Category: Mental Health
Subcategory: Academic Articles
Abstract
This article explores how ongoing exposure to GBV in rural South Africa affects women’s overall sense of wellness—mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. The authors conducted interviews and surveys to document how survivors experience depression, chronic stress, insomnia, social withdrawal, and spiritual distress. Many participants described feeling “less of a person,” having trouble trusting community members, or struggling to engage in worship or prayer as before.
It also highlights coping strategies: several women spoke about turning to prayer, scriptural readings, counseling from church-based support groups, or relying on faith sisters to maintain hope. Yet they also noted that faith alone was insufficient: wellness required safe shelter, counselling services, and community solidarity. The article thus argues for holistic support models that integrate mental health, material safety, and spiritual care.