Sexual trauma affects 15 percent of U.S. veterans

Washington, United States, October 29: A latest research indicates that around 15 percent of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are undergoing treatment at the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department (VA), having been afflicted by sexual trauma from harassment to rape.

As per the reports by the VA, these veterans require 1.5 times more mental health services as compared to other veterans.

Rachel Kimerling of the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California, said, “ We are, in fact, detecting men and women who seem to have a significant need for mental health services.”

The research study was put forth at a meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego.

Describing the term “military sexual trauma”, Kimerling said that it covers various aspects ranging from forced sex to rape or unpleasant sexual advances. The current study did not focus on what type of sexual trauma occurred or what actually happened.

Kimerling added, “If you think about military service where you are living and working so closely with the same people, that even if it is not sexual assault ... it is possible that severe sexual harassment is just as traumatic.”

The study does not take into account those servicemen and women who are currently working, because VA provides services only to discharged veterans.

Nearly 40 percent of the discharged veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have asked for medical help from the VA. VA has a universal screening program designed to help patients deal with military sexual trauma.

So many veterans are not even aware that they can be helped by the VA services. But it is being hoped that now more veterans will come forward to seek medical care.

Among the veterans who are affected, most are women. It has been reported that more than one in seven women in need of health care have undergone sexual trauma. On the other hand, 1 percent of males reported military sexual trauma.

The fallouts of sexual trauma can be depressiondefine, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse. So, counselling becomes mandatory in such cases.