TY - JOUR
T1 - Assailant identity and self-reported nondisclosure of military sexual trauma in partnered women veterans
AU - Blais, Rebecca K.
AU - Brignone, Emily
AU - Fargo, Jamison D.
AU - Galbreath, Nathan W.
AU - Gundlapalli, Adi V.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this project was provided by the American Psychological Association Division 19 (Military Psychology), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Health Services Research and Development project IIR 12-084.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 American Psychological Association.
PY - 2018/7
Y1 - 2018/7
N2 - Objective: Department of Veterans Affairs estimates of military sexual trauma (MST) suggest 27% of female veterans have experienced MST. However, Department of Defense data (Department of Defense, 2014) show that a subgroup of active-duty women do not report sexual assaults to a military authority, suggesting barriers to disclosure exist among military samples. No study of female veterans has examined rates of nondisclosure among those with previous screens for MST; these data could inform screening efforts and establishment of safe havens for candid disclosures. Method: Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods survey, a history of MST, and postservice MST disclosures during screening and their associations with demographic, assault, and screening-setting characteristics were evaluated in 359 female veterans. Open-ended responses regarding barriers to disclosure were analyzed using editing analysis style. Results: Eighty-one percent (n = 289) reported MST. Of these, 50% (n = 143) reported a prior screening and 25% (n = 35) reported they did not disclose their true MST status. Veterans who experienced MST by a unit-member assailant were significantly less likely to disclose (adjusted odds ratio = 4.75, 95% confidence interval = 1.20 -18.30). Disclosure barriers included stigma, experiential avoidance, and discomfort with the screening setting. Conclusion: Creative interventions to reduce nondisclosure among female veterans, with specific attention to those assaulted by a unit member, are urgently needed.
AB - Objective: Department of Veterans Affairs estimates of military sexual trauma (MST) suggest 27% of female veterans have experienced MST. However, Department of Defense data (Department of Defense, 2014) show that a subgroup of active-duty women do not report sexual assaults to a military authority, suggesting barriers to disclosure exist among military samples. No study of female veterans has examined rates of nondisclosure among those with previous screens for MST; these data could inform screening efforts and establishment of safe havens for candid disclosures. Method: Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods survey, a history of MST, and postservice MST disclosures during screening and their associations with demographic, assault, and screening-setting characteristics were evaluated in 359 female veterans. Open-ended responses regarding barriers to disclosure were analyzed using editing analysis style. Results: Eighty-one percent (n = 289) reported MST. Of these, 50% (n = 143) reported a prior screening and 25% (n = 35) reported they did not disclose their true MST status. Veterans who experienced MST by a unit-member assailant were significantly less likely to disclose (adjusted odds ratio = 4.75, 95% confidence interval = 1.20 -18.30). Disclosure barriers included stigma, experiential avoidance, and discomfort with the screening setting. Conclusion: Creative interventions to reduce nondisclosure among female veterans, with specific attention to those assaulted by a unit member, are urgently needed.
KW - Mixed methods
KW - Nondisclosure of military sexual trauma
KW - Sexual assault
KW - Treatment barriers
KW - Women veterans
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U2 - 10.1037/tra0000320
DO - 10.1037/tra0000320
M3 - Article
C2 - 29016157
AN - SCOPUS:85030699584
SN - 1942-9681
VL - 10
SP - 470
EP - 474
JO - Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
JF - Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
IS - 4
ER -