Gender differences of psychosocial implications of sexual abuse: a survey of victims in Ghana

Abstract

This paper presents findings of a study conducted in Kumasi, Ghana, on the gender differences of psychosocial distress that victims of sexual abuse experience. Using a cross sectional design, data was collected from 141 victims, similar to the extant literature the male victims in this study were less than 20%. Both univariate and bivariate forms of data analysis were conducted. The findings revealed that females and males had more difficulties relating to people at the macro and micro levels respectively. It was concluded that in addressing the challenges faced by victims, it is important that social intervention programmes are targeted and made specific to the needs of women in relation to community interaction whilst for men the focus has to be on how best they could interact with their immediate families.

Keywords: gender based violence, sexual abuse, psychosocial, social ecology, social intervention