Prevalence, Sociodemographic Correlates and Associated factors of Somatoform and Whiteley Disorders among Internally Displaced Persons in Ogoja displacement settlements, Nigeria: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract Experiences of displacement have been associated with the prevalence of various mental health disorders owing to certain factors. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, sociodemographic correlates, and other factors associated with Somatoform and Whiteley disorders among internally displaced adults in Ogoja displacement settlements, Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study of 335 respondents. Somatoform and Whiteley disorders were assessed using the SOM-SCL and Whiteley-7 sections of the Common Mental Disorder Questionnaire while a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic and displacement-related factors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and multivariable logistic regression. The prevalence of somatoform and Whiteley disorders was 59.1% and 84.8% respectively. Factors found to be significant in each bivariate Chi-square analysis were modeled for each mental disorder. The multivariate analysis revealed that being married (AOR=2.80; p=0.02) prolonged displacement (AOR=3.29; p=0.003), discrimination (AOR=2.25; p=0.01), disease outbreak (AOR=1.92; p=0.03), loss of loved ones (AOR=1.34; p=0.028), overcrowded households (AOR=2.30; p=0.008), and fear of reprisals (AOR=2.05; p=0.026) were significantly associated with somatoform disorder. Younger ages, low income (AOR=5.43; p=0.006), longer duration of displacement (AOR=8.43; p=0.020), separation from family (AOR=4.19; p=0.004), and loss of loved ones (AOR=3.57; p=0.006) were significantly associated with Whiteley problems. The findings suggest that the high prevalence of the studied outcomes are related to many demographic factors, life stressors and events. A synergetic effort by different bodies in creating and routinely arranging mental health interventions for this population is recommended.