Mental Health and Negative Sexual Experiences of Bahamian University Students

Elizabeth J Williams,Virginia C Ballance,William J Fielding

doi:10.15362/ijbs.v27i0.395

Abstract

This study investigates the mental health of victims of sexual abuse, particularly rape, in college student populations. The study identifies the connection between sexual abuse/rape and elevated scores of mental health. It indicates that even with other stressful events occurring in the lives of respondents, sexual abuse/rape has a detrimental effect on the mental health of both males and females. A death in the family was the most commonly reported stressful event for males and females, and females were more likely than males to have suffered from a sexual attack. Early negative experiences of sexual intercourse can apparently have long lasting negative effects on the victim’s mental health. These findings require society to look beyond the physical consequences of sexual abuse and rape to ensure that the long-term mental health of victims, both male and female children and adults, is not overlooked.

Highlights

There have been many studies done in The Bahamas on risky sexual behaviours (Deveaux & Rolle, 2016), other aspects of sexual abuse and rape appear to have been less studied
We should be aware that the target population was collegelevel students, not the wider population, so, the study provides useful insights with regard to sexual experiences and mental health, it may not reflect what occurs in the wider and more diverse population of The Bahamas, with respect to older people
Notwithstanding these limitations, this study goes some way to contributing to the need identified in the Strategic Plan to Address Gender-Based Violence (Bahamas National Task Force for Gender-based Violence, 2015) to undertake further research on gender-based violence in The Bahamas

Summary

Introduction

There have been many studies done in The Bahamas on risky sexual behaviours (Deveaux & Rolle, 2016), other aspects of sexual abuse and rape appear to have been less studied. Gender-based violence in The Bahamas is a national concern. The relatively high incidence of rape has been recognized through the Bahamas National Task Force for Gender-based Violence report (2015). Women in particular are worried about being victims of rape, their fear bears no relationship to the reported crime figures on rape. This suggests that even a singular event causes great worry, and/or they presume that rape is more common than the official figures suggest, a position that is confirmed by both Aranha (2016) and Bethel and Fielding (2020). The study by Bethel and Fielding (2020) on college students in The

Objectives

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Conclusion