Resilience and Stress, Anxiety and Depression among Internally Displaced Persons Affected by Armed Conflict

Abstract

The present research was designed to explore resilience, stress, anxiety, and depression among internally displaced persons. The sample (N = 125) was taken from Garden Villas, Rawalpindi and Barakoh camps, Islamabad which included both males (n = 63) and females (n = 62). The age range of the sample was from 20 to 75 years. Individuals from Swat, Mardan, Swabi, Chota Lahore, Shahmansoor, and Sheikh Yaseen were included in the sample. Urdu version of Ego Resiliency Scale (Aslam, 2007) and stress, anxiety, and depression were assessed through Urdu versions of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (Aslam, 2007). Results of the study showed that women experienced more stress, anxiety, and depression and less resilience as compared to men. Results also revealed significant inverse correlation between resilience and stress, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, family loss during internal displacement was found to be significantly positively related with stress, anxiety, and depression and negatively associated with resilience. Implications of the study would be assistive in developing an indigenous understanding of the social and economic context of Pakistan.