Causes and Psycho-Social Impact of Rape on Victims as Perceived by Secondary School Students in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Rape is a heinous and serious crime against humanity. It is not a mere sexual disorder, but rather a criminal offence. The study, therefore, investigated the causes and psychosocial impacts of rape as perceived by secondary school students in Oyo State, Nigeria.  Respondents were selected through a multi-stage sampling method. Firstly, a proportionate sampling technique was used to select the Local Government Areas (LGA) in Oyo state. Secondly, purposive sampling was used to pick secondary schools with the largest population of students. Finally, a simple random sampling technique was applied to select forty-seven (47) respondents from each of the (9) secondary schools selected in this study.  The Perceived Causes and Psycho-social Impact of Rape Questionnaire (CPSIRQ) developed by the study authors, was used to gather information from respondents. For the instrument, a reliability coefficient of 0.77 was obtained. Data were analysed using a t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).  Mean scores that are above 2.5 were accepted as the causes and psycho-social impact of rape while scores below 2.50 were considered as low. The research employed quantitative and qualitative methods. The study found that poor parental upbringing, indecent dressing, and exposure to pornographic films were perceived as major causes of rape, while social stigmatization, insomnia, and depression were perceived as psycho-social impacts. The study recommends proper parental guidance, government enforcement of policies, and community-based initiatives to support victims and hold perpetrators accountable.