Religious Coping Strategies Among Muslim Internally Displaced Persons in North East Nigeria

This study investigates the religious coping strategies employed by Muslim internally displaced persons (IDPs) in displacement camps in North East Nigeria, specifically in Adamawa and Yobe states, and examines their psychological and social welfare implications. Displacement resulting from insurgency has generated profound mental health, social identity, and existential challenges for Muslim communities in the region. The study employs a mixed-methods design, using the Brief Religious Coping Scale adapted for a Nigerian Muslim context and administered to 280 adult Muslim IDPs in three camps, supplemented by in-depth interviews with 30 participants and 10 camp-based Islamic counsellors. Data are analysed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and thematic analysis. Findings reveal that religious coping is widespread and takes diverse forms including increased Salat frequency, Quranic recitation, congregational prayer, and seeking religious community solidarity. Positive religious coping is associated with significantly better psychological wellbeing outcomes, while negative religious coping (interpreting displacement as divine punishment) correlates with higher depression indicators. The study recommends the deployment of trained Islamic pastoral counsellors in IDP camps, integration of faith-based psychosocial support into humanitarian response frameworks, and longitudinal research on Islamic coping and post-displacement reintegration. Keywords: religious coping, IDPs, displacement, North East Nigeria, Islamic psychology.