Trauma and "spiritual resilience" among Internally Displaced Women (IDW) victims of violence in the commune of Dédougou, Burkina Faso.

Abstract

Context: Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been ravaged by the violence of armed terrorist groups (JNIM, EIGS), resulting in over 2 million internally displaced persons. In the Boucle du Mouhoun region, 63.17% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) are women (84,649 out of 133,994 in 2023). As prime targets of armed conflict, they suffer multifaceted violence used as a weapon of psychological warfare against communities.

Methods: The study uses a convergent mixed-methods design conducted in October 2023 in the commune of Dédougou. The total sample size is 1,056 participants, including 1,015 IDPs surveyed using a digital questionnaire (KoboToolbox) and 41 individuals interviewed through semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 20, and qualitative data through thematic analysis.

Results: The profile of the IDF reveals a majority of female farmers (51.4%), married (74.8%) or widowed (15.2%), with 43.9% having 4 to 6 dependent children. Statistically significant correlations were established between the year of displacement and physical (r = 0.074; p = 0.019) and psychological (r = 0.072; p = 0.022) violence. Nearly 46.3% of the IDF lost a loved one in horrific circumstances (throat-slitting, immolation, mass executions), resulting in severe post-traumatic stress disorder: chronic insomnia, flashbacks, mutism, and suicidal ideation. Faced with this trauma, prayer (39.74%) and silence (23.36%) constituted the main coping strategies. Despite the free psychological support provided by NGOs, the vast majority of IDFs do not access it, hampered by a lack of awareness of the services, their geographical dispersion, and a negative perception of psychological care.

Conclusion: These results call for culturally grounded psychosocial interventions that integrate the spiritual dimension into therapeutic protocols and prioritize isolated widows and women with significant family responsibilities.