Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychic repercussions of sexual assault among female students in Parakou in 2023. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from December 2022 to July 2023 among all students at the University of Parakou. The sampling technique was stratified non-proportional at two levels. The dependent variable was self-reported sexual assault. The psychopathological repercussions linked to sexual assault and explored in these students were: post-traumatic stress disorder assessed with the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5 (PCL-5) scale; and current depression screened with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale. Results: A total of 376 female students from the University of Parakou meeting the inclusion criteria were surveyed. The average age of the subjects surveyed was 20.56 ± 2.46 years, with extremes of 16 and 32 years. A predominance of subjects under 25 was observed. The prevalence of sexual assault among female students at the University of Parakou was 10.63%. The types of aggression suffered were mostly rape (18 people; 45%) and sexual touching (16 people; 40%), and the aggressors were mainly friends/boyfriends (13; 32.5%), family members (12; 30.0%) and people from the house/neighborhood (9; 22.5%). Psychological repercussions included depression in 72.5% (29) of cases, with mild depression in 30% (12), moderate depression in 37.5% (15) and severe depression in 5% (2). Anxiety disorders were present in 27.50% (11) of victims. The risk factors associated with sexual assault in these students were gravidity (p = 0.014; OR = 15.32), unhappy life events (p = 0.01; OR = 17.24), and age of first sexual intercourse (p = 0.016; OR = 4.608). Conclusion: One in ten female students in Parakou has been sexually assaulted. Once again, preventive action through effective sex education is a means of fighting the problem that should be prioritized for every girl and boy from an early age. Psychological support by specialists should be offered to any victim discovered without delay. Communication on the subject should be multiplied in all family and academic educational environments, from the lowest to the highest levels.
References
[1]
World Health Organization (1997) Violence against Women, Family and Reproductive Health, Women’s Health and Development Programme. http://www.observaction.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/VAWFrenchpack.pdf
[2]
Cantor, D., Fisher, B., Chibnall, S., et al. (2015) Report on the AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Report-on-the-AAU-Campus-Climate-Survey-on-Sexual-Cantor-Fisher/416607673e4faf27d73032a043bb6c74100acf46
[3]
Puri, M., Frost, M., Tamang, J., et al.(2012) The Prevalence and Determinants of Sexual Violence against Young Married Women by Husbands in Rural Nepal. BMC Research Notes, 5, Article No. 291. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-5-291
[4]
Hébert, M., Daspe, M.È., Blais, M., et al. (2017) Agression Sexuelle et Violence dans les relations Amoureuses : Le rôle médiateur du stress post-traumatique. Criminologie, 50, 157-179. https://doi.org/10.7202/1039800ar
[5]
Hassan, M., Awosan, K.J., Panti, A.A., et al.(2016) Prevalence and Pattern of Sexual Assault in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria. The Pan African Medical Journal, 24, Article 332. https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2016.24.332.9462
[6]
Eouani, L.M.E., Mokoko, J.C., Itoua, C., et al. (2020) Sexual Assault: Epidemiological Profile and Clinical Aspects at the Brazzaville University Hospital Center. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 10, 326-332. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojog.2020.1020029
[7]
Théra, J.P., Soumah, M., Traoré, T., et al. (2014) Aspects épidémio-cliniques et judiciaires des agressions sexuelles au Mali. Santé Publique, 26, 123-129. https://doi.org/10.3917/spub.137.0123
[8]
Adama-Hondégla, A.B., et al. (2013) Aspects épidémio-cliniques et prise en charge des agressions sexuelles chez les sujets de sexe féminin à Lomé. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 17, 67-72. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23486140
[9]
Akanni, D.W.M.M., Adjadohoun, S.B.M.G., Damien, B.G., et al. (2019) Maltraitance des étudiants et facteurs associés à la Faculté de Médecine de Parakou en 2018. The Pan African Medical Journal, 34, Article 150. https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2019.34.150.16367
[10]
Chivers-Wilson, K.A. (2006) Sexual Assault and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of the Biological, Psychological and Sociological Factors and Treatments. McGill Journal of Medicine, 9, 111-118. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2323517/ https://doi.org/10.26443/mjm.v9i2.663
[11]
Weaver, T.L., Allen, J.A., Hopper, E., et al. (2007) Mediators of Suicidal Ideation within a Sheltered Sample of Raped and Battered Women. Health Care for Women International, 28, 478-489. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399330701226453
