SEXUAL ABUSE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: CONSEQUENCES OF MENTAL TRAUMAS AMONGST VICTIMS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The cardinal focus of this study was to investigate sexual abuse and domestic violence against women and their consequences on mental traumas among victims in Rivers State in Nigeria. Two null hypotheses were generated for the study. Survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was Rivers State, and it covered all women who went through sexual abuse and domestic violence in the State. A sample of 300 respondents was selected for the study. The selection was done through the use of simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. The questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was content validated by professionals in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Choba. Furthermore, the reliability value of 0.84 Correlation Co-efficient was obtained for the study. The statistical methods used for the study were percentage, frequency and contingency tables and a bar-graph for the study. In addition, c² was used to analyze the tested hypotheses for the study at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the analysis revealed that correlations exist between sexual abuse/domestic violence against women and mental traumas in Rivers State in Nigeria. With regard to these findings, the study recommended, among others, that the State Government should through its traditional and social media outlets inform, educate and communicate with the public the dangers of sexual abuse and domestic violence against women and the consequences of same on their mental health and why they should be avoided in families in Rivers State.