The impact of sociocultural contexts on mental health following sexual violence: A conceptual model.

Objective Sexual violence has substantial mental health effects on survivors around the globe. Although there has been increasing attention to the ways that sociocultural environments can affect survivors' recovery, there has been no review to our knowledge of the specific factors within sociocultural environments that offer risk or protection, or the mechanisms by which these factors affect recovery. Method To address this gap, we present a conceptual model supported by a theoretical and empirical review that prioritizes research conducted with ethnic minority and global samples. Results We identify three components of global sociocultural settings-norms, structures, and environmental stressors-that may affect mental health following sexual violence. We propose that these components may affect survivors' mental health by (1) influencing how survivors themselves, survivors' social contexts, and the systems with which survivors come into contact think about and respond to sexual violence, and (2) creating additional sources of stress, burden, or protection for survivors. Conclusions We argue that future research, practice, and policy could have a greater effect on survivors by attending to sociocultural factors in recovery.