Mental Health and Well-Being among Child Abuse Survivors in Nagaland: A
Study from Dimapur District, Nagaland

Inatoli Shohe; Dr. Sapana Karam Devi

doi:10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.020

Title: Mental Health and Well-Being among Child Abuse Survivors in Nagaland: A Study from Dimapur District, Nagaland
Authors: Inatoli Shohe and Dr. Sapana Karam Devi
Journal: International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (IJSSER) ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume: 11 Issue: 10 Publication Date: October 2026 DOI: 10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.020
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Inatoli Shohe1 Co-author: Dr. Sapana Karam Devi2 1. Research Scholar, Department of Sociology, School of Humanities, Social Sciences & Languages, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
MLA 8 Shohe, Inatoli, and Dr. Sapana Karam Devi. "Mental Health and Well-Being among Child Abuse Survivors in Nagaland: A Study from Dimapur District, Nagaland." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 11, no. 10, Oct. 2026, pp. 5708-5730, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.020. Accessed Oct. 2026. APA 6 Shohe, I., & Devi, D. (2026, October). Mental Health and Well-Being among Child Abuse Survivors in Nagaland: A Study from Dimapur District, Nagaland. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 11(10), 5708-5730. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.020 Chicago Shohe, Inatoli, and Dr. Sapana Karam Devi. "Mental Health and Well-Being among Child Abuse Survivors in Nagaland: A Study from Dimapur District, Nagaland." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 11, no. 10 (October 2026), 5708-5730. Accessed October, 2026. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i10.020.
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ABSTRACT: Background Child abuse can affect children’s emotional well-being, relationships, sense of self and everyday participation in school and community life (World Health Organization, 2024; Norman et al., 2012). Research in India has documented links between childhood maltreatment and anxiety, depression and other psychological difficulties, yet much of this evidence relies on structured measures, and children’s own accounts remain comparatively scarce in Northeast India (Charak & Koot, 2014; Choudhry et al., 2018; Kothapalli et al., 2023). This study examines how children who experienced abuse in Dimapur District, Nagaland, describe its effects on their mental health and well-being, with attention to emotional distress, self-esteem, social relationships and educational experiences. Methodology/Principal Findings An exploratory qualitative design was used with 43 children aged 9–17 years who had experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological or emotional abuse or neglect, and whose cases had come to the attention of child-protection organisations in Dimapur. Participants were recruited by purposive criterion sampling from children already staying in two childprotection shelter homes in Dimapur, not by probability sampling. Inclusion required age 9–17 years, residence in one of the two homes during fieldwork, an identified experience of abuse or an unsafe placement, ability to be interviewed in Nagamese or English and child assent after the study was explained. Children outside this age band, children who or whose home refused, and children judged too distressed for interview that day were excluded. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically. Sexual abuse was the most frequently identified primary form of harm, and several children described more than one form. Across the interviews, anxiety and persistent sadness, low self-esteem, difficulties with trust, social isolation, shame, intrusive memories and problems with concentration or schooling recurred in children’s accounts. Family conflict, economic difficulty, chronic household stress and unequal adult–child power relations were also commonly described around these experiences. Significance The findings indicate that the consequences of abuse extend beyond the immediate experience of violence and can affect emotional well-being, relationships, self-perception and engagement with education. They also suggest that psychological distress cannot be understood separately from the family and social circumstances in which abuse occurs. The study points to the need for accessible, child-sensitive and culturally responsive support through schools, community organisations and child-protection services in Nagaland, and to the value of listening to children’s own accounts when examining the relationship between abuse and mental well-being.

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