Abstract:
This study examined the relationships among general self-efficacy, perceived social support
and coping styles among internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the host community of Finote
Selam, Ethiopia. Employing a mixed-research approach with a convergent parallel design, a
systematic random sample of 359 quantitative respondents was integrated with 10
purposively selected qualitative key informant interviewees. Quantitative data were gathered
using the general self-efficacy scale, multidimensional perceived social support, and brief-
COPE scales. The quantitative data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential
(Pearson correlation, independent samples t-tests & one way ANOVA, and multiple linear
regression) statistics. The qualitative data were analyzed with thematic analysis. The findings
revealed moderate baseline levels of self-efficacy (M = 24.02) and perceived social support
(M = 52.05), with avoidant coping emerging as the predominant strategy (M = 29.20). Self-
efficacy and social support correlated positively with adaptive coping, combining to uniquely
predict 50.2% of its variance ( R2 = .502, p < .001). Independent t-tests and ANOVA
indicated that female IDPs (M = 30.45) and recent IDPs (M = 33.46) relied significantly
more on avoidant strategies. The qualitative results revealed that persistent economic
hardships drop contextual self-efficacy, while a psychological reciprocity crisis regarding
informal hospitality drives defensive self-isolation. Additionally, the sudden loss of domestic
roles and structural dependency severely shattered the participants' identity, inducing heavy
emotional distress. Conclusively, the study demonstrates that while internal psychological
resources and informal community support are vital protective factors for displaced
individuals, the absence of structural economic capital and role stability ultimately forces a
reliance on avoidant coping behaviors. Based on the findings, it is recommended that local
disaster management structures and humanitarian partners transition from transactional aid
to structured livelihood programs and gender-tailored psychosocial support to facilitate
sustainable integration