title: Military sexual trauma during deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan: prevalence, readjustment, and gender differences.
abstract: This study examines military sexual trauma (MST) in men and women deployed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A diverse sample of 470 (408 men and 62 women) completed anonymous self-report questionnaires. Seventy-seven reported MST: 51 (12.5%) men and 26 (42%) women. MST was significantly related to symptoms and readjustment and most strongly with intimacy problems. Of those with MST, 73% also reported exposure to war-related stressors. Gender differences revealed that women reported a higher prevalence of MST, but men were more likely to endorse MST with multiple war-related stressors. However, no gender differences were found on reports of symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or readjustment. Implications of these results are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Women's Mental Health Center, Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System, Long Beach, California 90822, USA. lori.katz@va.gov
authors.forename: Lori S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Geta
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cojucar
authors.forename: Sayeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beheshti
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D015995:Prevalence; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult