Trauma-informed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TiCBT) to Aid Reintegration of Repentant Terrorists and Their Families in Nigeria: A Pilot Study

Trauma-informed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TiCBT) to Aid Reintegration of Repentant Terrorists and Their Families in Nigeria: A Pilot Study

The aim of the study is to describe the feasibility, cultural appropriateness, and acceptability of Trauma-informed Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (TiCBT) to promote community healing and encourage the reintegration of repentant terrorists and their families to avoid reoffending.

The study will adopt a mixed-method single-arm experimental design. Approximately 24 participants will be recruited for the intervention. The Trauma-informed Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (TiCBT) is an 8-session intervention lasting approximately 1 hour each and designed to address trauma, dispel negative attitudes and encourage positive behaviour towards repentant terrorists. Measurement will be collected at baseline pre-intervention, end of intervention and three months post-intervention to determine its feasibility and effectiveness. Interviews will also be conducted post-intervention. Repeated-measures univariate analyses of variance (ANOVA) will be performed to examine differences between the pre- and post-intervention stages. Interviews will be analysed using thematic analysis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• community members who are victims of Boko Haram terrorism and had previous experiences of trauma/depression,
• score five and above for the culturally-adapted Trauma Screening Questionnaire (Brewinn et al., 2002)
• aged 18+ years,
• able to give informed consent,
• speak English
• are residents or from areas within Nigeria including Maiduguri, Adamawa, and Plateau environs.

Exclusion Criteria:

• less than 18 or above 85 years
• unable to give consent
• clinically diagnosed with severe PTSD/suicidal ideations or undergoing treatment
• temporary or non-residents who are unlikely to be available for follow up