Abstract

Rape has been used as a weapon of war in a lot of countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In eastern Congo, the prevalence and intensity of rape and other acts of sexual violence are described as the worst in the world. Considered as a public health problem, rape in this region has a lot of impact on the mental health of the population. A convenient sampling method was used to identify female rape victims who reported to Heal Africa hospital in Goma (Eastern DRC) and had developed mental disorders from July 2012 to March 2013. The DSM IV Scale was used to assess the mental state of the victims and after diagnosis, three groups of mental responses were considered: Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), comorbid PTSD/depression. Chi-square test was used to ascertain if any association existed between socio-demographic characteristics of the victims, types of rape, social rejection and the mental response of the victims. A total of 69 subjects met these criteria and were enrolled for the study. Results from the single factor analysis revealed that Social rejection (p=0.00), the type of rape (p=0.03) and residential area (p=0.04) were significantly related to the mental disorders of the victims. The findings of this study suggest strategies for better health care of women who are victims of sexual violence in the eastern DRC.