Worldwide women are confronted with acts of violence against their gender, acts consisting
of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault. In recent years in South Africa, the experiences
and specialized needs of these victims have been receiving increased attention in the media. It
has also been addressed in multiple research studies and on the level of policy and lawmaking.
The aim of this quantitative study is to investigate the relationship between coping
strategies, social support and psychological functioning of adult female rape victims in the
North-West Province. The sample consists of 50 adult females and data was collected from
the KOSH Crisis Centre, Klerksdorp. The data was collected using a Biographical
Questionnaire and self-report measures known as the Brief COPE (Brief - Coping with
problems experienced), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS),
and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The results of this study indicated the
following that may require further exploration: that there is a positive correlation between
specific coping strategies and the psychological functioning of the rape victims, that there is a
positive correlation between perceived social support and the psychological functioning of
the rape victims, and there is a positive correlation between perceived social support and the
specific coping strategies of the rape victims. The results are discussed against the
background of previous studies and highlight the pressing need to effectively address the
specific challenges of rape victims as well as the possibility of positively influencing the
psychological functioning of these women through counselling and the use of adaptive
coping strategies and social supportЮ