Abstract

The study sought to investigate the influence of psychosocial support on the psychological wellbeing of Internally Displaced Students (IDS) in the Limbe Municipality.  Specifically, the study sought to find out how a sense of hope, empathy and a sense of belonging enhances IDSs psychological wellbeing.

Three research questions and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Related literature was reviewed under the conceptual, theoretical and empirical reviews. The convergent mixed parallel design was employed in the study and the sample consisted of 152 IDSs and 18 counsellors drawn from 6 selected secondary schools in the Limbe Municipality. The instruments for data collection were a questionnaire designed for students and an interview guide designed for school counsellors.

The validity and reliability of the instruments were also ensured. Data collected using questionnaire was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The Pearson product moment correlation was used to test the hypothesis at P<0.05 level of significance. This was done with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0.

The Qualitative data from interview will be analysed using thematic analysis with the aid of themes, groundings and sample responses. The findings revealed that the provision of a sense of hope in Internally Displaced Students has a positive influence on their psychological wellbeing, r(150)=.322**, p=0.05 (2-tailed. It was equally revealed that the provision of empathy has a positive influence on the psychological wellbeing of Internally Displaced Students, r(150)=.235**, p=0.05 (2-tailed). More so, it was revealed the provision of a sense of belonging has a positive influence on the psychological wellbeing of Internally Displaced Students, r(150)=.173*, p=0.05 (2-tailed) Thus it was concluded that the provision of psychosocial support enhances the psychological wellbeing of Internally Displaced Students.

By implication students’ psychological wellbeing is supported when teachers create a learning climate that nurtures and sustains autonomous motivation through regular experiences of belonging, positive relationships, autonomy and competence. How educators teach and interact with students creates a ‘learning climate’ that can affect student learning and wellbeing.

If a child is able to feel that that he/she is being loved by friends, parents and teachers he/she will have a stable mind and will be less disturbed thinking about why he/she is not loved. It was therefore recommended that the entire community hosting IDSs need to show them love, empathy to enable them gain a sense of belonging and acceptance. This will go a long way to enhance their psychological wellbeing.

Check Out: Educational Psychology Project Topics with Materials