Sexual Assault and Harassment in U.S. Reserves
Long-Term Health of Male and Female Reservists at Risk
Jun 15, 2009
Accusations of sexual harassment and assault in the U.S. military are not new. In recent years, a number of women have stepped forward to report incidents ranging from offensive language to unwanted advances to outright rape when serving in Iran and Afghanistan. And a number of studies confirm that such behavior does occur within the U.S. military.
Yet, until recently, little attention has been paid to sexual misconduct within the U.S. Reserves, where soldiers have traditionally (prior to 2001) served only part-time. But that lack of awareness changed when the Department of Veterans Affairs released the 2008 report: "Sexual harassment and assault experienced by reservists during military service: Prevalence and health correlates."
The report provides the results of a study in which 3,946 former reservists (male and female) were interviewed to determine whether they were victims of sexual harassment or assault while in the military and what the long-term health consequences might be as a result of those experiences.
Sexual Misconduct among U.S. Military Reservists
The study participants included 2,318 females and 1,628 males who had completed military service by December 31, 2000. The questionnaire that participants responded to measured four types of sexual harassment:
- Gender harassment/sexist hostility (e.g., suggesting that someone of a particular gender isn't suited for certain types of work)
- Gender harassment/sexual hostility (e.g., making offensive remarks about someone's appearance, body, or sexual activities)
- Unwanted sexual attention (e.g., displaying sexist or suggestive material that someone finds offensive, such as pornography)
- Sexual coercion (e.g., implying special treatment in exchange for sexual cooperation)
A participant was considered to have experienced sexual harassment if he or she experienced at least four harassing events or at least one significant event. A participant was considered to have experienced sexual assault if he or she was the victim of coerced genital fondling, attempted rape, or successful rape.
For the purposes of this study, sexual assault was also considered a severe form of sexual harassment. So statistics on harassment include assault, even though assault-only statistics are also provided. Based on the defined criteria, the study reports that both men and women reservists were victims of sexual harassment and assault:
- 60% of the female reservists reported sexual harassment (including assault).
- 13.1% of the female reservists reported sexual assault.
- 27.2% of the male reservists reported sexual harassment (including assault).
- 1.6% of the male reservists reported sexual assault.
Clearly, women reservists were much more likely to be victims of sexual misconduct than their male counterparts.
Sexual Harassment and Assault in the U.S. Military
When considering the report's statistics, it's important to remember that because these reservists served prior to 2001, they spent little time on active duty compared to those reservists who have since served in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, the statistics are based on the participants self-reporting these incidents, and terms such as sexual harassment can be interpreted to mean a wide range of behaviors.
Another important point to consider is that the results apply only to reservists, and should not be generalized beyond the study group. However, the results of this study are consistent with other studies that suggest a prevalence of sexual misconduct among branches of the active duty military.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs report, "These data extend previous evidence that sexual harassment during military service represents a significant problem with implications for the mental and physical well-being of both male and female members of the U.S. military."
Mental and Physical Consequences of Sexual Misconduct
Despite the fact that the reservists who participated in the survey served in the military only part-time, the study indicates that sexual harassment and assault are likely to have a long-lasting impact on a substantial number of reservists. Both male and female victims of sexual misconduct were at greater risk for depression, somatic symptoms (such as pain, weakness, or fatigue), and medical conditions.
In addition, women who reported both sexual harassment and assault were associated with a greater risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study did not have enough data to make statistical predictions about PTSD risk among male victims. However, what is clear from the report is that "almost a decade after service (on average), reservists with these experiences reported significantly poorer health status than other reservists."
Undoubtedly, the report indicates that men and women who experience sexual harassment and assault when they serve in the military suffer not only the degradation and humiliation associated with such experiences at the time they occur, but continue to suffer long after they have completed their military obligations.
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