Abstract:
Background: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develops following some stressful
events. There has been increasing recognition that children who have been exposed
to traumatic events like child sexual abuse can develop post-traumatic stress disorder
just like adults.
Objective: To determine prevalence of PTSD in sexually abused children seen at the
Gender Based Violence Recovery Centre at Kenyatta National Hospital.
Design: A cross sectional descriptive study.
Setting: Gender Based Violence Recovery Centre – Kenyatta National Hospital.
Subjects One hundred and forty-nine (n = 149) sexually abused children were recruited
in the study.
Results: The mean age 14.8%boys and 85.2% girls was 13.2 years (SD 4.2) the age at
which sexual abuse most frequently (55%) occurred between 15-17 years. Sixty three
percent of children reported that the perpetrator was known to them, and 76.5% of
perpetrators used verbal or physical force during sexual assault. The prevalence of
PTSD among the sexually abused children was 49%. PTSD was significantly associated
with shorter duration of sexual abuse i.e. daily which is 67% as compared to months
which is 4.7% (p = 0.005), Greater severity of injuries sustained during assault (p =
0.023), parent’s marital status those whose parents were married or cohabiting 40% were
affected as compared to 52% whose parents were separated or divorced (p = 0.003) and
the family's way of sorting out their disagreements was also significantly associated
with PTSD. Parents who sorted their disagreement by talking was at 31% while those
who sorted their disagreement by fighting was at 67% (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: This study highlights the high prevalence of PTSD among sexually abused
children presenting at Kenyatta National Hospital Nairobi-Kenya. PTSD is associated
with the degree of physical or verbal abuse during sexual abuse, injuries during
assault, and parent-child relationships. These findings are important in formulation
of appropriate prevention and care interventions to be implemented by families and
other stakeholders.