Psychosocial health of out-of-school youth in post-conflict Liberia

This psychosocial health assessment was conducted to better understand in the face of significant adversity, how Liberian out-of-school youth navigate their way to psychological, social, cultural and physical resources that sustain their well-being, and their capacity to negotiate for these resources to be provided and experienced in culturally meaningful ways. Data were collected from a review of literature on research and programming in mental health and psychosocial support in Liberia, 11 key informant interviews, 6 focus group discussions with 40 youth,and in-depth interviews with 8 youth. Findings reveal that the mental and psychosocial health of out-of-school Liberian youth is heavily strained from exposure to chronic stressors, such as poverty, unemployment, lack of social supports, and on-going sexual, physical, emotional and verbal violence in the home and community. Most younger out-of-school youth are forced to help provide for their families, and shoulder adult responsibilities, such as child-rearing, early on. Role confusion for younger youth jeopardizes their psychological development, contributing to low self-worth and self-esteem, inability to sustain relationships, and social alienation. Adolescent girls remain incredibly vulnerable to child marriage and teenage pregnancy as well as sexual exploitation from older men. The high prevalence of forced sex, domestic violence and sexual abuse severely affect the psychosocial health and development of young women. Existing mental health, psychosocial services are insufficient to meet the needs of youth. Key gaps in the provision of psychosocial services include lack of available services for youth and lack of long term and sustainable programming due to limited funding.