Influence of social media usage on knowledge of sexual violence among college medical students in Kenya

Abstract

Introduction: Sexual violence is a violation of human rights and a severe public health problem. It has a profound impact on physical, social, and mental health, both immediately and many years after the assault. Sexual violence in Kenya, as elsewhere in the world, is a complex issue that has as its root the structural inequalities between men and women that result in the persistence of power differentials between the sexes. The research investigates the influence of social media reporting on knowledge of sexual violence amongst the Medical students at MTC Kakamega. The significance was set on the need to research the sexual violence among the medical students. The research was advised of several research gaps on controversial sexual violence studies that were not based on social media. Methods: A descriptive survey was employed with Convenience sampling done. Data was collected by the use of questionnaires submitted electronically through social media and a pilot study done on KMTC Webuye. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.25 and presented using graphs and tables. Results: The data was reliable at alpha .824 and without outliers. More females 54.87% than males, as evidenced by the responses. Majority of 21.7% of 20 years of age and more social media users 98.6%. More acknowledge that social media as a source of information, and 79% agree to have read sexual violence stories of victims on social media. Testing of the hypothesis was done, and the first null hypothesis second null hypothesis was rejected (X 2 =19.609, p>0.001). Recommendations: The government should enhance policy formation for the governance of sexual violence and protecting the youths. Future studies are recommended for lecturers and students in other universities, not only KMTC Kakamega.