Higher self-stigma is related to lower likelihood of disclosing military sexual trauma during screening in female veterans.

Felicia J. Andresen · Rebecca K. Blais

40 citations0/0 files storedPsychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy

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Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Gender, Security, and Conflict

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Recent prevalence estimates indicate 38% of female service members/veterans (SM/Vs) report military sexual trauma (MST). This estimate is higher than Veterans Affairs estimates, which suggest 28% report MST during screening. The discrepant estimate suggests possible barriers to disclosing MST, which are not well-identified in the literature. The current study examined whether being assaulted by a fellow unit member and stigma for seeking help to treat the sequelae of MST from self, unit leader/command, and romantic partners were correlates of MST nondisclosure among 209 female SM/Vs. METHOD: Participants completed a self-report questionnaire assessing MST nondisclosure, MST assailant characteristics, and stigma from the aforementioned sources as well as demographic, military, and mental health characteristics. Logistic regression analyses adjusting for military rank, MST severity, age, marital status and satisfaction, and probable mental health diagnoses determined whether being assaulted by a fellow unit member (yes/no) or stigma from various sources were associated with MST nondisclosure. RESULTS: Thirty-seven (17.70%) participants did not disclose MST during a previous screening. At the bivariate level, participants who did not disclose MST reported higher self-stigma and anticipated enacted stigma from unit leader/command and romantic partner. After adjusting for covariates, only higher self-stigma was associated with MST nondisclosure. CONCLUSIONS: Female veterans who report higher self-stigma were less likely to disclose their MST during screening. Such findings are consistent with previous literature demonstrating that self-stigma, relative to other forms of stigma, relates to lower help-seeking behaviors. Efforts to increase the disclosure of MST during screening should focus on reducing self-stigma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

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1969Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity 2003The Patient Health Questionnaire-2 2002The PHQ-9: A New Depression Diagnostic and Severity Measure 2015Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth Edition (PCL-5) in veterans.2007Testing the ruler with item response theory: Increasing precision of measurement for relationship satisfaction with the Couples Satisfaction Index.2006Measuring the self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help.1997Betrayal trauma: the logic of forgetting childhood abuse 2007The Veterans Health Administration and Military Sexual Trauma

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2022Veterans Health Administration Screening for Military Sexual Trauma May Not Capture Over Half of Cases Among Midlife Women Veterans

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