Military Sexual Trauma Survivor Preferences for Provider Gender and Associations with Mental Health Evaluation Attendance

This study seeks to explore the role of preference in provider gender for treatment-seeking, survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) in a Midwestern VHA hospital setting. The subjects were one hundred ninety-seven veterans enrolled in care who endorsed a history of MST and agreed to referral for follow-up care related to concerns associated with their experiences. Patients indicated their preference, if any, for provider gender. Overall, 47.2% of participants requested a female clinician, less than 1% requested a male clinician (this group not further analyzed), and the remainder had no gender preference. Among women, 53.5% requested a female provider in contrast with 29.4% of men. The patient gender difference in provider gender preference was significant with a small-to-medium effect. The rate of attendance at evaluation appointments was 73.6%. Attendance rates were 74.6% and 70.6% for women and men respectively. Requesting a female provider was associated with an 80.2% attendance rate while those indicating no gender preference demonstrated a 67.6% attendance rate. This comparison was statistically significant though the magnitude of the effect was small. Incorporation of a screener for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms from a screener did not significantly improve the models or interact with gender and provider preferences.The findings of this study clarify gender preferences among those articulating a desire for MST-related care and that articulating a provider gender preference, rather than patient gender, is associated with improved chance of attending scheduled follow-up care. These findings have important policy and clinical implications for the potential role of veteran preference in augmenting liaison to care.