Premium
Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and hopelessness in women who are victims of sexual violence
Author(s) -
Machado Carolina L.,
de Azevedo Renata C.S.,
Facuri Claudia O.,
Vieira MariaJosé N.,
Fernandes ArleteMaria S.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.10.016
Subject(s) - medicine , depression (economics) , posttraumatic stress , sexual violence , psychiatry , clinical psychology , economics , macroeconomics , nursing
Objective To evaluate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and hopelessness in women 1 and 6 months after they experienced sexual violence. Methods This prospective study, in which the clinician‐administered PTSD scale, the Beck depression inventory, and the Beck hopelessness scale were used, included 67 women at 1 month and 52 women at 6 months after they experienced sexual violence. Results Overall, 77.6% of the women were ≤ 24 years of age, and 52% were adolescents; 15% had a history of drug abuse, and 13.5% had a history of previous sexual violence. The aggressor was unknown in 76% of cases, and there was more than 1 aggressor in 9% of cases. In the first month, 43% of the women had moderate or very severe PTSD; 52.2% had moderate or severe depression; and 22.4% had moderate or severe hopelessness, which decreased to 21%, 20% and 10%, respectively, at 6 months. In the first month, severity of PTSD was associated with moderate or severe depression, and at 6 months severity of PTSD was associated with multiple aggressors and previous psychiatric disorders. All scores decreased in the sixth month. Conclusion Severe mental health disorders were still present 6 months after women had experienced sexual violence.