Posted by Carol Roos, DCoE Public Affairs on July 27, 2015
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Robertson
Men and women experience war differently, new research shows. For women in the military social support appears even more vital for maintaining good psychological health, compared to their male peers. Yet social support may be more difficult to find with 85 percent of the active-duty force composed of male service members. According to some female service members, sometimes women in the military find themselves ostracized by their units and social support withheld by the male service members who surround them.
“Ostracism can produce long-term psychological and physical consequences,” said Dr. Kate McGraw, a 16-year Air Force veteran and former missile operations officer who is currently the associate director for psychological health clinical care at Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC).