Ladies, sexual violence in your neighbourhood can harm your mental health

Sexual violence in a neighbourhood can impact the physical and mental health of women, as the frequency of assault in a neighbourhood are tied to women’s perceptions of safety.

Sexual violence in the neighbourhood can harm the physical and mental health of women, a study says. According to researchers, feelings about the frequency of rape or other forms of sexual assault in a neighbourhood are significantly tied to women’s perceptions of its safety.

“Feeling unsafe, especially in and around your home, can erode physical and mental health,” said Dana M Prince, co-author of the study and assistant professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.

“Our results could mean men are less aware of sexual violence, or perhaps they do not feel comfortable reporting that it makes them feel less safe — perhaps both — while women tend to be socialised early on to be aware of the possibility of sexual attack,” Prince added.

The researchers noted that neighbourhoods play a key role in the behaviour and development of people, previous studies show and some conditions — such as crime, segregation, poverty and disorder — can have harmful effects on health.

“Our results indicate that men can become more aware of how women feel about what contributes to and threatens their safety,” the researcher said. “Sexual and gendered violence affects all people and everyone can be partners in ending sexual violence,” she added.

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