Paper short abstract:

This paper seeks to understand how Nigerian soldiers who have participated in the war understand their combat experience and dealt with the burdens of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), whilst maintaining their identity as active-duty soldiers.

Paper long abstract:

The Nigerian military has been involved in an interminable conflict with the Boko Haram terrorist group, and its splinter faction, the Islamic State in the West African Province (ISWA). This conflict, which began in 2009, has resulted in many casualties, and permanent incapacitation for many soldiers of the Nigerian military who participated in the war. As a response to the war's stressful and traumatic experience, Nigerian military soldiers have utilized social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to document their wartime experiences, and how they have escaped or dealt with the post-combat stress. In one of such posts, a soldier referred to the “disorder” in PTSD, as the problem, as it stigmatizes the condition and limits seeking psycho-social support.

Therefore, this paper seeks to understand how Nigerian soldiers who have participated in the war understand their combat experience and deal with the burdens of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), whilst maintaining their identity as active-duty soldiers. Data for this study will be collected via personal interviews with soldiers deployed to the war. It will complement existing narratives of anonymous soldiers available on social media platforms.