ABSTRACT
When clinicians evaluate their competency to provide care to Veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) or other eras, they typically think about their skills and knowledge in working with combat trauma. However, few consider their ability to address issues related to sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military. This is problematic given the frequent occurrence and well-documented deleterious impact of these experiences on both women and men (Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, et al., 1995; Kilpatrick, Acierno, Resnick, et al., 1997; Kimerling, Gima, Smith, et al., 2007; Ullman & Brecklin, 2003; Vogt, Pless, King, & King, 2005). While the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides an array of free, specialized outpatient, inpatient, and residential services for survivors of sexual trauma in the military, some Veterans choose not to seek care from the VA, despite the particular expertise that might be available. For this reason, it is important for all healthcare providers working with Veterans to have a basic working knowledge of sexual trauma in the military.
