Experiences with VHA care: a qualitative study of U.S. women veterans with self-reported trauma histories

Abstract

BackgroundWomen veterans in the United States, particularly those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or a history of military sexual assault, have unique health care needs, but their minority status in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has led to documented healthcare disparities when compared to men. This study’s objective was to obtain a richer understanding of the challenges and successes encountered by women veterans with self-reported service-related trauma histories (particularly those with a history of military sexual assault and/or posttraumatic stress symptomology) receiving VHA care.MethodsThirty-seven female Vietnam and post-Vietnam (1975–1998) era veterans were randomly selected from a cohort of PTSD disability benefit applicants to complete semi-structured interviews in 2011–2012. Grounded-theory informed procedures were used to identify interview themes; differences between veterans with and without a history of military sexual assault were examined through constant comparison.ResultsAt the time of the interviews, many women believed that VHA was falling short of meeting women veterans’ needs (e.g., lack of women-only mental health programming). Also common, but particularly among those with a military sexual assault history, was the perception that VHA’s environment was unwelcoming; being “surrounded by men” yielded emotions ranging from discomfort and mistrust to severe anxiety. A few veterans reported recent positive changes and offered additional suggestions for improvement.ConclusionsFindings suggest that while at the time of the interviews gains had been made in the delivery of gender-sensitive outpatient medical care, women veterans with a history of military sexual assault and/or posttraumatic stress symptomology perceived that they were not receiving the same quality of care as male veterans.

Veterans’ Health Care Utilization in Department of Veterans Affairs Facilities Two to Twelve Years after Applying for PTSD Service Connection: Findings from a Nationally Representative Cohort

“…Nor were we able to examine gender's impact, if any, on the relationship between PTSD service connection and VA health care utilization. Compared to men, the women in this study were significantly less likely to be service connected for PTSD [10]; further, they identified particular barriers to receiving women-centric care that may have prompted them to seek mental health services elsewhere [15]. Results from this study may not generalize to Veterans with service connection for other disorders and they may not apply to Veterans from more recent conflicts.…”

Savaş Ve Kadin

“…Irak savaşı sırasında yaralanan 12 kadın askerle yapılan bir araştırmada ölümlerin yanı sıra en fazla yaralanma biçimlerinin; böbrek yaralanması, vulva, vajina, perine, mesane hasarı, kolorektal yaralanmalar, alt ekstremitelerde ampütasyon, patlayıcı madde ile yaralanma ve silahla yaralanma olarak belirtilmiştir (Reed et all, 2018). Vietnam'da savaşan Amerikalı kadın askerler; travma sonrası stres bozukluğu yaşadıklarını ayrıca bir kısmı da cinsel istismara maruz kaldıklarını bildirmişlerdir (Kehle-Forbes et al, 2017). 9.…”

Healthcare Access among Older Rural Women Veterans in Utah*

“…Although some recent research (e.g., Reiber and LaCroix 2016) addresses women veterans' life course experiences and health outcomes, other studies typically have examined specific aspects of female veterans' lives, such as early retirement (Dichter and True 2015), the effects of sexual abuse on their life course (Forman‐Hoffman et al 2012), and gender differences in mental health (Kehle‐Forbes et al 2017; Maguen et al 2010). Thus, the need continues for studies of women veterans' health and changes over the life course (Reiber and LaCroix 2016; Settersten and Patterson 2006).…”