Assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder among child survivors of incest at mama lucy hospital In Nairobi county, Kenya

Abstract

Post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder which develops after exposure to traumatic events. Incest is such a cause which affects the child psychologically, socially and physically. Annual crime report by the Kenya police 2015) reported a 40 per cent increase of incest cases. The Nairobi Women Gender Based Violence report (2013-2016) stated that 17 per cent of fathers have had sex with their own daughters. Children below the age of 15 were more vulnerable (UNICEF, 2009). This means the camouflaged problem could persist and many more children will continue to suffer in silence. The study purposed to assess the prevalence of (PTSD) among child survivors of incest aged between 9-15 years seen at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital (MLKH) in Nairobi County, establish the social demographics of survivors; determine the effects of PTSD on survivors and explore parental perceptions towards children survivors of incest. The study adopted the descriptive design. The population included 20 caregivers/parents, 20 survivors and 2 key informants. The study used purposive sampling to select the site and utilized random sampling to select the key informants. Data was collected using questionnaires, focus group discussions and observation. Based on the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC), the study concluded PTSD prevalence at 62% out of which 80% were female and 20% were male. The caregivers were unaware of PTSD existence and were ill-equipped to pursue a treatment plan. The study found out that psychological and emotional disturbances accounted for 60% of all the symptoms with 30% of survivors confirmed resilience to PTSD.