Funding outcome

Displaced mothers in Nigeria face immense challenges as they navigate grief and trauma resulting from forced displacement due to conflict or environmental crises. These experiences profoundly affect their reproductive health behaviors and coping mechanisms, creating significant barriers to accessing essential services like family planning and maternal care. This research focuses on understanding how grief and trauma, shaped by displacement, influence the health-seeking behaviors and reproductive choices of displaced mothers, with the ultimate goal of informing culturally sensitive and trauma-informed health policies. The study is based on ethnographic interviews conducted in refugee camps in Northern Nigeria, where millions of women and girls have been displaced by the Boko Haram conflict. By analyzing the experiences shared by 29 displaced women and 10 service providers and policymakers, the research aims to uncover patterns in grief responses, coping strategies, and their intersections with reproductive health decisions. The interviews have already been transcribed and translated, allowing for a focus on in-depth thematic analysis using NVivo software. The findings will provide critical insights into the psychosocial challenges faced by displaced mothers and offer actionable recommendations for integrating mental health and reproductive health services in crisis settings. This project supports the development of policies and interventions that are culturally sensitive and gender-responsive, ensuring that displaced mothers receive equitable and effective care. By addressing a critical gap in maternal health research, this work directly aligns with the mission of WCHRI to advance health equity for women and children, particularly those in marginalized and underserved populations.