Abstract

This study investigated relationship between post-traumatic stress and coping strategies among victims of insurgency in North Eastern Nigeria. Objectives of the study includes finding out the relationship between post-traumatic stress and emotion focused coping strategy, relationship between post-traumatic stress and problem focused coping strategy and to also finding out the relationship between post-traumatic stress and avoidance focused coping strategy all among victims of insurgency in North Eastern Nigeria. The study adopted correlational research design which intends to find out if relationship exist between the variables. The population the study include all insurgency victims in government registered internally displaced person’s camps in the North Eastern states in Nigeria. There were 1,037,671 numbers of IDPs in the North Eastern States. The sample of this study was six hundred and fifty (650) male and female adults’ victims of insurgency in IDPs camps. Two instruments were used to collect the data, they include PTSD Checklist – Civilian Version (PCL-C) and Jalowiec coping scale. The result shows that significant relationship exist between post-traumatic stress and emotion focused coping strategy, (r = .558** and p = .024), significant relationship exist between post-traumatic stress and problem focused coping strategy (r = .478** and p = .034), while an inverse relationship exist between post-traumatic stress and avoidance focused coping strategy among victims of insurgency in north eastern Nigeria (r = -.658** and p = .004). Some of the recommendations includes that, Seminars and workshops should be organized to the victims of insurgency for them to transform and to address their issues of post-traumatic stress.