{"paper_id":"0b44e1fc-d9ad-44cf-b6a5-a7947ebf4e14","body_text":"Social Support, Resilience, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Internally Displaced Persons in Sokoto, Northwest Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Social Support, Resilience, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Internally Displaced Persons in Sokoto, Northwest Nigeria Abdullahi Akilu, Michael Agbo Amedu, Auwal Sani Salihu, Adebayo Sunday Adebisi, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9152532/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Victims of banditry in Northwestern Nigeria have been exposed to various degrees of psychological trauma leading to high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Aim: This study aimed at examining the relationship between social support and resilience, and the occurrence of PTSD among victims of banditry in internally displaced camps in Northwest Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out among victims of banditry living in Internally Displaced Persons’ camps in Sokoto between June to December 2024. Participants who declined to consent and those with severe physical and mental illness were excluded. A total of 415 participants were recruited using systematic sampling technique and were administered Socio-demographic Questionnaire, Harvard Trauma Questionnaire – Revised, 3-item Oslo Social Support Scale, 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Using SPSS, Chi-square test was used to determine association while binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of PTSD. p <0.05. Result: The mean age of the IDPs was 36.76 years (SD = 16.35; Range: 12 - 85). Social support was not significantly associated with PTSD (χ² = 2.38, p = 0.796) while resilience showed a strong association with PTSD (χ² = 69.24, p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, gender, and cumulative traumatic events, social support is not independently associated with PTSD. However, participants in the lowest resilience quartile (AOR = 16.43, 95% CI: 5.35–50.41; p < 0.001) had markedly higher odds of PTSD compared with those in the highest quartile. Conclusion: Low resilience is an independently associated wiht PTSD among internally displaced persons affected by banditry, whereas social support does not show an independent association. These findings signify the importance of policy formulation and targeted interventions towards helping victims build resilience through social cohesion, psychoeducation and strengthening spiritual identity. Banditry Social support Resilience Post-traumatic stress disorder Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 21 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 06 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 30 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-9152532\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Research Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":618343330,\"identity\":\"ee90e0d2-cd06-4d7a-b8a4-813f68092fd0\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Abdullahi Akilu\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABFklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCQYDhgcFDAlsDGwMBx4w2Mjxg0QTCghoSTCAaklgSDOWbABpMSBCCwNQC5A8nLjhAEgYjxb+2c3bJBIM7PL42I8lHkhsO2xsfH514ocHBgzy/GIHsFty51gZUEtyMRtP2gGglnQ5sxtvNwNFGAxnzk7Abs2NHDOgAubENob0BqAWa2OzG2c3gLQkGNzGrkUeoqU+sY3/OUgLc+LmGWc3/8CnxQCi5XBimwTYYc6JG/h7t+G1xfDOsWKLBIPjQC3PEg4knEszlrjBuw0oIoHTL3K3mzfe+FBRnTi/P834w4cyYFT2n91880eFjTy/NA7vYwIJsEoJYpWDAP8BUlSPglEwCkbBCAAA7kpnX42mG1gAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Dawanau\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Abdullahi\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Akilu\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":618343331,\"identity\":\"30547de2-4232-41a4-9b27-3a3f7dae9623\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Michael Agbo Amedu\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Federal University of Health 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internally displaced camps in Northwest Nigeria.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eMethods: \\u003c/strong\\u003eA cross-sectional study carried out among victims of banditry living in Internally Displaced Persons’ camps in Sokoto between June to December 2024. Participants who declined to consent and those with severe physical and mental illness were excluded. A total of 415 participants were recruited using systematic sampling technique and were administered Socio-demographic Questionnaire, Harvard Trauma Questionnaire – Revised, 3-item Oslo Social Support Scale, 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Using SPSS, Chi-square test was used to determine association while binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of PTSD. p \\u0026lt;0.05.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eResult: \\u003c/strong\\u003eThe mean age of the IDPs was 36.76 years (SD = 16.35; Range: 12 - 85). Social support was not significantly associated with PTSD (χ² = 2.38, p = 0.796) while resilience showed a strong association with PTSD (χ² = 69.24, p \\u0026lt; 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, gender, and cumulative traumatic events, social support is not independently associated with PTSD. However, participants in the lowest resilience quartile (AOR = 16.43, 95% CI: 5.35–50.41; p \\u0026lt; 0.001) had markedly higher odds of PTSD compared with those in the highest quartile.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eConclusion: \\u003c/strong\\u003eLow resilience is an independently associated wiht PTSD among internally displaced persons affected by banditry, whereas social support does not show an independent association. 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