Military Sexual Trauma

Designated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Military Sexual Trauma (MST) refers to “sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred while the Veteran was in the military.” Members of either sex may be victimized, and traumas may include inappropriate touching of a sexual nature; threatening, offensive remarks about a person’s body or sexual activities; unwanted sexual advances; sexual assault; or rape. Collected here are resources for veterans to aid in identifying and coping with MST.

National data collected by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ screening program indicates that 1 of 5 women and 1 of 100 men have experienced MST at some point in their military careers. However, the VA cautions that these figures “are almost certainly an underestimate of the actual rate of MST, given that, in general, sexual trauma is frequently underreported.” Veterans’ experiences with MST vary from person to person, and each individual has different needs when it comes to identifying, treating, and recovering from MST. 

Sources:

VA Military Sexual Trauma Webpage

VA Military Sexual Trauma Fact Sheet

Other Online Resources:

AfterDeployment.Org: Military Sexual Trauma

RAINN.Org: Military Sexual Trauma