Table 2 Symptoms associated with mental health distress amongst survivors of sexual assault (N = 657)
From: A Congolese community-based health program for survivors of sexual violence
n (%) | |
|---|---|
Anxiety-like symptoms | |
Anxious or troubled | 196 (29.8%) |
Acts panicked | 70 (10.6%) |
Moves to protect self | 17 (2.6%) |
Depression-like symptoms | |
Sadness | 288 (43.8%) |
Speaks slowly | 150 (22.8%) |
Creates a reason for why the assault happened | 137 (20.8%) |
Moves slowly | 105 (16.0%) |
Blames self for the incident | 55 (8.4%) |
Loss of appetite | 49 (7.4%) |
Cries easily and often | 8 (1.2%) |
Feels hopeless about the future | 4 (0.6%) |
Has suicidal thoughts | 2 (0.3%) |
Self mutilation | 0 (0%) |
PTSD-like symptoms | |
Feeling shameful | 226 (34.4%) |
Embarrassed | 148 (22.5%) |
Trouble sleeping (e.g., insomnia, nightmares) | 115 (17.5%) |
In shock | 92 (14.0%) |
Withdrawn into self | 92 (14.0%) |
Has flashbacks, relives the event | 85 (12.9%) |
Avoids people/situations | 78 (11.9%) |
Has trouble with memory or concentration | 74 (11.3%) |
Hypervigilant | 25 (3.8%) |
Disoriented and confused | 16 (2.4%) |
Loss of memory or inability to concentrate | 10 (1.5%) |
Does not speak | 3 (0.4%) |