ArticleChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2018
Incidence of depressive symptoms among sexually abused children in Kenya.
Article in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed.
- An evaluation of non-specialist training and delivery of a brief cognitive-behavioral therapy-based transdiagnostic intervention for adolescents with depression and anxiety in Nairobi, Kenya.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Impact of exposure to community and school violence during adolescence in the African context: systematic review.BJPsych international · 2025Review
- Self-Harm Among School-Going Adolescent Survivors of Sexual Violence Victimisation: A Cross-Sectional Study.Frontiers in sociology · 2021Article
- Rape Survivors' Sorrow: Major Depressive Symptoms and Sexually Transmitted Infection Among Adolescent Girls, Southwest Ethiopia.Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics · 2021Article
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7 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundChildren who experience sexual abuse undergo various negative psychosocial outcomes such as depressive symptoms. Unfortunately, not many studies have been conducted on the incidence of depressive symptoms among sexually abused children in Kenya. This study sought to ascertain the incidence of depressive symptoms among children who have experienced sexual abuse in Kenya.
methodsThis was a longitudinal study design. It was conducted at Kenyatta National Teaching and Referral Hospital and Nairobi Women's Hospitals in Kenya. One hundred and ninety-one children who had experienced sexual abuse and their parents/legal guardians were invited to participate in the study. The study administered the Becks Depression Inventory and the Child Depression Inventory to the children.
resultsThe incidence of depressive symptoms after 1 month of sexual abuse revealed that amongst children who were below 16 years old, 14.6% had minimal-mild depressive symptoms while 85.4% had moderate-severe depressive symptoms. In comparison, children who were 16 years or older, 6.4% had minimal-mild depressive symptoms while 93.6% had moderate-severe depressive symptoms. Children below 16 years old whose parents were separated were found to have depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) as well as those who were presented early for medical care (p < 0.004), while children aged 16 years and above who were abused by strangers were more likely to have depressive symptoms (p < 0.024) and those who were not attending school (p < 0.002).
conclusionSexual abuse of children is world-wide and the Kenyan situation is comparable. Being the victim of sexual abuse as a child has major psychological and emotional sequlae which need to be addressed in Kenya. Children who experience sexual abuse have very high incidence of developing depressive symptoms. All the sexually abused children studied suffered from depressive symptoms and a large majority suffered from major depressive symptoms that should be promptly and effectively addressed to ameliorate psychological suffering among children.
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