Post traumatic stress in the Niger Delta of Nigeria: A qualitative analysis of narrative of women

Abstract

This paper focuses on a qualitative analysis of narratives on resource-curse and post-traumatic stress in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. It explores beyond the usual political and economic lenses with which the problem of the region had been examined over the years. Using the the Bronfenbrenner’s system and Socio cultural theories as its guide, it develops and recommends the implementation of a psychosocial framework for closing the gaps that exist in literature in solving the challenges of resource-curse in Nigeria. The paper adopted qualitative research design to unpack the post-traumatic stress in the region. The findings showed that the persistent conflict in the Niger Delta is not necessarily a function of political and economic challenges and the amount of state and federal government palliative measures. Rather, it is a function of enormous psychosocial trauma experienced by the inhabitants inflicted on them.

Keywords: Resource-curse, Post-traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD), Psychosocial Lens, Psychosocial Trauma, Ethnographic Technique, and Interpretivist Paradigm.