The overlooked war in Northern Ethiopia: Examining psychological capital, mental distress, and post-traumatic stress disorder among internally displaced people in Amhara region

Background: Conflict-induced displacement is a greater risk factor for mental health challenges, especially in countries where people have limited access to mental health services. This study examined the prevalence of mental distress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and their relationship with key demographic variables and psychological capital among conflict-induced Internally Displaced People (IDP) in the Wag-Hemra Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional quantitative design, and simple random sampling was used to recruit 367 IDPs from the Weleh IDP camp in Sekota town. The Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ 12), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K 10), and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder–Civilian Version (PCL-C) scales were used to collect data. STATA version 2021 was used to analyze data. Results: The prevalence of mental distress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was 63% and 48 %, respectively. Mental distress and PTSD were higher among female participants ( M  = 27.4, 45.7), those who experienced rape ( M  = 32.6, 55.5), witnessed murder ( M  = 25.2, 46.1), widowed ( M  = 30.9, 44.9), illiterate ( M  = 28.1%, 47.2), and adolescents ( M  = 27.6, 45.5). Stepwise regression analysis indicated that psychological capital is a significant negative predictor of mental distress and PTSD ( p  = .000), with 26% mental distress and 20.9% variance in PTSD accounting for psychological capital, with self-efficacy being the strongest predicting component of psychological capital. Conclusion: The study underlined that mental health efforts should target enhancing psychological capital as the critical element in mitigating the psychological impacts of war and displacement. Training on improving self-efficacy, utilizing the solid spiritual and religious base of the IDP community to raise hope and optimism, and leveraging the communal culture to foster resilience could help reduce mental distress and the effects of PTSD among IDPs in the study area.