Assessment of the Prevalence of Gender-Based Violence and Its Psychological Effects on Women in Onitsha, Anambra State

Gender-based violence imposes severe psychological burdens on affected women, and understanding its prevalence and mental health consequences in urban South East Nigerian communities is essential for counselling intervention planning. This study assessed the prevalence of gender-based violence and its psychological effects on women in Onitsha, Anambra State, South East Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 250 women aged 18 to 50, recruited from healthcare centres and community women's groups in Onitsha North and South LGAs using purposive sampling. A structured questionnaire measured type and frequency of GBV experiences, and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 assessed anxiety and depressive symptomatology. Results indicated that 54.8 percent of respondents had experienced at least one form of gender-based violence in the preceding 12 months. Psychological violence (insulting, belittling, threatening) was most common (62.3 percent of GBV experiences), followed by physical violence (39.7 percent) and sexual coercion (24.6 percent). GBV survivors showed significantly higher anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression (p < 0.001) scores than non-survivors. Help-seeking from formal services was reported by only 17.5 percent of survivors, with fear of stigma (67.4 percent) and lack of awareness of available services (53.2 percent) as primary barriers. The study recommends establishing GBV-specific counselling centres, community awareness campaigns on available services, and training community health workers in trauma-informed counselling referral. Keywords: gender-based violence, psychological effects, women, Anambra State, trauma counselling