Abstract
Background
Methods
Findings
Conclusions
Introduction and Background
Risen, J. (2012, November 2). Military has not solved problem of sexual assault, women say. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/us/women-in-air-force-say-sexual-misconduct-still-rampant.html?pagewanted=all.
Methods
Study Population
Sexual Stressors Metrics
Deployment and Combat Experience
Individual Vulnerability Factors
- Goldberg I.J.
- Mosca L.
- Piano M.R.
- Fisher E.A.
- Spitzer R.L.
- Williams J.B.
- Kroenke K.
- Hornyak R.
- McMurray J.
Demographics and Military Characteristics
Statistical Analysis
Results
Baseline Characteristics | Study Sample (n = 1,262), % | No Sexual Stressor (n = 11,900), n (%) | Sexual Harassment (n = 1,089), n (%) | Sexual Assault (n = 121), n (%) | Sexual Harassment and Assault, (n = 152), n (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Recent deployment experience ‡ Deployment defined as at least ≥1 days in support of the operations in Iraq or Afghanistan between baseline and follow-up. Combat deployment defined as reporting personal exposures to ≥1 of the following: Witnessing death, physical abuse, dead and/or decomposing bodies, maimed soldiers or civilians, prisoners of war, or refugees. | |||||
Nondeployed | 79.6 | 9,603 (80.7) | 764 (70.2) | 88 (72.7) | 103 (67.8) |
Deployed without combat | 11.4 | 1,358 (11.4) | 119 (10.9) | 17 (14.1) | 17 (11.2) |
Deployed with combat | 9.0 | 939 (7.9) | 206 (18.9) | 16 (13.2) | 32 (21.1) |
Deployment experience before baseline | |||||
No | 78.6 | 9,300 (78.2) | 877 (80.5) | 105 (86.8) | 135 (88.8) |
Yes | 21.5 | 2,600 (21.9) | 212 (19.5) | 16 (13.2) | 17 (11.2) |
Birth year | |||||
Before 1960 | 21.6 | 2,681 (22.5) | 159 (14.6) | 9 (7.4) | 13 (8.6) |
1960–1969 | 36.3 | 4,425 (37.2) | 317 (29.1) | 26 (21.5) | 40 (26.3) |
1970–1979 | 34.6 | 3,989 (33.5) | 483 (44.4) | 59 (48.8) | 58 (38.2) |
1980 or later | 7.6 | 805 (6.8) | 130 (11.9) | 27 (22.3) | 41 (27.0) |
Education | |||||
High school or less | 43.2 | 4,950 (41.6) | 603 (55.4) | 73 (60.3) | 106 (69.7) |
Some college | 26.4 | 3,191 (26.8) | 246 (22.6) | 26 (21.5) | 31 (20.4) |
Bachelor's or higher | 30.4 | 3,759 (31.6) | 240 (22.0) | 22 (18.2) | 15 (9.9) |
Marital status | |||||
Single/widowed | 23.0 | 2,674 (22.5) | 282 (25.9) | 40 (33.1) | 49 (32.2) |
Married | 49.8 | 6,157 (51.7) | 381 (35.0) | 26 (21.5) | 34 (22.4) |
Separated/divorced before baseline | 12.4 | 1,459 (12.3) | 152 (14.0) | 8 (6.6) | 20 (13.2) |
Separated/divorced since baseline | 14.9 | 1,610 (13.5) | 274 (25.2) | 47 (38.8) | 49 (32.2) |
Race/ethnicity | |||||
White non-Hispanic | 63.5 | 7,555 (63.5) | 692 (63.5) | 76 (62.8) | 103 (67.8) |
Black non-Hispanic | 20.1 | 2,401 (20.2) | 211 (19.4) | 27 (22.3) | 26 (17.1) |
Other | 16.4 | 1,944 (16.3) | 186 (17.1) | 18 (14.9) | 23 (15.1) |
Military pay grade | |||||
Enlisted | 72.9 | 8,533 (71.7) | 886 (81.4) | 101 (83.5) | 141 (92.8) |
Officer | 27.2 | 3,367 (28.3) | 203 (18.6) | 20 (16.5) | 11 (7.2) |
Service component | |||||
Reserve/National Guard | 49.8 | 5,934 (49.9) | 543 (49.9) | 52 (43.0) | 78 (51.3) |
