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Rønning L, Shor R, Anyan F, Hjemdal O, Jakob Bøe H, Dempsey CL, Espetvedt Nordstrand A. The Prevalence of Sexual Harassment and Bullying Among Norwegian Afghanistan Veterans: Does Workplace Harassment Disproportionately Impact the Mental Health and Life Satisfaction of Female Soldiers? JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2024:8862605241248432. [PMID: 38686604 DOI: 10.1177/08862605241248432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Experiencing sexual harassment and bullying during military service can lead to negative consequences for a soldier's mental health and life satisfaction, including increased risk of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. No studies have to date investigated the prevalence and correlates of sexual harassment and bullying among Norwegian Afghanistan veterans, despite the increased global focus on these topics. In 2020, 6,205 Norwegian Afghanistan veterans (8.3% women) completed an online post-deployment survey, including questions about experiences of sexual harassment, bullying, mental health, and life satisfaction. Compared to their male counterparts, female veterans experienced significantly more sexual harassment and bullying during Afghanistan deployment (3.2% vs. 0.04% for experiencing sexual harassment, and 4.0% vs. 1.0% for bullying) and during other military services (14.3% vs. 0.4% for sexual harassment, and 15.9% vs. 3.7% for bullying). Sexual harassment was associated with younger age and experiencing childhood sexual harassment for both women and men, with men also having longer deployments. Bullying was associated with longer deployments and childhood sexual harassment for women, while men who reported bullying more often had longer deployments, held an officer rank, were less inclined to have a spouse/intimate partner, and reported childhood sexual harassment and bullying. Both sexual harassment and bullying were associated with increased risk of mental health problems and reduced life satisfaction for women, but this was only true for bullying among men. Despite lower reported rates of workplace harassment compared to studies from other cultures, this study demonstrates that sexual harassment and bullying in the military can negatively impact soldiers' mental health and life satisfaction. Notably, female veterans' mental health and life satisfaction appear to be particularly affected by sexual harassment during military service, an association not seen in males. This underscores the need for gender-specific, cultural, and context-sensitive prevention and support for workplace harassment experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Line Rønning
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Rachel Shor
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Frederick Anyan
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Odin Hjemdal
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Hans Jakob Bøe
- Institute of Military Psychiatry, Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Catherine L Dempsey
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Andreas Espetvedt Nordstrand
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Institute of Military Psychiatry, Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services, Oslo, Norway
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Moreau C, Duron S, Bedretdinova D, Bohet A, Panjo H, Bajos N, Meynard JB. Mental health consequences of military sexual trauma: results from a national survey in the French military. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:214. [PMID: 35109815 PMCID: PMC8812201 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-12545-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Military sexual trauma (MST) is a major public health concern, given its prevalence and mental health sequelae. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent among women in the US military, although more cases involve men given their overrepresentation. Little is known about MST and its consequences in other military settings, including in Europe. METHODS This study draws from a national survey in the French military, including 1268 servicemen and 232 servicewomen. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analysis, using simple and multinomial logistic regressions to evaluate the associations between different forms of MST (repeated sexual comments alone/one form of sexual oppression (coercion, repeated verbal unwanted attention or assault)/ several sexual stressors) and symptoms of depression and of positive post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screening scores. RESULTS Women were both more likely to experience MST and to experience more severe forms of MST than men. Women were also more likely than men to report mental health symptoms (31% versus 18% for symptoms of depression and 4.0% versus 1.8% for positive PTSD screening scores). Different forms of MST were associated with different levels of psychological distress. Women reporting repeated sexual comments alone had higher odds of depressive symptoms (OR=3.1 [1.7, 5.5]) relative to women with no MST. Likewise, the odds of depressive symptoms were 6.5 times higher among women and 8.0 times higher among men who experienced several sexual stressors relative to those who reported no MST. We also found higher relative risk of subthreshold PTSD screening scores among women reporting any form of sexual stressor, including sexual comments alone (RRR = 4.5 [2.8, 7.4]) and an elevenfold increase in the relative risk of positive PTSD screen scores (RRR = 11.3 [2.3, 55.6]) among women who experienced several sexual stressors relative to women with no MST. CONCLUSION MST is associated with mental health distress among service members in the French military, especially for women. The heightened risk of MST coupled with psychological sequelae call for preventive programs to reduce MST and for screening programs to provide adequate psychological support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Moreau
