Anxiety and Depression Among Internally Displaced Persons in North Central Nigeria: Prevalence, Correlates, and Policy Implications.

Abstract

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria face disproportionate mental health problems, yet rigorously designed epidemiological evidence in urban camps remains limited. A cross-sectional survey of 264 IDPs across 2 Abuja camps (Durumi and Wassa) employing culturally adapted Hausa and English versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 to assess anxiety and depression prevalence, severity, and correlates. Moderate-to-severe symptoms affected 18.9% of participants for depression and 17.4% for anxiety. Multivariable analysis identified older age (≥35 years; adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: depression = 4.36; anxiety = 6.64), female sex (depression AOR = 2.36; anxiety AOR = 2.86), and absence of prior psychological counseling (depression AOR = 4.28; anxiety AOR = 2.96) as significant correlates. Generalized additive models revealed increasing symptom severity with age, with adjusted mean depression and anxiety scores rising from approximately 3.6 and 3.4 among younger participants to 7.1 in those aged ≥35 years. Sensitivity analyses using a negative-control outcome (communication language) and E-values assessed the robustness of the findings to potential unmeasured confounding and selection bias. By integrating rigorous bias assessment with locally grounded data, this study demonstrated the significant rates of anxiety and depression among internally displaced persons in Nigeria utilizing a culturally tailored mental health evaluation.