Active duty | 50.2 | 5,966 (50.1) | 546 (50.1) | 69 (57.0) | 74 (48.7) |
Branch of service | |||||
Army | 50.3 | 5,830 (49.0) | 688 (63.2) | 61 (50.4) | 95 (62.5) |
Air Force | 29.9 | 3,669 (30.8) | 229 (21.0) | 30 (24.8) | 32 (21.1) |
Navy/Coast Guard | 17.9 | 2,197 (18.5) | 138 (12.7) | 22 (18.2) | 16 (10.5) |
Marine Corps | 1.9 | 204 (1.7) | 34 (3.1) | 8 (6.6) | 9 (5.9) |
Occupation | |||||
Combat specialists | 6.6 | 771 (6.5) | 83 (7.6) | 11 (9.1) | 3 (2.0) |
Health care specialists | 23.3 | 2,843 (23.9) | 200 (18.4) | 20 (16.5) | 26 (17.1) |
Functional support | 43.3 | 5,185 (43.6) | 456 (41.9) | 42 (34.7) | 62 (40.8) |
Other | 26.8 | 3,101 (26.1) | 350 (32.1) | 48 (39.7) | 61 (40.1) |
Separation from military | |||||
No | 88.6 | 10,565 (88.8) | 956 (87.8) | 105 (86.8) | 129 (84.9) |
Yes | 11.4 | 1,335 (11.2) | 133 (12.2) | 16 (13.2) | 23 (15.1) |
Alcohol-related problems | |||||
No | 92.2 | 11,055 (92.9) | 953 (87.5) | 104 (86.0) | 119 (78.3) |
Yes | 7.8 | 845 (7.1) | 136 (12.5) | 17 (14.1) | 33 (21.7) |
Binge drinking and/or heavy weekly drinking | |||||
No | 67.7 | 8,195 (68.9) | 635 (58.3) | 67 (55.4) | 85 (55.9) |
Yes | 32.3 | 3,705 (31.1) | 454 (41.7) | 54 (44.6) | 67 (44.1) |
Positive screen for mental disorder | |||||
No | 89.6 | 10,770 (90.5) | 904 (83.0) | 96 (79.3) | 108 (71.1) |
Yes | 10.4 | 1,130 (9.5) | 185 (17.0) | 25 (20.7) | 44 (29.0) |
Life stress | |||||
Mild | 95.8 | 11,464 (96.3) | 1,001 (91.9) | 109 (90.1) | 127 (83.6) |
Moderate/severe | 4.2 | 436 (3.7) | 88 (8.1) | 12 (9.9) | 25 (16.5) |
Prior sexual stressors | |||||
No | 61.1 | 7,713 (64.8) | 314 (28.8) | 45 (37.2) | 35 (23.0) |
Yes | 38.9 | 4,187 (35.2) | 775 (71.2) | 76 (62.8) | 117 (77.0) |
Recent Deployment Status ∗ Deployment defined as at least ≥1 days in support of the operations in Iraq or Afghanistan between baseline and follow-up. Combat deployment defined as reporting personal exposures to ≥1 of the following: Witnessing death, physical abuse, dead and/or decomposing bodies, maimed soldiers or civilians, prisoners of war, or refugees. | Study Sample (n = 13,262), n† | Sexual Harassment (n = 1,241), n (%) | Sexual Assault (n = 273), n (%) |
---|---|---|---|
No deployment | 10,558 | 867 (8.2) | 191 (1.8) |
Deployment without combat | 1,511 | 136 (9.0) | 34 (2.3) |
Deployment with combat | 1,193 | 238 (19.9) | 48 (4.0) |
Baseline Characteristics | Sexual Harassment (n = 1,089), AOR (95% CI) | Sexual Assault (n = 121), AOR (95% CI) | Sexual Harassment and Assault (n = 152), AOR (95% CI) |
---|---|---|---|
Recent deployment ∗ experienceDeployment defined as at least ≥1 days in support of the operations in Iraq or Afghanistan between baseline and follow-up. Combat deployment defined as reporting personal exposures to ≥1 of the following: Witnessing death, physical abuse, dead and/or decomposing bodies, maimed soldiers or civilians, prisoners of war, or refugees. † Model adjusted for all variables in the table. Service component, separation from military, alcohol-related problems, and binge/heavy drinking were removed from the final model because they were not associated with the outcome and did not confound the association between deployment and sexual stressors. | |||
Nondeployed | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Deployed without combat | 1.12 (0.91–1.39) | 1.16 (0.67–2.00) | 1.20 (0.70–2.06) |
Deployed with combat | 2.20 (1.84–2.64) | 1.46 (0.84–2.55) | 2.47 (1.61–3.78) |
Deployment experience before baseline | |||
No | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Yes | 0.87 (0.74–1.03) | 0.60 (0.35–1.03) | 0.52 (0.31–0.89) |
Birth year | |||
Before 1960 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
1960–1969 | 1.10 (0.89–1.36) | 1.53 (0.70–3.34) | 1.63 (0.85–3.12) |
1970–1979 | 1.63 (1.32–2.01) | 3.17 (1.49–6.76) | 1.99 (1.03–3.85) |
1980 or later | 1.95 (1.45–2.61)‡ | 6.11 (2.55–14.65)‡ | 5.33 (2.54–11.19) |
Education | |||
High school or less | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Some college | 0.95 (0.79–1.15) | 0.94 (0.54–1.64) | 0.82 (0.50–1.35) |
Bachelor's or higher | 0.97 (0.76–1.24) | 0.84 (0.38–1.88) | 0.66 (0.31–1.41) |
Marital status | |||
Single/widowed | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Married | 0.70 (0.59–0.83) | 0.39 (0.23–0.65)‡ | 0.42 (0.27–0.67)‡ |
Separated/divorced before baseline | 1.17 (0.93–1.47) | 0.61 (0.27–1.35) | 1.05 (0.59–1.88) |
Separated/divorced since baseline | 1.54 (1.27–1.86) | 2.06 (1.33–3.21) | 1.54 (1.01–2.36) |
Race/ethnicity | |||
White non-Hispanic | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Black non-Hispanic | 0.93 (0.78–1.10) | 1.24 (0.78–1.98) | 0.78 (0.50–1.23) |
Other | 1.05 (0.88–1.27) | 0.99 (0.58–1.69) | 1.16 (0.72–1.86) |
Military pay grade | |||
Enlisted | 1.31 (1.02–1.68) | 0.85 (0.38–1.89) | 1.95 (0.83–4.57) |
Officer | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Branch of service | |||
Army | 1.57 (1.30–1.89) | 0.92 (0.54–1.55) | 1.15 (0.71–1.87) |
Air Force | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Navy/Coast Guard | 0.93 (0.73–1.19) | 1.03 (0.54–1.94) | 0.72 (0.37–1.41) |
Marine Corps | 2.03 (1.33–3.10) | 2.93 (1.22–7.04) | 3.03 (1.30–7.03) |
Occupation | |||
Combat specialists | 1.43 (1.07–1.91) | 1.48 (0.67–3.24) | 0.38 (0.11–1.29) |
Health care specialists | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Functional support | 1.03 (0.85–1.24) | 0.90 (0.52–1.58) | 0.88 (0.54–1.43) |
Other | 1.18 (0.97–1.44) | 1.35 (0.78–2.35) | 1.16 (0.71–1.90) |
Positive screen for mental disorder | |||
No | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Yes | 1.30 (1.09–1.56)‡ | 1.58 (0.99–2.52) | 2.14 (1.47–3.13) |
Life stress | |||
Mild | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Moderate/severe | 1.40 (1.08–1.80) | 2.44 (1.28–4.66) | 2.95 (1.81–4.79) |
Prior sexual stressors | |||
No | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Yes | 4.34 (3.77–5.00) | 2.90 (1.97–4.25) | 5.35 (3.61–7.93) |
Discussion
Strengths and Limitations
Implications for Practice and Policy
- Brown L.P.
- Rospenda K.M.
- Sokas R.K.
- Conroy L.
- Freels S.
- Swanson N.G.
Acknowledgments
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