‘It's much worse than dying’: the experiences of female victims of sexual violence

Aims and objectives To describe the experiences of women who have suffered sexual violence and the impact and importance of that violence on their lives. Background Sexual violence against women is a serious problem worldwide. Studies need to investigate how women reorganise their lives after experiencing sexual violence. Design A qualitative design was used to explore women's experiences. Methods This study analysed semistructured interviews of 11 women who had experienced a sexual assault. The interviews were performed at a specialised walk‐in clinic at a university hospital in the interior of São Paulo State, Brazil. A thematic analysis of the content led to the identification of the following themes: (1) impact and meaning of the violence; (2) feelings; (3) overcoming the violence and (4) expectations for the future. Results Sexual violence had a devastating impact on the lives of these women. The women's postviolence experiences caused feelings of guilt, impotence, fragility and immobility. These experiences also instilled a belief that they may have ‘provoked’ the violence. Nevertheless, the women showed resilience, investing all of their energy in returning their lives to pre‐violence conditions. Family, friends and other important people, as well as the care that the women received from health services, were cited as factors that sustained this attitude of resilience. Conclusions Providing appropriate care to female victims of sexual assault requires not only treating the physical damage caused by the violence but also evaluating the particularities of the experience's emotional impact on each woman and the psychosocial repercussions of the experience. Relevance to clinical practice Health professionals should follow up with women during their recovery period.