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Objectives. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Refugees victims of war and terror are reported to suffer of a wide range of psychological sequalae. Little is known about subjective well-being as a determinant of good mental health in this population. Our pilot study wants to investigate how domains of subjective well-being can trigger psychological functioning and good mental health in a population of Nigerien IDP and Nigerian refugee adolescents. We hypothesized that levels of subjective well-being act as protective factors against psychological distress of participants. Methods: 165 ( Male/female 43/57%) Sub-saharan IDPs and Refugees were administered self-reported measures able to detect psychological distress (PD, General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-12) and subjective well-being (SWB, Subjective Wellbeing Assessment Scale, SWBAS). SWBAS measures domains of SWB (positive experience, sociality, spirituality, education, economic satisfaction, negative functioning, self-efficacy, security and hope for the future). Three steps hierarchical regression analysis was carried-out with gender and age as controlling variables and psychological distress as target variable. Results: Individuals showed a low PD (M= 0.93; sd= 0.36). The regression model explained 30% of the variance (F = 4.87, p < .001) showing a robust statistical direct effect of SWB on PD (in particular dimensions of Positive Experience, Negative functioning and Hope for the future) and a relative effect of age (younger adolescents showed better WB and PD levels than older ones). Conclusions: Younger age and opportunities of experiencing positive life events seem to guarantee psychological functioning, increase hope for the future and positively trigger PD among IDPs and refugees .

Our explorative work aimed to qualitatively analyze the factors affecting human security and psychological well-being in a group of migrants temporarily hosted in a Nigerian transit center. The study involved 250 migrants from different Western and sub-Saharan African countries who were interviewed during their stay in International Organization for Migration – supported transit centers. Thematic content analysis was performed on the texts of the interviews. Motivations for departure from the home country, resources available for migrants’ sense of security, expectations for their future, experience in the host country, and the relationship between human insecurity and life satisfaction were the main emerging themes.

This study sought to qualitatively explore dimensions of human insecurity and their effect on the quality of life as an antecedent of general well-being and mental health among a group of young internally displaced people (IDPs) living in refugee camps in the region of Diffa, Niger. Thirty-six IDPs (56% female, 44% male; MAge = 15; SD = 1.96) took part in 9 focus group discussions in which they were asked to describe two types of people, one with poor and one with good general well-being after displacement. Additionally, participants were asked to comment on their personal experiences. Five main themes emerged from the thematic content analysis (TCA): Experience of human insecurity during the internal displacement, sources of functioning and protective factors, coping strategies, adverse health and mental health outcomes, and positive mental health outcomes depicted the participants’ perceptions and concerns. Mental health and quality of life proved to be interlocked constructs, where the psychological dimension is affected and contextualized by human insecurity, general well-being, and human rights–related factors.

Following a socio-ecological approach focused on multidimensional aspects of psychological functioning, this pilot study investigated the relationship between subjective well-being across different domains (e.g., positive experience, social relations, human insecurity, negative experience, self-competence, hope for the future) and psychological distress, in a sample (n = 225) of internally displaced (internally displaced people, IDPs) adolescents hosted in refugee camps in Niger. The Subjective Well-Being Assessment Scale and General Health Questionnaire-12 were administered to the sample by trained interviewers. Participants displayed a low level of psychological distress despite the multiple traumatic experiences they had faced and ongoing stressful conditions at the host camps. Positive experience was found to act as an effective protection factor, enhancing psychological functioning, and mitigating psychological distress. A preserved sense of self-competence and hope for the future were confirmed to play a key role in protecting adolescents from the effects of psychological distress. Youths seem to maintain positive psychological functioning when subjective well-being and other personal and relational resources are active as protection factors.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report a real-life empirical case and discuss some caveats emerged in measuring subjective well-being (SWB) in an understudied population of adolescents refugees from West Africa. Design/methodology/approach During the process of translation and cultural adaptation of the subjective well-being assessment scale in the target population, the model of measurement presented some weakness with regard to content validity criteria. Findings This leads to a partial revision of the model and the development of new locally-based domains of SWB. Originality/value Context-specific factors’ robustness showed the dynamic and culture-informed nature of the SWB construct. Practical and theoretical implications of using quantitative questionnaires in non-western contexts characterized by high grades of insecurity and instability will be discussed.