Military Sexual Trauma in Female Veterans: Psychoeducation and Treatment Approaches

Spence, Jeanne

doi:10.33015/dominican.edu/2017.cp.01

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Continued efforts, such as those supported through postdeployment and healthcare transition offices, are needed to engage women to link with care following separation from service. Educational campaigns to increase awareness and literacy regarding treatment for PTSD may prove useful in destigmatizing treatment-seeking (Foynes et al, 2018; Spence, 2017). Additionally, the incorporation of female peer support specialists may be especially helpful for increasing comfort with accessing care and encouraging the use of emotional support coping (Blanch et al, 2012; Drebing et al, 2018; Goldstein et al, 2018; Smith et al, 2020; U.S.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations among military sexual trauma, positive alcohol expectancies, and coping behaviors in female veterans.

Rodriguez¹,

King²,

Buchholz³

2024

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: Military sexual trauma (MST) is prevalent among female veterans and is associated with deleterious health outcomes. Adaptive coping strategies (e.g., emotional support) are associated with more positive outcomes, while maladaptive strategies (e.g., substance use) are associated with greater impairment. However, research on factors that influence specific coping strategy use is limited. For women with a history of MST, expectancies about the effects of alcohol may enhance the use of maladaptive and reduce the use of adaptive strategies. The present study tested this hypothesis. Associations among MST status and two coping behaviors (emotional support, substance use) in female veterans were examined and the mediating role of positive alcohol expectancies on these relationships was tested. Method: A secondary analysis was conducted using self-report survey data from 186 female veterans in a Northeastern region. Measures included a brief screen for MST, the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5, the Brief Cope, and the Brief Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire. Results: Among all respondents, positive alcohol expectancies were significantly associated with greater substance use coping, while PTSD symptom severity was negatively associated with emotional support coping. Though women with MST reported greater positive alcohol expectancies and PTSD symptom severity, the direct effects of MST on coping were not significant. Mediation was not supported in our sample. Conclusions: Alcohol expectancies may be a viable target for intervention to reduce alcohol use as a maladaptive coping strategy among female veterans. Similarly, treatment targeting PTSD symptoms, regardless of MST status, is important for enhancing the use of adaptive coping strategies. Clinical Impact StatementThis study examined factors that influence the use of specific coping behaviors among female veterans. Women who endorsed greater positive alcohol expectancies (i.e., alcohol would help them relax, socialize, and engage in intimacy) also reported more frequent use of alcohol and illicit drugs as a coping strategy. Additionally, women with greater posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms reported less use of emotional support. These findings are important because they highlight two possible targets for intervention to improve health-related outcomes in female veterans: modifying alcohol expectancies could decrease the use of maladaptive coping and treating PTSD symptoms could facilitate the use of more adaptive strategies.

show abstract