WEST HAVEN, CT — Military sexual trauma is on the increase, and more and more data is linking it to serious physical health problems.
What can VA healthcare providers do to help survivors live happy and healthy lives? The lead author of a new study had some suggestions.
DoD announced earlier this year that, of 7,816 military sexual assault reports it received in FY20, 6,290 involved allegations from servicemembers for incidents that occurred during military service. That was up 1% from the 6,236 servicemember reports received in FY19, the military advised.
“Military sexual trauma is a pervasive problem. These findings show that, even many years after being discharged from military service, exposure to military sexual trauma can continue to significantly influence veterans’ physical health,” explained Allison E. Gaffey, PhD, a research associate within the department of internal medicine’s section of cardiovascular medicine at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, and a research psychologist in women’s health and cardiovascular medicine at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven.
The study’s finding that sexual harassment and assault while serving in the military are significant risk factors for high blood pressure was an eye-opener, according to Gaffey, who pointed out, “This association demonstrates the importance of screening and disclosure of military sexual trauma or other traumatic stress in order to receive appropriate care, support and resources to manage the short- and long-term mental and physical health impact.”
An outstanding question is whether early identification of military sexual trauma improves cardiovascular disease risk management, according to Gaffey, who pointed out, “Better patient and provider education and awareness of these links are important, and ultimately better prevention of military sexual trauma is most critical.”
She advised that VA medical providers take into account that patients, especially women with a history of military sexual trauma or other exposures to trauma, could have higher cardiovascular risk.
“Unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault in the workplace are not limited to military environments. Thus, non-VA providers may also consider the significance of these findings when caring for nonveterans who have a history of sexual trauma,” Gaffey added.
The study was somewhat limited, because it mostly included younger, post-9/11 veterans, and a relatively small percentage, 12%, were women, according to the authors, who suggested that findings could be different among older veterans and also in cohorts with higher proportions of women.
“Previous research shows that women are about 10 times more likely than men to report military sexual trauma, therefore, associations among military sexual trauma, hypertension and the negative effects on cardiovascular health may differ for women and men,” Gaffey said. “Links between a history of sexual trauma and cardiovascular risk could also differ for men and women without a history of military service.”
Among veterans, especially older ones, hypertension is the most common chronic condition, affecting more than 37% of them, according to the VA. The high rates among older veterans are suspected of being at least partially linked to exposures during deployment.
In March, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-MT, introduced the Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act with support from 16 other senators. Tester said the bill, which would give presumptive status for hypertension to veterans exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War era, would “put an end to decades of veterans wrestling with bureaucratic red tape” at VA. Tester maintained that sufficient scientific evidence exists to connect the illnesses to the toxic herbicide.
In February, Tester and ranking member Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) sent a bipartisan letter calling on VA Secretary Denis McDonough to expedite a decision for Vietnam veterans suffering from hypertension, an estimated 160,000.