"I just became like a log of wood … I was paralyzed all over my body": women's lived experiences of tonic immobility following rape.

ABSTRACT: Tonic immobility is considered the last involuntary self-protecting act/mechanism experienced by victims of rape when they are under attack. It is associated with trauma related mental health risks post-rape. Despite this, tonic immobility has not received priority as an area of research on Nigerian female victims of rape. As a result, little has been known about this phenomenon by nurses and other professionals who are involved in the care and management of rape survivors in Nigeria. The limited knowledge about tonic immobility as a phenomenon might have resulted in mismanagement and secondary victimization of rape victims experiencing manifestations suggestive of tonic immobility during or after rape. This study was a qualitative narrative inquiry that explored, analysed, and interpreted

SUBMITTER: Gbahabo DD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8281371 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature