15 Percent of Veterans Report Sexual Trauma to the VA

A study released today by the VA's National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder found that 15 percent of the Iraq/Afghanistan vets seeking treatment at VA facilities report experiencing some kind of sexual trauma while serving in the military.  Additionally, these veterans are 1.5 times more likely require mental health care.  These numbers are derived from the nearly 40 percent of recent war veterans who've sought general medical care since being discharged from the military.  Screening all vets coming through VA medical facilities for sexual trauma is a standard practice.

Here are more statistics referenced in the report [via Reuters and USA Today]:|

• 76 percent of women who've had previous sexual trauma reported mental health problems, 51 percent of which include some form of PTSD.
• 47 percent of women without a history of sexual trauma reported mental health problems, 22 percent of which include some form of PTSD.
• Women with military-related sexual trauma experiences have a 59 percent higher risk of mental health problems.
• Men with military-related sexual trauma experiences have a 40 percent higher risk of mental health problems.
• One in seven female vets reported an instance of military sexual trauma.
• Just under one percent of male vets reported an instance of military sexual trauma.

The study covered 125,000 veterans seeking treatment from the VA between October 2001 and October 2007.  Active duty soldiers were not included because the VA is not involved with their care.  Additionally, the specific types of sexual trauma were not included, only the number of occurrences.

Reuters spoke to the new report's co-author Rachel Kimerling:

Kimerling said in a telephone interview the term "military sexual trauma" covers a range of events from coerced sex to outright rape or threatening and unwelcome sexual advances...

..."If you think about military service where you are living and working so closely with the same people, that even if it is not sexual assault ... it is possible that severe sexual harassment is just as traumatic," she said...

...Kimerling said that may mean many veterans are unaware they can be helped and she said she hoped more would come forward to seek treatment.

"There are dedicated health care services for military sexual trauma at every VA facility across the nation," she said.

Sexual trauma can lead to depression, anxiety, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, Kimerling said.

"We know there are effective, evidence-based treatments for them that are used in VA," she added.

Additionally, USA Today wrote of the likelihood female service members will report sexual trauma at all:

Many women are afraid to report the assaults, says Anita Sanchez of the Miles Foundation, a non-profit that provides services to victims of military-related trauma. Fewer than a third of women who come to Miles for help after sexual assaults say they've told the military, she says.

"A typical scenario is it's either a supervisor or someone at her level, in the same military unit. If you come forward, you're tattle-telling on a comrade. Women have told me about the sneers, the sarcastic comments. They can find themselves ostracized," says Sanchez, and when other women see this, the lesson isn't lost on them.

For a detailed introduction to military sexual trauma read this post from last year where I interviewed an expert on the subject.