Military Sexual Trauma in Treatment-Seeking Women Veterans |
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| Authors: | Erin L. Rowe Jaimie L. Gradus Suzanne L. Pineles Sonja V. Batten Eve H. Davison Ph.D. |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institute on Urban Health Research, Northeastern University , Boston , Massachusetts;2. National Center for PTSD, Women's Health Sciences Division , VA Boston Healthcare System , Boston , Massachusetts;3. Department of Psychiatry , Boston University School of Medicine , Boston , Massachusetts;4. VA Maryland Healthcare System, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore , Maryland;5. National Center for PTSD, Women's Health Sciences Division , VA Boston Healthcare System , Boston , Massachusetts;6. Department of Psychiatry , Boston University School of Medicine , Boston , Massachusetts |
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| Abstract: | As the number of women serving in the military continues to grow, it is increasingly important to explore the sequelae of military sexual trauma (MST) among female veterans. The current study included 232 female veterans who sought outpatient mental health treatment at an urban Veterans Affairs hospital. The study's aims were to (a) describe and compare the demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and psychological symptoms of female veterans who have experienced MST to those veterans who do not report this experience; and (b) examine the associations between psychological symptoms and health behaviors in this sample, stratified by MST status. Results indicate that treatment-seeking women veterans who reported experiencing MST endorsed more psychological distress compared to those who did not report experiencing MST. In addition, psychological symptoms were associated with engaging in problematic health behaviors, such as binge eating and infrequent physical exercise among both those women who experienced MST and those who did not. |
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