Association between sexual violence and depression is mediated by perceived social support among female University students in the Kingdom of Eswatini

Abstract

The primary function of gender based violence is to maintain gendered power hierarchies. As manifestations of gender-based violence, sexual assault and street harassment have been shown to have significant effects on mental wellbeing in the global North, however there is little research centering the experiences and consequences of gendered harassment in the Africa region. We analyzed a cross-sectional random sample of women attending a major university in Eswatini in 2017 to measure the prevalence of street harassment among female university students and assess the relationship between experiences of sexual assault, sexualized street harassment, and mental health outcomes in this population. We found that in the previous 12 months, women reported experiencing high levels of sexual assault (20%), street harassment (90%), and depression/anxiety (38%). Lifetime sexual assault, past 12 months sexual assault, and street harassment were all significantly associated with symptoms of depression. We then created a structural model to assess social support as a potential mediator in the relationship between gendered violence and depression and found that a history of sexual violence and perceived social support both significantly impacted the association between gendered street harassment and depression.