Military sexual assault (MSA) is a prevalent issue among military personnel that can have direct implications on postmilitary mental health. Gulf War era U.S. veterans represent the first cohort in which women veterans were integrated into most aspects of military service except for combat. The present study sought to build on prior studies by identifying characteristics associated with the occurrence of MSA and clinical correlates of MSA and examining how these differ between men and women. This study analyzed cross-sectional survey data from a national sample of treatment-seeking Gulf War era veterans. Participants (N = 1,153) reported demographic information, clinical outcomes, military background, and history of MSA. MSA was more common among female veterans (n = 100, 41.3%) than male veterans (n = 32, 3.6%). The odds of experiencing MSA were approximately 19 times higher for female veterans relative to their male peers, OR = 18.92, p < .001. Moreover, as expected, MSA was robustly associated with probable current posttraumatic stress disorder, probable current depression, and past-year suicidal ideation in female veterans, whereas combat exposure was robustly associated with these sequelae in male veterans. The present findings confirm that a large proportion of female veterans from the Gulf War era experienced MSA and highlight the deleterious correlates of MSA on veterans’ mental health. Sex differences of correlates of MSA and subsequent clinical associations are highlighted.

中文翻译：

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海湾战争时期美国退伍军人中军事性侵犯的相关性和临床关联：全国样本的发现

军事性侵犯（MSA）是军人中普遍存在的问题，可能对退伍后的心理健康产生直接影响。海湾战争时期的美国退伍军人是第一批女退伍军人，她们融入了除战斗以外的大部分兵役。本研究试图以先前的研究为基础，确定与 MSA 发生相关的特征和 MSA 的临床相关性，并研究这些特征在男性和女性之间有何不同。这项研究分析了来自寻求治疗的海湾战争时期退伍军人的全国样本的横断面调查数据。参与者 ( N = 1,153) 报告了人口统计信息、临床结果、军事背景和 MSA 病史。MSA 在女性退伍军人 ( n = 100, 41.3%) 中比男性退伍军人 ( n = 32, 3.6%)更常见。女性退伍军人经历 MSA 的几率大约是男性退伍军人的 19 倍，OR = 18.92，p < .001。此外，正如预期的那样，MSA 与女性退伍军人当前可能的创伤后应激障碍、当前可能的抑郁症和去年的自杀意念密切相关，而男性退伍军人的战斗暴露与这些后遗症密切相关。目前的研究结果证实，海湾战争时期的大部分女性退伍军人都经历过 MSA，并强调了 MSA 对退伍军人心理健康的有害影响。MSA 相关性的性别差异和随后的临床关联得到了强调。