In many conflict regions, women and girls continue to be at high risk of becoming victims of rape by armed combatants, whether local or foreign militaries, rebel groups or peace keeping forces. The physical and psychological repercussions of CRSV against women and their families can be long-lasting and far-reaching (Bosmans, 2007); and it is by no accident that sexual violence is now widely referred to as a ‘weapon of war’ (Clifford, 2008) or an ‘act of terrorism’ (United Nations, 2017).
Very often, social taboos dictate that victims of sexual violence be seen as unclean, spoiled or unfaithful, which can lead to social isolation and stigmatisation (Albutt, Kelly, Kabanga, & VanRooyen, 2016). Injuries and trauma from sexual violence may also raise the concern that women are not be able to work, perform household chores or care for children; effectively diminishing their perceived ‘worth’ (Glass, Ramazani, Tosha, Mpanano, & Cinyabuguma, 2012). Depression and other mental illnesses may create further barriers with family and friends and diminish participation in wider community life (Betancourt, Agnew-Blais, Gilman, Williams, & Eliis, 2010).
Raising a child born from CRSV can add to this burden, and these dyads may face further barriers to secure attachments. This may arise as a result of a mother’s own emotion dysregulation following the trauma of sexual violence or indeed ambivalence towards their child as a result of his/her conception. Such dyadic victimhood may also be compounded by migration and assimilation into a new culture. And yet, women do not (always) see themselves as victims, many women seem themselves as brave and courageous (Medica Zenica & medica mondiale, 2014). Many are able to achieve growth in spite of their experiences.
The overarching aim of this dissertation is to contribute to the discourse on the myriad psychosocial outcomes of conflict-related sexual violence for survivors, by systematically exploring areas of difficulty and areas of perceived strength and combining mixed methodologies. It is built on the foundation of multiple intertwining areas of global mental health and explored several of these within two different contexts: being a mother, being a survivor. Using the evidence generated through this dissertation, recommendations for addressing their needs have been provided.:Foreword 4
Introduction 5
Background & Context 6
Outcomes of CRSV Against Women: Being a Mother, Being a Survivor 8
Aims & Objectives 12
Research Questions 12
Core Publications of this Dissertation 13
Chapter I: Being a Mother 14
Methodology 15
Publication I 21
Publication II 36
Chapter II: Being a Survivor 57
Methodology 58
Publication III 63
A Dual Model of Posttraumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth in Survivors of Sexual Violence 76
Publication IV 77
Discussion 103
Summary of Findings 104
Strengths and Limitations 107
Conclusion 108
Future directions 111
Recommendations 113
Thesis References 134
Appendices 141
1. Abbreviations 142
2. Zusammenfassung 143
3. This dissertation is based on the following publications 145
4. Presentation of own contribution 146
6. Curriculum Vitae 148
7. Publication List 149
8. Certificate of Good Scientific Practice 151
9. Acknowledgements 152
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:74149 |
| Date | 12 March 2021 |
| Creators | Anderson, Kimberley |
| Contributors | Universität Leipzig |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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