Military sexual trauma among women Veterans: The buffering effect of coworker support

Nicholas A Smith; Jacquelyn M Brady; Leslie B Hammer; Kathleen F Carlson; Cynthia D Mohr

doi:10.1080/08995605.2020.1806635

Military sexual trauma among women Veterans: The buffering effect of coworker support

Mil Psychol. 2020 Dec 14;32(6):441-449. doi: 10.1080/08995605.2020.1806635. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Nicholas A Smith¹, Jacquelyn M Brady², Leslie B Hammer¹, Kathleen F Carlson³, Cynthia D Mohr⁴

Affiliations

¹ Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University & Department of Psychology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.
² Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
³ HSR&D Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC), VA Portland Health Care System & Epidemiology & Environmental Systems and Human Health, OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, Portland, Oregon.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.

Abstract

Prior research has demonstrated the impact of military sexual trauma (MST) on health and well-being. However, little empirical work has been published identifying protective factors for women who have experienced MST. We examined the impact of two different forms of MST, harassment-only and assault MST, on PTSD symptoms and social functional impairment in a sample of women Veterans employed in the civilian workforce. The effects of MST were examined at three different times over a period of 9 months. We found that MST that included both harassment and assault was associated with significantly higher levels of PTSD symptoms and social functional impairment across three different time points among women Veterans employed in civilian jobs. Further, the pattern of results suggested that coworker support can buffer against these negative outcomes experienced by women who reported assault MST. Overall, findings suggest that coworker support is one critical resource for women Veterans who experienced assault MST.

Keywords: Military sexual trauma; PTSD; coworker support; sexual assault; women Veterans.

Grants and funding

The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work was supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, through the USAMRMC Broad Agency Announcement under Award W81XWH-13-2-0020. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.