Zeleke Waganesh A, Wondie Yemataw, Mekonen Mekdes Melesse, Hailu Tewodros, Holmes Courtney, Moges Mengistu Dagnew, Nenoko Goshu
Department of Rehabilitation Counseling, College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
BMC Psychiatry. 2025 Jul 15;25(1):705. doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-07043-4.
Ethiopia is ranked among the top five countries with the highest number of internally displaced individuals. Several centers in Gondar City, Ethiopia, provide temporary accommodations for those forcibly displaced from their homes during the 2020-2023 period. Research shows that internally displaced people (IDPs) face stressors such as trauma, poverty, and the collapse of social support networks, resulting in mental distress, impaired relationships, and diminished coping abilities.
This Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) and interpretative phenomenological research study engaged 42 stakeholders (including IDPs, service providers, community leaders, and governmental/non-governmental representatives) residing in Gondar, Ethiopia, who were selected using purposive sampling to explore narratives of trauma and healing shaped by lived experiences. Data were collected through six focus group discussions and nine in-depth interviews, then analyzed using template analysis.
Findings reveal visceral and culturally embedded experiences of trauma, described as 'wounds to the soul,' 'relational wounds,' and idioms of distress that convey the profound impact of displacement. Collective healing emerged through cultural and spiritual practices, connection to ancestral traditions, and music. Barriers such as low trauma awareness and limited mental health access were also highlighted.
This study underscores the interconnectedness in collectivist cultures and offers insights to develop culturally responsive trauma-informed programs. It calls for further research on healing processes that integrate individual and collective resilience.
埃塞俄比亚是国内流离失所者人数最多的五个国家之一。埃塞俄比亚贡德尔市的几个中心为2020年至2023年期间被迫离开家园的人们提供临时住所。研究表明，国内流离失所者面临创伤、贫困和社会支持网络崩溃等压力源，导致精神困扰、人际关系受损和应对能力下降。
这项基于社区的参与性行动研究和解释性现象学研究涉及居住在埃塞俄比亚贡德尔的42名利益相关者（包括国内流离失所者、服务提供者、社区领袖以及政府/非政府代表），他们通过目的抽样被选中，以探索由生活经历塑造的创伤与治愈的故事。通过六次焦点小组讨论和九次深度访谈收集数据，然后使用模板分析进行分析。
研究结果揭示了创伤的内在和文化嵌入体验，被描述为“心灵创伤”“关系创伤”以及传达流离失所深远影响的痛苦习语。通过文化和精神实践、与祖先传统的联系以及音乐实现了集体治愈。还强调了诸如创伤意识淡薄和心理健康服务机会有限等障碍。
本研究强调了集体主义文化中的相互联系，并为制定具有文化适应性的创伤知情项目提供了见解。它呼吁对整合个人和集体复原力的治愈过程进行进一步研究。
