in adolescents. The findings suggest that armed conflict tend to have negative effects on adolescents’ well-being and increase symptoms of PTSD, depression, and antisocial behavior, and that physical punishment may mediate this effect, at least in the case of depression and antisocial behavior. The studies have implications for the psychosocial treatment of adolescents exposed to armed conflict