Sexual Assault in Women Veterans: An Examination of PTSD Risk, Health Care Utilization, and Cost of Care

Abstract

Women veterans have differential rates of PTSD due to sexual assault, with higher rates found among those assaulted while on active duty. Although women with MSA are more likely to have PTSD, results suggest that they are receiving fewer health care services.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in female veterans with military and civilian sexual trauma

“…The literature offers a broad range of military sexual trauma (MST) rates among female veterans, from as low as .04% (Fontana, Schwartz, & Rosenheck, 1997) to as high as 63% (Fontana & Rosenheck, 1998). However, estimates tend to cluster in the 23% to 33% range (Sadler, Booth, Nielson, & Doebbeling, 2000;Skinner, Kressin et al, 2000;Suris, Lind, Kashner, We are indebted to Jack Mearns, Ph.D., for his invaluable contribution to this paper, both with consultation and editing. We also thank Ned Rodriguez, Ph.D., for his important role in the development and implementation of this study.…”

“…Wolfe et al (1998) and Kang, Dalager, Mahan, and Ishii (2005) found that among women serving in the Persian Gulf, victims of sexual aggression had significantly more PTSD symptoms than did nonvictims. Suris et al (2004) reported that about 42% of women with MST had current PTSD. The increased risk for PTSD was 9 times higher for those with MST than without sexual trauma, and 5 times higher for those with MST than for those with civilian sexual trauma.…”

Military Sexual Trauma Exposure and Heart Rate Variability Outcomes in Female Veterans

“…The cascade of events stemming from trauma contributes to negative health outcomes (Street, Stafford, Mahan, & Hendricks, 2008;Suris & Lind, 2008), greater utilization of health services (Sadler et al, 2004;Suris, Lind, Kashner, Borman, & Petty, 2004), more disability applications (Murdoch, Polusny, Hodges, & Cowper, 2006), and increased homelessness of female veterans (Desai, Harpaz-Rotem, Najavitis, & Rosenheck, 2008). Another assumption is that the accuracy of occurrence, severity, or frequency of selfreported MST.…”

“…HRV improved following cognitive behavior therapy sessions in depressed patients in a previous study (Carney et al, 2000), and HRV could provide a physiological measure of psychotherapy effectiveness in future studies (Spira et al, 2006). Mandated removal of the soldier from the environment where the sexual assault occurred by temporary assignment to a safe shelter for timely processing of the traumatic event may prevent costly psychological and physical sequelae Suris & Lind, 2008;Suris et al, 2004).…”

The Use of VA Disability Benefits and Social Security Disability Insurance Among Veterans

“…In All persons who serve in the military are at risk of service-related, disabling injuries, and the high rate of injury among military personnel has been a long-standing concern among military and civilian health policy makers and researchers (Lincoln, Smith, and Baker 2000;Sleet and Baldwin 2010;Sleet, Jones, and Amoroso 2000;Songer and LaPorte 2000). 1 For women in particular, disabilities related to military sexual assault are a specific concern (Frayne et al 2006;Goldzweig et al 2006;Suris et al 2004;Turner et al 2004). Wartime service carries substantially higher risks of disability due to the physical and psychological traumas that are often associated with combat exposure (MacLean 2010(MacLean , 2013.…”