Almost one third of Iraq/Afghanistan women veterans with PTSD report military sexual trauma

September 15, 2011 By Steve Tokar in Psychology & Psychiatry

Thirty-one percent of women veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder reported military sexual trauma (MST), in contrast to one percent of men with PTSD, according to a study led by Shira Maguen, PhD, a psychologist at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

Both men and women veterans with PTSD who reported MST were more likely to be diagnosed with other . Women were more likely to be diagnosed with depression, anxiety and , while men were more likely to be diagnosed with disorders.

After adjusting for demographic and characteristics, the researchers determined that reporting MST were four times more likely to develop PTSD than women not reporting MST.

The authors emphasize that since they investigated , rather than conducting a tracking the occurrence of MST and PTSD in people over time, they were not able to identify a cause-and-effect relationship between MST and PTSD.

The study appeared on September 12, 2011 in the online Articles in Press Section of Women’s Health Issues.

In the VA system, MST is defined as uninvited and unwanted sexual attention and/or the use of force or threat of force resulting in unwilling sexual contact.

“In light of the significant proportion of women with PTSD who report MST, it is fortunate that existing VA protocols for treating PTSD are known to be effective in dealing with sexual trauma,” said Maguen, who is also an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. “Nonetheless, this is an important public health issue that deserves continued attention in order to ensure the best possible care for returning veterans with PTSD who have experienced MST.”

The study authors recommend that the VA continue to develop new treatment protocols that target PTSD, depression and substance use disorders.

The study examined the health records of 213,803 veterans who were first-time users of the VA system. Of all the veterans, 74,493 were diagnosed with PTSD. Of the 7,255 women in that group, 2,240 women reported MST.

The authors caution that MST did not necessarily occur during combat, but could have happened at any time during military service, and that perpetrators were not necessarily U.S. military personnel.

A previous study by other researchers showed a 15 percent MST rate among female Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the VA health care system; that study did not look at MST among veterans diagnosed with .

Women play an increasingly important role in the US military, Maguen noted, comprising 12 percent of the forces sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, 15 percent of active military personnel and 17 percent of National Guard and Reserve personnel.

“Even though women are technically restricted to combat support roles, in practice they see combat, carry weapons, witness killing and are generally exposed to much more trauma than women in earlier wars,” said Maguen.

Co-authors of the study are Beth Cohen, MD, MAS, of SFVAMC and UCSF; Li Ren, MS, and Jeane Bosch, MPH, of SFVAMC; Rachel Kimerling, PhD, of VA Palo Alto Health Care System; and Karen Seal, MD, MPH, of SFVAMC and UCSF.

The study was supported by funds from the Department of Defense, the VA, and the National Institutes of Health, some of which were administered by the Northern California Institute for Research and Education.

NCIRE - The Veterans Health Research Institute - is the largest research institute associated with a VA medical center. Its mission is to improve the health and well-being of veterans and the general public by supporting a world-class biomedical research program conducted by the UCSF faculty at SFVAMC.

SFVAMC has the largest medical research program in the national VA system, with more than 200 research scientists, all of whom are faculty members at UCSF.

UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.

Provided by University of California, San Francisco search and more info website

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tjcoop3
Sep 16, 2011

Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
So the baby killers aren't satisfied with just raping and slaughtering innocent Iraqi and Afghani women and girls they also rape and assault 1 in 3 of their fellow female soldiers as well.

The few, the proud, the deranged.
Join the new all volunteer army. We will teach you how to rape and sexually assault innocent women girls and babies even a boy or two if you are so inclined.
We will also train you in the multitudinous ways of killing and maiming of innocents whether by radioactive waste products, mines or other fun weapons.
We will also throw in some pretty good lookin' girls to work along side so when yur boord you kin have a good ol' time with them as well.
'Course, they may put up a fight but this is a mans army so nothin' much will happen in the end anyways. And you will probably end up with some shiny medals and a letter from the President sayin' what a brave man you were for all the killin' of all them innocent..er..uh..terrorist types you done.
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