Summary
We observed high prevalence of mental health conditions, and large differences corresponding to experiences of sexual violence, in adolescents living in informal settlements in this study. These findings suggest a need for more research and programming with a focus on the relationship between mental health and sexual violence in these settings. This study also has implications for policy makers and funders. In particular, the findings that young people who are raped as fairly young children, as well as those with larger economic disadvantages, are more likely to report mental health challenges speaks to unmet need. Few prevention interventions for either sexual assault or poor mental health outcomes are aimed at young people before their teenage years; but it seems possible that such targeting to younger populations might help mitigate health issues and related expenses that have the potential to be life-long. Furthermore, understanding the causal relationship between sexual assault and mental health conditions, and the reverse, may allow more interventions to tackle both challenges simultaneously in order to improve the health of these poorly served populations.