AKSU Journal of Communication Research (AJCR)

Trauma Exposure, Coping Mechanisms and the Mental Health of Journalists in Northern Nigeria: A Conceptual and Theoretical Analysis

Author:  David Opeyemi Ogundele, Omolayo Jegede and Kolade Ajilore;

Abstract
Journalists working in conflict-affected societies are exposed to ongoing violence, human suffering and insecurity, so that the risk of injury occurs as a structural condition of news production and not as an episodic occupational hazard. In Northern Nigeria, where insurgency, terrorism, banditry, communal clashes and humanitarian emergencies persist, journalists are repeatedly exposed to distressing incidents that are potentially threatening to the psychological well-being. Global institutions like World Health Organisation (WHO), UNESCO-IPDC, the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma and the International Centre for Journalists have come to recognise the issue of trauma exposure and mental health as core issues for press freedom, ethical journalism and democratic stability. This article provides conceptual analysis of trauma exposure, coping mechanisms and mental health among journalists in Northern Nigeria. Drawing from current research in the psychology of trauma, occupational health and journalism studies, it synthesises the global and Nigerian evidence on the psychological sequelae of crisis reporting including issues of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, burnout and moral injury. The article suggests an integrative framework for trauma-informed journalism in Nigeria and offers implications for policies in newsrooms, journalist safety programmes, journalism education and future empirical studies of journalists and mental health in conflict-prone situations.