# The mental health prognosis of offspring born of genocidal rape is influenced by family members, the community and their perceptions toward them

## TL;DR

Offspring born of genocidal rape face mental health challenges influenced by family and community perceptions, and their coping strategies.

## Contribution

This study explores the mental health prognosis of offspring born of genocidal rape, focusing on the impact of family and community attitudes and coping strategies.

## Key findings

- Family and community maltreatment exacerbate psychological distress in offspring born of genocidal rape.
- Offspring use coping strategies like social isolation, hiding their history, and harmful alcohol use.
- Culturally relevant mental health interventions are needed to support these individuals and reduce stigma.

## Abstract

There is little known about the family and community maltreatment of the offspring born of the genocidal rape and the offspring’s self-perceptions and how they influence their recovery from mental health problems. This study aimed to examine how the mental health prognosis of these offspring could be influenced by the family or community perceptions and attitudes toward them and their self-perception and coping strategies.

Thirty-two semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted on 16 dyads of mothers and their offspring who were selected from countrywide. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatims that were analysed inductively using thematic analysis within the NVivo 12 software.

Participants reported long-term psychological and psychosomatic consequences stemming from being born of genocidal rape. Notably, family and community maltreatment of the offspring and their self-perception exacerbated psychological distress and affected their capacity to recover. The majority of the offspring were using coping strategies such as sole collaboration with peers with the same history, efforts to hide their birth history, social Isolation (silence, untrusting, involvement in media etc), hardworking, reversed roles in the parental relationship, extreme involvement in praying, and harmful alcohol use.

Given the documented detrimental effects of individual, family and community attitudes and perceptions on psychological, and psychosomatic symptoms as well as the offspring coping strategies, culturally relevant mental health interventions are required to support the well-being and social reintegration of individuals born of genocidal rape while minimizing stigma and their maladaptive coping strategies.