Adolescents’ Disclosure of Sexual Violence Victimization in Nigeria: Prevalence, Barriers and Mental Health Implications
Journal Title: International Neuropsychiatric Disease Journal - Year 2015, Vol 4, Issue 4
Abstract
Aim: Despite the adverse mental health consequences of sexual violence, the majority of cases are unreported by victims. Non-disclosure prevents access to appropriate therapeutic and legal interventions. The design of interventions to facilitate reporting of sexual abuse is hinged on the recognition of the barriers to reporting. The current study assessed the prevalence of disclosure and barriers to disclosure among adolescent victims of sexual violence in Lagos, Nigeria. Study Design and Methodology: Using a cross-sectional study design, self-reported questionnaires designed to assess sexual violence, disclosure of victimization and barriers to disclosure were administered to 220 adolescents attending a public co-educational secondary school in Lagos, south-West Nigeria. The findings are discussed in the context of their mental health implications. Results: The mean age of the participants was 15.8 (±1.2) years, and 58.2% were males. Only 9.2% of the victims of sexual violence ever reported to anyone. Frequently reported barriers to disclosure were stigma (78.9%), consideration of discussion about sex as taboo (73.7%), fear of parents/ authority figures (76.3%), mistrust of law enforcement agencies (71.1%) and fear of perpetrators (63.2%). Other reported barriers include ignorance that the act constituted sexual abuse (34.2%), self-blame/guilt (31.6%) and fear of not being believed (36.8%). Conclusion: There is an unmet need for interventions to facilitate reporting of sexual violence by victimized adolescents. Such interventions must address stigma, debunk myth, promote sexual education and ensure appropriate response of legal and social institutions to victims in order to restore public confidence.
Authors and Affiliations
Increase Ibukun Adeosun
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP241572
- DOI 10.9734/INDJ/2015/19291
- Views 96
- Downloads 0
The Relationship between School Violence and Resilience in Palestinian Children in the Gaza Strip
Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between school violence and resilience among Palestinian children in Gaza Strip. Methods: The sample consisted of 449 children selected randomly from the fiv...
Effect of Different Antipsychotics on Cytokine Production After Immunologically Stimulated PBMC Culture
Aims: To investigate the effect of different antipsychotics on cytokine production in immunologically challenged Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) culture. Study Design: In vitro cell culture study to determine cy...
Verbal Fluency is Related to Theory of Mind: Comparison in Control Children and with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism is a pervasive neurodevelopment disorder, primarily encompassing difficulties in the social, language, and communicative domains. Although neurocognitive impairments in theory of mind (ToM) and in executive functi...
Bilateral Thalamic Infarct in Two Unresponsive Octogenarians
Bilateral thalamic infarct (BTI) represents an uncommon stroke presentation. Pathophysiology recognizes the occlusion of an anatomic variant of the thalamic blood supply from perforating branches of posterior cerebral ar...
Evaluation of Pain and Anxiety Levels Related to Diagnostic Punch Biopsy in Dermatology Outpatients: A Pilot Study
Aim: Literature data on the anxiety levels and pain perception during punch biopsy are lacking. Thus, the aim of the present study is to evalute the anxiety levels and pain perception during punch biopsy. Study Design:...