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Research News
November 18, 2008
Military Sexual Trauma Findings Released
VA has adopted the term "military sexual trauma" (MST) to refer to severe or threatening forms of sexual harassment and assault sustained during military service. HSR&D researchers Rachel Kimerling, PhD, and Joanne Pavao, MPH, presented findings from a recent report discussing the rates of veterans seeking treatment for MST. The study found that among Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans, nearly one in seven women (approximately 15 percent) accessing VA healthcare screened positive for MST. Further, 0.7 percent of males also reported having experienced MST. Both men and women veterans of OEF/OIF who reported a history of MST also were more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition than patients who did not report an experience of MST. This study only looked at women and men who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, were discharged from the military, and then came to VA for healthcare.
This report was presented at the American Public Health Association's 136th Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego. Considerable data from the findings also were cited by Senator Hillary Clinton in an October 31 letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Senator Clinton requested that the Pentagon report back on its efforts to protect service members from sexual assault and better respond to incidents when they occur.
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