[12]
Mondin, T.C., Cardoso, T.D.A., Jansen, K., et al. (2016) Sexual Violence, Mood Disorders and Suicide Risk: A Population-Based Study. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 21, 853-860. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232015213.10362015
[13]
Martinez, R.M., Kovacevic, A., Dally, A.M., et al. (2015) Violences Sexuelles Faites Aux Femmes. Forum Médical Suisse, 15, 551-555. https://doi.org/10.4414/fms.2015.02294
[14]
Billette, V., Guay, S. and Marchand, A. (2005) Le soutien social et les conséquences psychologiques d’une agression sexuelle : Synthèse des écrits. Santé mentale au Québec, 30, 101-120. https://doi.org/10.7202/012141ar
[15]
Post-Traumatic Disorder Check List Scale (PCLS). https://www.psychiaclic.fr/ressources/post-traumatic-disorder-check-list-version-dsm-5-pcl-5
[16]
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)—Strokengine. https://strokengine.ca/fr/assessments/patient-health-questionnaire-phq-9/
[17]
Bocéréan, C. and Dupret, E. (2014) A Validation Study of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in a Large Sample of French Employees. BMC Psychiatry, 14, Article No. 354. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-014-0354-0
[18]
Trudel, G., Dargis, L., Cadieux, J., et al. (2012) Validation de l’Index de la fonction sexuelle féminine (IFSF) et présentation de normes chez les femmes aînées. Sexologies, 21, 161-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sexol.2012.01.003
[19]
Amar Wiem, B., Hela, S., Jihen, J., et al. (2023) Sexual Violence against Women in Southern Tunisia: Epidemiology and Risk Factors. Legal Medicine, 64, Article ID: 102272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2023.102272
[20]
Kolopp, M., Delbaere-Crespo, E., Lecossec, C., et al. (2017) Examen médicolégal des victimes d’agression sexuelle: Caractéristiques et liens avec les suites judiciaires. Gynécologie Obstétrique Fertilité & Sénologie, 45, 158-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gofs.2017.01.006
[21]
Khemakhem, K., Boudabous, J., Chiha, K., et al. (2023) Violence sexuelle sur mineurs dans une population tunisienne: Etude de 53 expertises psychiatriques. The Pan African Medical Journal, 44, Article 157. https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2023.44.157.39367
[22]
Diallo, T.M.C., Diallo, S., Diallo, M.H., et al. (2021) Violences sexuelles à l’hôpital Donka (Guinée). Revue Internationale des Sciences Médicales, 23, 11-16. https://search.bvsalud.org/aimafro/resource/en/biblio-1397294?lang=fr
[23]
Diallo, D. (2017) Aspects Epidemio-Cliniques et Prise en Charge des Agressions Sexuelles a L’Hopital Roi Baudouin de Dakar : A Propos De 140 Cas. Journal De La Sago, 18, 17-20. http://jsago.org/index.php/jsago/article/view/18
[24]
Vaillancourt-Morel, M.P., Godbout, N., Sabourin, S., et al. (2014) Les séquelles conjugales d’une agression sexuelle vécue à l’enfance ou à l’adolescence. Carnet de notes sur les maltraitances infantiles, 3, 21-41. https://doi.org/10.3917/cnmi.132.0021
[25]
Leye, M.M.M., Diouf, A.A., Diongue, M., et al. (2019) Étude des facteurs associés au retard de consultation sanitaire des victimes de viols au Sénégal. Revue d’Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, 67, 329-335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respe.2019.05.009
[26]
Thaljawi, W., Guiga, A. and Bahloul, A.R. (2023) Les femmes victimes d’agression sexuelle à Sidi Bouzid: Profil épidémiologique et intervention médico-judiciaire. La Revue de Médecine Légale, 14, Article ID: 100377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medleg.2023.100377
[27]
Niort, F., Delteil, C., Capasso, F., et al. (2014) Étude rétrospective épidemioclinique sur 10ans des victimes de viols reçues en consultation à l’Institut médico-légal de Marseille, CHU de Timone. Analyse de 592 cas de victime de viol. La Revue de Médecine Légale, 5, 62-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medleg.2014.06.001
[28]
Um Meka, E.N., et al. (2022)Aspects épidemiologiques, thérapeutique et prise en charge des étudiantes victimes d’agression sexuelle en milieu estudiantin au Cameroun. https://www.hsd-fmsb.org/index.php/hsd/article/view/1835
[29]
Bagayoko, T.B. (2021) Aspects cliniques et judiciaires des violences sexuelles sur le genre féminin à Ségou. Mali Santé Publique, XI, 5-10. https://doi.org/10.53318/msp.v11i1.1885
[30]
Dembele, S., Diassana, M., Macalou, B., et al. (2021) Aspects Épidémio-Cliniques des Agressions Sexuelles à l’Hôpital Fousseyni Daou de Kayes. Health Sciences and Disease, 22, 16-19. https://www.hsd-fmsb.org/index.php/hsd/article/view/2680
[31]
Bourgou, S., Meddouri, S.L., Ben Hamouda, A., et al. (2021) Enfants victimes de violences sexuelles en consultation de pédopsychiatrie. L’Encéphale, 47, 221-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.encep.2020.06.011