- Soins et Santé Primaire, CESP Centre for research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Inserm, F-94807, Villejuif, France. .,Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Sandrine Duron
- French Military Center for Epidemiology and Public Health, Marseille, France.,INSERM, UMR S912, « Economic & Social Sciences for Health and Processing of Medical Information » (SESSTIM), F-13385, Marseille, France
| | - Dina Bedretdinova
- Soins et Santé Primaire, CESP Centre for research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Inserm, F-94807, Villejuif, France
| | - Aline Bohet
- Soins et Santé Primaire, CESP Centre for research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Inserm, F-94807, Villejuif, France
| | - Henri Panjo
- Soins et Santé Primaire, CESP Centre for research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Inserm, F-94807, Villejuif, France
| | - Nathalie Bajos
- IRIS Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Social Issues Social Sciences Politics Health, U997 Inserm - EHESS, F-93322, Aubervilliers, France
| | - Jean Baptiste Meynard
- French Military Center for Epidemiology and Public Health, Marseille, France.,INSERM, UMR S912, « Economic & Social Sciences for Health and Processing of Medical Information » (SESSTIM), F-13385, Marseille, France.,French Military Medical Academy, Ecole du Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France
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Moreau C, Bedretdinova D, Duron S, Bohet A, Panjo H, Bajos N, Meynard JB. From sexual harassment to sexual assault: Prevalence and correlates of sexual trauma in the French military. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0259182. [PMID: 34788297 PMCID: PMC8598035 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexual harassment (SH) is prevalent in military settings and dependent on the workplace environment. Few studies have investigated this issue in non-US military settings nor have examined how contextual and individual factors related to Military Sexual Trauma (MST) vary by gender. METHODS This study draws on a national sexual survey in the French military including 1268 servicemen and 232 servicewomen. We examined four sexual stressors (repeated sexual comments, sexual coercion, repeated unwanted verbal sexual attention and sexual assault (SA)) and two combined measures of verbal SH (comments, unwanted attention) and MST (all forms). We conducted multivariate logistic regressions to identify contextual and individual factors related to these outcomes. RESULTS 36.7% of women and 17.5% of men experienced MST in the last year and 12.6% and 3.5% reported SA. Factors associated with verbal SH differed from those related to SA. The odds of verbal SH were elevated among men who had sex with men (OR = 3.5) and among women officers (OR = 4.6) while the odds of SA were elevated among men less than 25 years (OR = 3.5) and women with less than a high school diploma (OR = 10.9). The odds of SH increased by 20% to 80% when men worked in units with higher female representation, higher prevalence of MST (sexual comments, or sexual assault, coercion, repeated unwanted attention) and lower acceptance of women in the miliatry. The odds of SA also increased by 70% among men working in units with higher female representation and higher prevalence of sexual oppression. The odds of SA against women were particular high (OR = 5.7) in units with a high prevalence of sexual assault, coercion, or repeated unwanted attention. CONCLUSION MST is common in the French military, with women experiencing more severe forms than men. Our resuls call for programmatic action to reduce workplace factors related to verbal SH and SA in the French military.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Moreau
- Soins et Santé Primaire, CESP Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Inserm, Villejuif, France
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Dina Bedretdinova
- Soins et Santé Primaire, CESP Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Inserm, Villejuif, France
| | - Sandrine Duron
- French Military Center for Epidemiology and Public Health, Marseille, France
- INSERM, UMR S 912, « Economic and Social Sciences for Health and Processing of Medical Information » (SESSTIM), Marseille, France
| | - Aline Bohet
- Soins et Santé Primaire, CESP Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Inserm, Villejuif, France
| | - Henri Panjo
- Soins et Santé Primaire, CESP Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Inserm, Villejuif, France
| | - Nathalie Bajos
- IRIS Institute of Interdisciplinary Research on Social Issues, U997 Inserm—EHESS, Aubervilliers, France
| | - Jean Baptiste Meynard
- French Military Center for Epidemiology and Public Health, Marseille, France
- INSERM, UMR S 912, « Economic and Social Sciences for Health and Processing of Medical Information » (SESSTIM), Marseille, France
- French Military Medical Academy, Ecole du Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France
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Gray MJ, Kilwein TM, Amaya S, Binion KC. Heightened Sexual Misconduct Victimization Rates among Reserve Officers' Training Corps Women: Results From a Campus Climate Survey. Violence Against Women 2021; 28:2507-2520. [PMID: 34581664 DOI: 10.1177/10778012211030948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Sexual assault, harassment, and stalking are commonplace among college students, with identified subgroups being particularly at risk (e.g., Greek-life organizations and intercollegiate athletics). Despite higher rates of sexual misconduct among active-duty military and service academy women, no research has examined the risk for Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) women. A total of N = 1,562 college women were sampled from a sexual misconduct campus climate survey. ROTC women reported higher victimization rates for all variants of sexual misconduct and violence relative to the broader student population, as well as previously established high-risk groups. Directions for future research and implications for prevention programming/response are presented and discussed.
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