Mental health issues of women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The number of women serving in the military and deployed to active-duty is unprecedented in the history of the United States. When women became a permanent sector of the U.S. Armed Services in 1948, their involvement was restricted to comprise only 2% of the military population; today women constitute approximately 14.5% of the 1.4 million active component and 18% of the 850,000 reserve component. Yet, little attention has been paid to the mental health needs of women military members. This review article highlights the history of women in the military and then focuses on the impact of combat exposure and injuries, military sexual trauma, alcohol use, and family separations which are associated with PTSD, depression, suicide, difficulty with reintegration, and homelessness.
V.A. St. Louis Health Care System, St. Louis, Missouri 63125, USA. maryann.boyd@va.gov
Mary Ann
MA
Boyd
Wanda
W
Bradshaw
Marceline
M
Robinson
D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000266:history / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data