The invisible pain of women: sexual coercion, psychological distress and somatic symptoms

SUMMARY. Introduction. Sexual coercion among married women is a widely concealed and a serious public health concern that may impede physical, sexual and psychological health of women. Purpose. We aimed to investigate the associations between sexual coercion, psychological distress and somatic symptoms among married women. Methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out from September 2018 to March 2019 at the International Islamic University, Pakistan. A sample of 200 married women with equal proportion of working and home bound women was selected whilst using non-probability purposive sampling technique from the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad (Pakistan). Information about study variables were gathered through Sexual Coercion in Intimate Relationship Scale, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and Somatic Symptoms Scale. Linear regression analysis, a moderation analysis and a t-test was carried out using SPSS 23. Results. Sexual coercion was positively related to psychological distress and somatic symptoms among married women (p<.001). As a predictor variable, sexual coercion explained a variance of 53% in psychological distress and 35% in somatic symptoms. Additionally, home bound married women were more prone to suffer from sexual coercion, distress of psychological nature and somatic symptoms than married working women (p<.001). Discussion. Overall, women who experience sexual coercion have poorer psychological health. Study findings support the notion that husbands may act coercively to acquire or retain an impersonal sense of control and power more on home bound women. Additionally, working status might be a reason that work will positively contribute to the mental health of working women that needs further exploring.