Causes of Mental Health Disorders Among Female Returnees From Boko Haram Captivity in Madagali Lga, Adamawa State, Nigeria
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Female returnees from the Boko Haram abduction face multiple challenges that negatively impact their well-being. More than a decade into the insurgency, girls and women who escaped Boko Haram still exhibit very high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and complicated grief, driven by cumulative exposure to sexual violence, forced marriage, repeated displacement, and traumas of captivity and post-release experiences, such as unlawful or prolonged military detention, stigma and thin psychosocial/gender-based violence services ,compound harms and impede recovery, leaving many returnees without sustained access to care in Adamawa. This study found that female Boko Haram returnees burdened by multi-layered trauma. Violence, sexual abuse, loss, and rejection are not only individual experiences but also reflect broader systemic failures. Female returnees reported being forcefully married to combatants, raped, and repeatedly abused. Such violations led to deep psychological wounds, including depression and identity crises. The paper recommends that policymakers and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) should integrate mental health services into reintegration programs. Trauma counseling and mental health screening should be mandatory for returnees. The government should embark on community sensitization campaigns to educate the public on stigma reduction and promote empathy. The study adopted a qualitative method to explore the major causes of mental health disorders among this vulnerable group, focusing on psychological trauma, sexual violence, rejection, poverty, and displacement. Using a combination of theoretical insights and empirical evidence, the article presents a nuanced understanding of how conflict-related experiences intersect with reintegration strategies informed by socio-cultural dynamic.
Language: English
Topic: Migration, Health and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225624094
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