“It’s Colder On the Outside”: Lived Experiences of Internally Displaced Persons Staying Outside Displacement Camps

Abstract

The much we know about the mental health of internally displaced persons (IDPs) today comes from studies conducted with IDPs who stay in displacement camps. Little is known about IDPs’ mental health and experiences living outside the camps. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of IDPs living outside displacement camps in Nigeria. Participants were eight IDPs (M_age = 36, SD = 1.6) selected from villages in Benue, Nigeria. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and studied using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Overarching themes from the data analysis suggested regret, worry, anxiety, prolonged grief, suicidal ideation, depression, and cumulative trauma. Collectively, these themes indicate the possible presence or emergence of psychopathologies. The findings from the study point to the urgent and compelling need for targeted mental health services for not just IDPs within displacement camps but also those who stay outside the displacement camps.