Outcome of Sexual Assault and Associated Risk Factors Among Sexually Assaulted Adolescent Girls in Jimma Medical Center, Oromia Region, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020

Abstract

Background: Sexual violence against women is one of the most common violence that includes all unwanted or non-consensual sexual act. It ranges from verbal threats to rape and threat of life. Adolescent girls are vulnerable to sexual violence and experience more severe and long standing adverse effect of the situation and hinder all aspects of development of victims. Objective: To identify outcome of sexual assault and associated risk factors among sexually assaulted adolescent girls in Jima medical center, Oromia region, southwest Ethiopia, 2020 Methods: An institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among raped adolescent girls in Jima Medical Center from December1/2019-July 30/2020. All raped adolescent girls visited Jima University medical center were included consecutively. Data was collected using structured questionnaire and entered to Epi Data version 3.1 then analysis done by SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive statistics was carried out to see the level of depression and STI among victims whereas bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify the candidate variables and the factors associated with major depression disorder and STI at p≤0.25 and p<0.05 with 95%CI AOR respectively. Results: One hundred seventy-four adolescent girls were interviewed yielded 100% response rate and all of them experienced the severe form of sexual assault, which is rape. The level of major depressive disorder and Sexually Transmitted Infection among rape victims in Jima Medical Center were 89.1% (95 CI%, 84.5-93.7%) and 49.9% (95% CI, 41.1%-56.9%) respectively. In multi-variable logistic regression analysis Urban residency ((AOR 14.65, 95% CI 2.57, 83.30, (p=0.002)), not currently attending school (AOR 9.01, 95% CI 2.05, 40.35, p=0.004), rape by hitting (AOR 17.67, 95% CI 3.58, 87.20, p<0.001) and unwanted pregnancy (AOR 14.68, 95% CI 3.09, 71.43, p=0.001) were the predictor variable associated with major depressive disorder among raped adolescent girls. Similarly, family income less than 500 birr per month (AOR 2.48, 95% CI 1.33, 6.04, p=0.007) and multiple rape in life time (AOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.22, 4.31, (P=0.01)) were the predictor variable associated with Sexually Transmitted Infection. Conclusion: In this study, level of major depressive disorder and sexually transmitted disease were high. Unwanted pregnancy, urban residency, not currently attending school and sexual rape by hitting were found to be risk factor to develop major depressive disorder. Low family income and being raped multiple times in life time were found to be risk factor to develop sexual transmitted infection. Recommendation: Jima medical center should strengthen link between psychiatric and mental health department and gender based violence unit and also Jima zone health bureau should give community awareness on gender based violence. Jima zone administration and Jima University should look after to adolescent girls dropped out of school and facilitate how they go back to school