Perceived effects of Rape on the mental health status of young female adolescents
Introduction
Rape is regarded as an unethical conduct on a global scale and is not seen as something that is specific to any one nation, ethnicity, or gender. The engagement of young people in illegal activities like drug use and sexual assault is a significant risk factor for life and property in cultures that are already struggling with poverty. A person is guilty of the crime of rape if they engage in sexual activity with another person against their consent while using physical force (Peters & Olowa, 2010). It is also a sort of sexual assault that typically involves sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration being committed against a person without the permission of that person. It is possible to commit rape by the use of physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is unable of providing valid permission due to factors such as being unconscious, incompetent, or being younger than the age at which consent may be given legally (Bessel, Susan, David, Susanne & Joseph, 2005).
The frequency of rape varies considerably from one region of the world to another. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), around 85,000 women were victims of sexual assault in the United Kingdom in the year 2006. During the time period in which the United States of America was home to incidences of rape of
In Nigeria, during the years 2001 and 2005, there were a total of 10,079 incidents of rape that were reported. In 2006, the Department of Justice registered around 212,190 rape cases. In spite of the fact that there are already bilateral and multilateral educational programs in place, millions of girls in Nigeria do not have access to education beyond the primary level, and an even larger number of them drop out of school without having acquired the fundamental literacy and numeracy skills (Peters & Olowa, 2010).
Rape can cause physical injury or can lead to pregnancy, the acquiring of sexually transmitted infections, which are psychosocial problems, and can also lead to death. People who have been the victims of rape can be severely traumatized and may suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. In addition to the psychological harm caused by the act, rape can cause additional physical injury or can lead to death. The emotional and psychological, social and bodily harms that might occur from rape are as follows: (Jonathan, 2002). It can be challenging to recover from the psychological, emotional, and spiritual trauma that can result from sexual assault and rape. A rape victim’s experience of psychological trauma can entail changes to typical patterns of behavior across several domains, including the physical, emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal spheres. Despite the fact that many women, not only rape victims, struggle with serious depression, statistics show that thirty percent of rape victims have had at least one major depressive episode in their lifetimes (Peters and Olowa, 2010).
Emotional and psychological aspects: According to Bulick, Prescott, and Kendler (2001), depression is more than the typical sensations of fleeting melancholy that people experience from time to time. Symptoms might include persistent sorrow, feelings of hopelessness, sobbing for no apparent reason, changes in appetite that result in major weight loss or increase, lack of energy, or loss of interest and pleasure in things that were once loved. Arnow, (2004) also reported that rape victims can be severely traumatized by the assault and may have difficulty functioning as well as they had been accustomed to prior to the assault. With disruption of concentration, sleeping patterns, and eating habit, these problems can be severe and may prevent the victims from disclosing their ordeal to friends and family or seeking police or medical assistance. Arnow, (2004) also reported that rape victims can be severely traumatized by the assault. Arnow, (2004) also reported that rape victims can be
Download Full Material-N5000