Abstract
BackgroundDespite a history of conflicts and widespread human rights violation in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about the prevalence of interpersonal violence among the population in this region. Evidence from high-income countries suggests that exposure to violence has mental health consequences and violence also has associations with experiences of sexual coercion.AimsThis study sought to investigate the prevalence of physical and perceived threats of violence among university students in Uganda and to assess the possible relationship between such violence, sexual coercion, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and psychoticism, respectively.MethodIn 2005, 980 Ugandan university students responded to a self-administered questionnaire (response rate 80%) that assessed socio-demographic factors, social capital, importance of religion, mental health, experience of violence and sexual coercion, and sexual behaviour factors. Logistic regression analysis was applied as the main analytical tool.ResultsOf those who responded, 28% reported perceived threats/threats of violence and 10% exposure to actual physical violence over the previous 12 months, with no significant gender differences in exposure history. Exposure to violence was significantly associated with the experience of sexual coercion among both males and females. Sexual coercion and threats/threats of violence were both significantly associated with poor mental health in males and females, but only males showed a strong association between exposure to physical violence and poor mental health.ConclusionThe current study suggests that in terms of general exposure, both males and females in the study population are equally exposed to sexual coercion and interpersonal violence, and both male and female students show generally similar mental health effects of exposure to such violence. The prevalence of interpersonal violence found in our study population may have long-term negative health implications. Our findings may serve as a baseline for interventions and continuing research aimed at preventing interpersonal violence.
Highlights
Sexual coercion is a public health challenge with numerous consequences [1,2] and predisposing factors [3]
Sexual coercion and threats/ threats of violence were both significantly associated with poor mental health in males and females, but only males showed a strong association between exposure to physical violence and poor mental health
We previously found that 31.1% of students attending a university in Uganda had been subjected to some form of sexual coercion in their lifetime, with no significant gender difference [8], providing the current opportunity to examine sexual coercion in relation to exposure to interpersonal violence
Summary
Sexual coercion is a public health challenge with numerous consequences [1,2] and predisposing factors [3]. Griffin and colleagues found that experiencing physical coercion or ‘‘incapacitated sexual victimization’’ was a risk factor for re-victimization, i.e. re-exposure to such events, with physical coercion being a stronger predictor [32] These results corroborate findings from previous studies [13,33,34,35], which concluded that in more than half of all cases young women have already experienced sexual coercion before they enter college [36,37]. Moore and colleagues [38] theorised that the underlying mechanism for reexposure to violence is emotional dysfunction resulting from earlier experience of sexual violence They concluded that women who have previously been sexually coerced adopt strategies such as self-harm or risky sexual behaviour in an attempt to cope with the abusive experience they have had, exposing themselves to further risk of sexual coercion [32]. Evidence from high-income countries suggests that exposure to violence has mental health consequences and violence has associations with experiences of sexual coercion
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