Abstract
Psychological recovery after conflict is often treated as an individual process of endurance, treatment or symptom reduction. Yet, such a view is incomplete because recovery also depends on whether survivors feel listened to, accepted, helped and emotionally protected by the people around them. This study examined the relationship between perceived social support and post-traumatic growth among 352 trauma-exposed adults in Maiduguri, Borno State. We used a quantitative cross-sectional survey design and included participants in the main analysis after they endorsed at least one conflict-related traumatic event. Perceived social support was assessed through family, friends and significant other support, while post-traumatic growth was assessed across relating to others, new possibilities, personal strength, spiritual change and appreciation of life. Results showed a strong positive relationship between perceived social support and posttraumatic growth, r(350) = .726, p < .001. Regression analysis further showed that perceived social support was a significant statistical predictor of post-traumatic growth and accounted for 52.8% of its variance. Because the study was cross-sectional, the findings are interpreted as evidence of association and prediction rather than causation. The article concludes that social support networks should be treated as recovery infrastructure, not merely as informal comfort, and that psychosocial interventions in Maiduguri and similar conflict-affected settings should strengthen family, peer, faith-based and community support systems alongside formal mental-health services.
Keywords: Perceived Social Support; Post-Traumatic Growth; Conflict Survivors; Psychological.
Author Name(s):
Udensi Chinyereugo Nuria
ORCID – 0009-0006-5843-6570
Department of Psychology, Baze
University, Abuja
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23087808
Copyright © [2026] The Author(s). Published by the Journal of People and Worldviews (JPW). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited.