Health and Service-related Impact of Sexual and Stalking Victimization During United States Military Service on LGBT Service Members

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052097031
Author(s):  
Cary Leonard Klemmer ◽  
Ashley C. Schuyler ◽  
Mary Rose Mamey ◽  
Sheree M. Schrager ◽  
Carl Andrew Castro ◽  
...  

Prior research among military personnel has indicated that sexual harassment, stalking, and sexual assault during military service are related to negative health sequelae. However, research specific to LGBT U.S. service members is limited. The current study aimed to explore the health, service utilization, and service-related impact of stalking and sexual victimization experiences in a sample of active-duty LGBT U.S. service members ( N = 248). Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit study participants. U.S. service members were eligible to participate if they were 18 years or older and active-duty members of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, or U.S. Air Force. This study included a sizeable portion of transgender service members ( N = 58, 23.4%). Sociodemographic characteristics, characteristics of military service, health, and sexual and stalking victimization in the military were assessed. Regression was used to examine relationships between health and service outcomes and sexual and stalking victimization during military service. Final adjusted models showed that experiencing multiple forms of victimization in the military increased the odds of visiting a mental health clinician and having elevated somatic symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology, anxiety, and suicidality. Sexual and stalking victimization during U.S. military service was statistically significantly related to the mental and physical health of LGBT U.S. service members. Interventions to reduce victimization experiences and support LGBT U.S. service members who experience these types of violence are indicated. Research that examines the role of LGBT individuals’ experiences and organizational and peer factors, including social support, leadership characteristics, and institutional policies in the United States military is needed.

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian A Moore ◽  
Lynn M Tison ◽  
Javier G Palacios ◽  
Alan L Peterson ◽  
Vincent Mysliwiec

Abstract Study Objectives Epidemiologic studies of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and insomnia in the U.S. military are limited. The primary aim of this study was to report and compare OSA and insomnia diagnoses in active duty the United States military service members. Method Data and service branch densities used to derive the expected rates of diagnoses on insomnia and OSA were drawn from the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database. Single sample chi-square goodness of fit tests and independent samples t-tests were conducted to address the aims of the study. Results Between 2005 and 2019, incidence rates of OSA and insomnia increased from 11 to 333 and 6 to 272 (per 10,000), respectively. Service members in the Air Force, Navy, and Marines were diagnosed with insomnia and OSA below expected rates, while those in the Army had higher than expected rates (p < .001). Female service members were underdiagnosed in both disorders (p < .001). Comparison of diagnoses following the transition from ICD 9 to 10 codes revealed significant differences in the amounts of OSA diagnoses only (p < .05). Conclusion Since 2005, incidence rates of OSA and insomnia have markedly increased across all branches of the U.S. military. Despite similar requirements for overall physical and mental health and resilience, service members in the Army had higher rates of insomnia and OSA. This unexpected finding may relate to inherent differences in the branches of the military or the role of the Army in combat operations. Future studies utilizing military-specific data and directed interventions are required to reverse this negative trend.


Author(s):  
Crystal Lewis

In the United States, there are over one million military spouses. Frequent geographical relocations, the psychological stress and anxiety associated with spousal deployments, and supporting their children as the only parent while their active duty spouse is away leave military spouses disproportionately accountable for all family obligations. Ultimately, these inequities create barriers for military spouses and their employment and educational pursuits. Despite similarities in lifestyle to active duty service members, military spouses are not categorized as an at-risk population and have not been studied in depth. This chapter utilized the source, survey, synthesize method to address the literature gap surrounding the barriers to military spouse education and employment. Findings from the existing literature were synthesized to present the key themes for studies that investigated the military culture, barriers to military spouses' pursuits of higher education, employment, and career advancement and earnings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967120S0014
Author(s):  
Andrew S. Murtha ◽  
Matthew R. Schmitz

Background: The primary focus of periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) literature has been survivorship until hip arthroplasty. This endpoint overlooks its impact on young, active patients. Hypothesis/Purpose: This study sought to assess the impact of the PAO on the careers of active duty members of the United States Armed Forces. Methods: A retrospective review identified 38 patients who underwent PAO performed by a single surgeon at an academic, military medical center from January 2014 through April 2017. Twenty-one of the patients were active duty United States military service members (16 female, 5 male) and had a minimum 28 months of post-operative follow-up at the time of review. Preoperative and postoperative duty restrictions were noted and referrals to the U.S Army and U.S. Air Force Medical Evaluation Boards (MEB) were queried. Results: The average age at surgery was 25.6 years (range, 19-40y). Preoperatively, sixteen patients (94.1%) were on duty restrictions, one had been referred to the MEB, and records were not available on three patients who separated from the military prior to review. Average follow-up was 3.4 years (range, 2.3 – 5.4y). Among the patients without a preoperative MEB referral, 85.0% remained on active duty (n = 12) or completed their military service commitment (n=5). Of the fourteen patients with temporary duty restrictions preoperatively, 35.7% (n=5) were relieved of their restrictions and returned to full duty and 50% (n=7) were retained on active service with permanent duty restrictions. Such permanent duty restrictions typically consisted of modifications to the aerobic component of the semiannual military fitness testing. Six patients (28.6%) were referred to the MEB including one who was referred prior to PAO. Of these patients, two were deemed fit to retain on active service with permanent duty restrictions, two were medically separated for non-hip conditions, and two were medically separated for a hip condition. The average Veteran Affairs (VA) disability score related to hip pathology in patients referred to MEB was 16% (range 0-40%). Conclusion: This is the first study to look at the PAO in active duty military service members. In patients with symptomatic acetabular dysplasia, PAO may provide an opportunity to relieve preoperative duty restrictions and allow for continued military service. Further study with the inclusion of patient reported outcomes are necessary assess the impact of the procedure in this active patient population.


2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 2974-2982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth L. Cameron ◽  
Mark S. Hsiao ◽  
Brett D. Owens ◽  
Robert Burks ◽  
Steven J. Svoboda

Author(s):  
Andrew Goodhart ◽  
Jami K. Taylor

For most of its history, the U.S. military has maintained a policy of exclusion toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people serving in uniform. The justifications for these exclusions have included the view that being homosexual or transgender is a psychological disorder, that it undermines military morale and effectiveness, and a fear that LGBT people would be vulnerable to foreign espionage. Explicit policies banning consensual homosexual sex—and excluding from service those who engage in it—date to the period between World Wars I and II, but de facto efforts at exclusion have existed since the early days of the republic. Regulations governing homosexuals in the military came under pressure in the 1970s and 1980s as societal views toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people changed, and those LGB service members discharged under the policy increasingly challenged their treatment in court. (Public pressure to change regulations governing transgender people in the military arose mostly in the 2000s, though litigation efforts date to the 1970s.) In addition to general shifts in public and legal opinion, the debate over LGB people serving in the U.S. military was affected by the experience of foreign militaries that allow LGB people to serve. United States law began to loosen formal restrictions on LBG people serving in uniform with the passage of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) in 1994, but it still required LGB people to serve in secret. Changing public perceptions of LGB people and problems implementing the ban galvanized support for eliminating such restrictions. In 2010, President Obama signed legislation repealing DADT and removing all restrictions on LGB people serving in the military. However, transgender people do not enjoy the same rights. The Trump administration has revised Obama-era rules on transgender service members to enable greater exclusion. The issue is being contested in the courts and appears ripe for further political and legal dispute.


Author(s):  
Crystal Lewis

In the United States, there are over one million military spouses. Frequent geographical relocations, the psychological stress and anxiety associated with spousal deployments, and supporting their children as the only parent while their active duty spouse is away leave military spouses disproportionately accountable for all family obligations. Ultimately, these inequities create barriers for military spouses and their employment and educational pursuits. Despite similarities in lifestyle to active duty service members, military spouses are not categorized as an at-risk population and have not been studied in depth. This chapter utilized the source, survey, synthesize method to address the literature gap surrounding the barriers to military spouse education and employment. Findings from the existing literature were synthesized to present the key themes for studies that investigated the military culture, barriers to military spouses' pursuits of higher education, employment, and career advancement and earnings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wyatt R. Evans ◽  
Sebastian J. Bliss ◽  
Christina M. Rincon ◽  
Scott L. Johnston ◽  
Jagruti P. Bhakta ◽  
...  

This study is among the first examining lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) service members in the United States following the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy repeal. Higher levels of outness predict better mental health among general LGB populations. The military environment, like other traditional/conservative settings, may alter this relation; however, no data are available on outness among LGB service members in the United States. We examined 236 service members’ level of outness and satisfaction with outness in relation to depression and anxiety symptoms. Results revealed greater level of outness was related to higher satisfaction with outness, with each variable related to better mental health. Importantly, satisfaction fully mediated the relation between level of outness and mental health, indicating satisfaction to be a more salient predictor than level alone. Findings relevant to military policy makers and health-care providers are discussed along with recommendations for advancement of research into outness among LGB people.


2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 1997-2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hsiao ◽  
Brett D. Owens ◽  
Robert Burks ◽  
Rodney X. Sturdivant ◽  
Kenneth L. Cameron

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document