Prevalence of technology facilitated and other gender-based violence among adolescent girls in Gqeberha, South Africa and its association with probable common mental disorders

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence is raising alarms that technology facilitated gender-based violence (TF-GBV) is a growing public health concern with impacts on child wellbeing, yet little research on the topic has been conducted in middle-income country settings. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of TF-GBV, other GBV, and their association with common mental disorder (CMD) symptoms among adolescent girls in South Africa.

METHODS: Trained enumerators facilitated surveys on exposure to physical and sexual violence with adolescent girls aged 10-19 from 14 low-income primary and secondary public schools. An index of TF-GBV assessed past-year exposure to acts such as public posting of sexual photos. CMD screening used Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 tools. Generalized estimating equations assessed associations between violence (TF-GBV, other GBV, or both) and CMD.

RESULTS: A total of 1,540 adolescent girls participated in the study. Most participants identified as Black (84%). CMD symptoms were more prevalent among girls in secondary school (37%) than primary school (10%). All forms of past-year GBV were more prevalent among secondary school girls, including TF-GBV (43% vs. 11% in primary school girls). Exposure to both TF-GBV and other forms of GBV were significantly associated with a 3.68 times higher risk of CMD (aRR = 3.68, 95% CI 2.42-5.62) after adjusting for demographics and partnership status.

CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the need for targeted content to address TF-GBV within existing GBV programs, and its impact on mental health among adolescent girls in similar contexts.