Social Support, Distress Disclosure, and Mental Health Among Survivors of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda

The 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda resulted in the murder of nearly one million Rwandan Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Given its large scale and devastating impact, it is critical to understand how survivors of this genocide have fared. The present study investigates the protective roles of social support and distress disclosure against posttraumatic stress disorder, depressive, and anxiety symptoms among survivors of this genocide who were recruited via a survivor organization (N = 289). Path analysis investigated five models testing the indirect effects of social support on the relations between distress disclosure and five mental health outcomes (i.e., avoidance, hyperarousal, intrusion, anxiety, and depressive symptoms). Social support mediated the relationship between distress disclosure and hyperarousal, intrusion, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms. Results suggest that social support is a key facilitator of the relationship between distress disclosure and negative mental health outcomes, and therefore, social support may be an important intervention vehicle for genocide survivors.