The relationship between social support, coping strategies and psychological functioning of rape victims in the North-West Province, South Africa

Abstract

Worldwide women are confronted with acts of violence against their gender, acts consisting of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault. In recent years in South Africa, the experiences and specialized needs of these victims have been receiving increased attention in the media. It has also been addressed in multiple research studies and on the level of policy and law-making. The aim of this quantitative study is to investigate the relationship between coping strategies, social support and psychological functioning of adult female rape victims in the North-West Province. The sample consists of 50 adult females and data was collected from the KOSH Crisis Centre, Klerksdorp. The data was collected using a Biographical Questionnaire and self-report measures known as the Brief COPE (Brief - Coping with problems experienced), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The results of this study indicated the following that may require further exploration: that there is a positive correlation between specific coping strategies and the psychological functioning of the rape victims, that there is a positive correlation between perceived social support and the psychological functioning of the rape victims, and there is a positive correlation between perceived social support and the specific coping strategies of the rape victims. The results are discussed against the background of previous studies and highlight the pressing need to effectively address the specific challenges of rape victims as well as the possibility of positively influencing the psychological functioning of these women through counselling and the use of adaptive coping strategies and social support.