Academic Resilience and Psychological Capital as Predictors of University Persistence Among Internally Displaced Students in North East Nigeria

This study investigates academic resilience and psychological capital as predictors of university persistence among internally displaced students enrolled in tertiary institutions in North East Nigeria. Internal displacement due to armed conflict has created a generation of young Nigerians whose higher education participation is shaped by compounded adversity, including loss of family members, disrupted schooling histories, and economic insecurity. Despite these challenges, some displaced students persist to graduation, raising questions about the psychological mechanisms underlying their academic continuity. The study employs a cross-sectional survey design, recruiting 300 internally displaced students from three federal universities in Gombe, Adamawa, and Borno States. The Academic Resilience Scale, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and Tinto's persistence intention scale were used as instruments. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling to test a proposed mediational model. Results indicate that psychological capital, encompassing hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, fully mediates the relationship between academic resilience and persistence intention, suggesting that it is not merely coping capacity but the constructive orientation towards the future that sustains displaced students' higher education engagement. Institutional social integration and financial aid access emerged as significant exogenous moderators. These findings extend positive psychology frameworks to the unique educational context of conflict-displaced Nigerian students. Tertiary institutions in North East Nigeria are advised to design displaced student support hubs that address psychological capital development alongside material assistance. Keywords: academic resilience, psychological capital, university persistence, displaced students, North East Nigeria.