EFFECT OF REALITY THERAPY AND DIALECTIC THERAPY ON POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED ADOLESCENTS IN NORTH-EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of reality therapy and dialectic therapy on post-traumatic stress disorder of 
internally displaced adolescents in North-east Nigeria. Two objectives and hypotheses guided the study. This 
study employed a quasi-experimental design involving factorial pre-test and post-test experimental design (2 
x 2). The population of the study consisted of 180 adolescents who are between the ages of 9-17 years in IDP 
camps in Maiduguri, Borno state. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select four (4) out of 
nine (9) IDP camps. A sample of 60 respondents were used after administering a pre-test questionnaire and 
were analysed as traumatised and were later divided into two (2) groups of experiment. The pre-test 
questionnaire was the adapted version of Hopkins Symptom checklist questionnaire with a reliability index of 
0.85 was used for data collection. Counselling with reality therapy was implemented for six (6) weeks to the 
experimental group 1 while dialectic cognitive behavioural therapy DCBT was implemented for the same 
period of six (6) weeks as experimental group 2. The two experimental groups took a post-test at the end of 
the sessions and the data obtained were analysed using t-test statistics through Statistical Package for Social 
Sciences (SPSS version 27). The study concluded that reality and dialectic therapy were effective in 
managing post-traumatic stress disorder of internally displaced adolescents. Thus, the study recommended 
that professional counsellors and other social workers should be encouraged to use reality and dialectic 
therapy package in managing post-traumatic stress disorder of internally displaced adolescents.