Prevalence of depressive and alcohol abuse symptoms among women VA outpatients who report experiencing sexual assault while in the military

Abstract

Among a national sample of 3,632 women VA outpatients, we determined self-reported prevalence of sexual assault experienced during military service and compared screening prevalence for current symptoms of depression and alcohol abuse between those who did and did not report this history. Data were obtained by mailed questionnaire. Military-related sexual assault was reported by 23%. Screening prevalence for symptoms of current depression was 3 times higher and for current alcohol abuse was 2 times higher among those who reported experiencing military-related sexual assault. Recent mental health treatment was reported by 50% of those who reported experiencing sexual assault during military service and screened positive for symptoms of depression, and by 40% of those who screened positive for symptoms of alcohol abuse.

Factors associated with women's risk of rape in the military environment

“…Even though our research was not intended or designed to investigate prevalence estimates of violence against women veterans, the rates of violence are similar to those described in military and civilian populations. The rate of rape found in our research (28%) is similar to that of other studies of women veterans reported by Hankin et al [1999] (23%), and Murdock and Nichol [1995] (25% of women age 50 or younger), and Coyle et al [1996] (29%).…”

“…Sexual assault during military service is frequently reported by women seeking care from The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) (23 to 29%) [Murdock and Nichol, 1995;Coyle et al, 1996;Hankin et al, 1999]. Health related consequences of physical and sexual violence [Sadler et al, 2000], and risk factors for women's non-fatal assaults have previously been reported [Sadler et al, 2001].…”

Effects of Military Trauma Exposure on Women Veterans’ Use and Perceptions of Veterans Health Administration Care

“…Military sexual assault was strongly associated with poorer perceptions of VHA care as well as more problems with VHA doctors and staff, even after accounting for depressive symptoms, which may contribute to negative appraisals of VHA services. These results are important in light of the fact that women veterans who have experienced military sexual assault are more likely than women veterans without these experiences to have poorer health functioning as seen in the present study and in other studies, 7,35,36 and in turn, tend to have higher rates of health care utilization. The finding that combat exposure was not a significant predictor of problems with VHA care is encouraging.…”

“…Participants were selected using a stratified sampling design. This design included 12 strata: 3 age groups, representing pre-Vietnam, Vietnam, and postVietnam cohorts (over 50, [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49], and under 35 years), 2 racial groups (black and non-black), and 3 VHA user groups (nonusers, former users, and current users). Smaller strata were oversampled (e.g., African Americans under 35) to facilitate group comparisons.…”

Gender Differences in Rates of Depression, PTSD, Pain, Obesity, and Military Sexual Trauma Among Connecticut War Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan

“…Sexual coercion and unwanted sexual attention within the military occur at an annual rate of 8% and 27%, respectively, among women and 1% and 5%, respectively, among men. 17 Evidence suggests that women who have experienced MST report higher levels of depression, substance abuse, and medical conditions 18,19 than those without MST. A more recent study suggests that there is a strong association between MST and mental health conditions, including PTSD, eating disorders, and personality disorders.…”