Social Capital, Community Cohesion, and Maternal Health Outcomes in Conflict-Affected Communities of Benue State, North Central Nigeria

Social capital is increasingly theorised as a protective resource for maternal health in fragile and conflict-affected settings, yet its operationalisation and empirical measurement in relation to maternal health outcomes in Nigeria's herder-farmer conflict communities has not been adequately investigated. This study examines the relationship between social capital, community cohesion, and maternal health outcomes in conflict-affected communities of Benue State through a mixed-methods, multi-level analytical design. A cross-sectional survey of 1,200 women of reproductive age from communities stratified by conflict intensity (high, moderate, and minimal exposure) in twelve local government areas is combined with ethnographic fieldwork in four communities over 18 months. Quantitative instruments measure bonding, bridging, and linking social capital using the Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool, alongside maternal health outcomes including antenatal attendance, skilled birth attendance, postnatal care, contraceptive use, and maternal morbidity. Multilevel logistic regression models in Stata decompose within- and between-community variance in maternal health outcomes attributable to social capital dimensions, controlling for socioeconomic confounders. Qualitative data from participant observation journals, 50 in-depth interviews, and eight focused group discussions are analysed through Constructivist Grounded Theory to develop a contextual model of social capital functioning in conflict settings. The Putnam Social Capital Theory and the Social Determinants of Maternal Health framework underpin the theoretical integration. Original contributions include the first mixed-methods social capital study linked to maternal health outcomes in Nigerian conflict-affected communities. Keywords: social capital, community cohesion, maternal health, conflict-affected communities, Benue State.