The psychological impact of rape : a long longitudinal study of adult female survivors in the Western Cape, South Africa
There is a broad body of research which suggests that rape is highly pathogenic, most commonly described in terms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The bulk of this research has been conducted in developed countries. In contrast, despite very high rates of rape in South Africa, there is almost no research in this country on the psychological impact of rape, either in the immediate aftermath or in the longer term. This research sought to investigate whether female survivors of rape, living in a palpably different context to those within which the majority of research has been conducted, present with symptomatology similar to that described in the international literature. Sixty-four adult, female rape survivors presenting with a complaint of rape within the last 72 hours at a post-rape health care facility located within a low socio-economic, urban context, were enrolled into the study. Survivors were interviewed at 1, 4, 12 and 24 weeks post-rape. The quantitative questionnaires assessed pre-assault, assault and post-assault variables and included a psychiatric assessment instrument. There was evidence of a high degree of both psychiatric and psychological distress over a period of six months from the time of the rape in over half of the women taking part in this study. The majority of survivors met a diagnosis of PTSD at the Weeks 4,12 and 24 interviews.
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