The relationship of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) to sexual-risk behaviours among refugee women in Botswana: the role of depression

Johannes John-Langba, African Population and Health Research Center

This study investigated the relationships of SGBV, learned helplessness, depression, and sexual-risk behaviours among refugee women in Botswana. It was found that about 75% of participants had experienced some form of SGBV either in their home country, during flight/transit, or in the host country. More than half (56.4%) had experienced SGBV in their home countries, 39.3% reported experiencing SGBV during flight/transit, and about 37% of the participants experienced SGBV while in Botswana. Past SGBV was categorized into past physical violence, past intimidation and control, and past sexual violence. Simultaneous multiple regression analysis showed that past SGBV predicts current sexual-risk behaviour among refugee women (F = 2.018; p < .011). Although, the hypothesized mediating roles of learned helplessness and depression on the relationship between past SGBV and current sexual-risk behaviour were not supported in this study, more than half of the participants (55%) experienced learned helplessness and about 90% were depressed.