Restoring self-esteem and quality of life through multidisciplinary care: a cross-sectional evaluation of the Panzi One-Stop Centre model among rape survivors in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
摘要
Sexual violence in conflict settings is a major public health and social justice issue with long-lasting psychological consequences. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Panzi One-Stop Centre model provides integrated medical, psychosocial, legal, and socio-economic support to rape survivors. However, evidence on how different combinations of services are associated with psychosocial well-being and equity in health outcomes remains limited.
MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in July 2025 among 314 rape survivors who had received care between 2022 and 2024 in Eastern DRC. Self-esteem and life satisfaction were assessed using validated scales. Sociodemographic data and care pathways were collected through structured interviews. Standardised scores were analyzed using correlation and regression analyses, while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare mean standardised scores between pillars. General linear models (GLMs) were used to examine associations between sociodemographic factors, care configuration, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Standardized regression coefficients (β) are reported throughout.
ResultsAverage life satisfaction was low, whereas self-esteem was moderately low, with substantial variability across participants. Survivors who were classified in care configurations including a combination of three care pillars (medical, psychosocial and socio-economic support), trend to show the slightly higher observed psychosocial well-being scores, although confidence intervals (CI) overlapped across several subgroups. Medical-only care was associated with comparatively lower observed scores. Employment was positively associated with self-esteem, whereas perceived social support appeared to be more consistently associated with life satisfaction than with self-esteem. A positive association was observed between the number of care pillars utilised and both self-esteem and life satisfaction. Care configurations including the socio-economic pillar tended to display a more pronounced positive relationship between self-esteem and life satisfaction. However, subgroup comparisons should be interpreted cautiously because several groups had small sample sizes and overlapping confidence intervals.
ConclusionsIntegrated multidisciplinary care was positively associated with psychosocial well-being among survivors. Variations observed across different combinations of care pillars suggest that equitable access to holistic services may be related to differences in recovery indicators. These findings highlight the potential relevance of ensuring the continuity and availability of multidisciplinary services for survivors of sexual violence in conflict-affected settings. However, given the cross-sectional nature of the study, these findings should be interpreted as descriptive associations rather than evidence of causal effects and warrant confirmation in longitudinal studies.