Observational analysis shows that sexual violence increases anxiety, depression, and PTSD in university students, highlighting the need for psychotherapy support.
The general objective of this study was to compare the symptom levels of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress in university students who have and have not suffered sexual violence. Additionally, the study aimed to examine predictors of anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms among university students, including age, sex assigned at birth, socioeconomic status, skin color, different forms of experienced violence, practice of physical exercises, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy. The research was carried out with 1,055 university students, using online questionnaires. The instruments used were the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Civilian Version (PCL-C), and a sociodemographic questionnaire with questions related to mental health and history of violence suffered. Higher levels of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress were reported in university students with a history of sexual violence. Being younger, female biological sex, having suffered physical and psychological violence, and not practicing physical exercise are predictors for levels of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Not undergoing psychotherapy has also been shown to be a predictor of anxiety. The study highlights the importance of specialized psychotherapeutic support for SV victims and the creation of public policies to combat this crime.
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Lanhozo et al. (2025) studied this question.
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