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Sexual victimization, PTSD, depression, and social support among women survivors of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti: a moderated moderation model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 October 2019

Jude Mary Cénat Open the ORCID record for Jude Mary Cénat [Opens in a new window] ,
Kevin Smith ,
Catherine Morse  and
Daniel Derivois Open the ORCID record for Daniel Derivois [Opens in a new window]
Jude Mary Cénat*
Affiliation:
School of psychology, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Kevin Smith
Affiliation:
Department of psychology, UQAM, Québec, Canada
Catherine Morse
Affiliation:
School of psychology, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Daniel Derivois
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Psychologie Psy-DREPI (EA 7458), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
*
Author for correspondence: Jude Mary Cénat, E-mail: jcenat@uottawa.ca
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Abstract

Background

In 2010, an important earthquake devastated Haiti and caused thousands of deaths. In a social context where women are particularly vulnerable, this cross-sectional study examined the associations between sexual assaults experienced by women before the earthquake, the earthquake exposure, the traumatic consequences, and their satisfaction of social support received.

Methods

A total of 660 women aged 18 to 86 completed questionnaires assessing exposure to the earthquake, sexual assault victimization, peritraumatic distress, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and social support. A moderated moderation model was computed to examine associations between exposure to the earthquake, sexual assault, social support, and traumatic consequences.

Results

Results showed that 31.06% of women were victims of sexual assault before the earthquake. They presented higher prevalence of peritraumatic distress, PTSD, and depression symptoms, compared to non-victims. The moderated-moderation model showed that sexual assault and exposure to the earthquake were positively associated with traumatic consequences (respectively, B = 0.560, p < 0.001; B = 0.196, p < 0.001), while social support was negatively associated with them (B = −0.095, p < 0.05). Results showed a triple interaction: women victim of sexual assault who were satisfied with received social support are less likely to develop traumatic consequences after being exposed to the earthquake(B = −0.141, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

By demonstrating the role of sexual assault in the development of mental health problems after the Haitian earthquake, this study shows the importance for clinicians to investigate interpersonal trauma experienced before or following natural disasters among survivors. Results also indicate the key role of family and communities to help survivors build resilience and coping strategies with their social support.

Keywords

Haiti earthquakesexual assaultsocial supporttraumatic consequenceswomen survivors
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 50 , Issue 15 , November 2020 , pp. 2587 - 2598
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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