Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Sep;68(9):682-690.
doi: 10.1177/07067437221125292. Epub 2022 Sep 19.

Prevalence and Correlates of Military Sexual Trauma in Service Members and Veterans: Results From the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey

Natalie Mota  1 , Jordana L Sommer  2 , Shay-Lee Bolton  3 , Murray W Enns  3 , Renée El-Gabalawy  4 , Jitender Sareen  3 , Mary Beth MacLean  5 , Amy L Hall  5 , Kerry Sudom  6 , Stacey Silins  6 , Bryan Garber  6 , Tracie O Afifi  7
Affiliations

Prevalence and Correlates of Military Sexual Trauma in Service Members and Veterans: Results From the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey

Natalie Mota et al. Can J Psychiatry. 2023 Sep.

Abstract
in English, French

Introduction: Military sexual trauma (MST) is an ongoing problem. We used a 2002 population-based sample, followed up in 2018, to examine: (1) the prevalence of MST and non-MST in male and female currently serving members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, and (2) demographic and military correlates of MST and non-MST.

Methods: Data came from the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey (n = 2,941, ages 33 years + ). Individuals endorsing sexual trauma were stratified into MST and non-MST and compared to individuals with no sexual trauma. The prevalence of lifetime MST was computed, and correlates of sexual trauma were examined using multinomial regression analyses.

Results: The overall prevalence of MST was 44.6% in females and 4.8% in males. Estimates were comparable between currently serving members and veterans. In adjusted models in both sexes, MST was more likely among younger individuals (i.e., 33-49 years), and MST and non-MST were more likely in those reporting more non-sexual traumatic events. Among females, MST and non-MST were more likely in those reporting lower household income, non-MST was less likely among Officers, and MST was more likely among those with a deployment history and serving in an air environment. Unwanted sexual touching by a Canadian military member or employee was the most prevalent type and context of MST.

Interpretation: A high prevalence of MST was observed in a follow-up sample of Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans. Results may inform further research as well as MST prevention efforts.

Introduction: Le traumatisme sexuel militaire (TSM) est un problème constant. Nous avons utilisé un échantillon de 2002 dans la population, suivi en 2018, pour examiner : 1) la prévalence du TSM et du non-TSM chez les hommes et les femmes en service dans les Forces armées et les anciens combattants des Forces armées canadiennes, et 2) les corrélats démographiques et militaires du TSM et du non-TSM.

Méthodes: Les données provenaient de l‘Enquête de suivi sur la santé mentale des membres et des anciens combattants des Forces armées canadiennes de 2018 (n = 2 941, âgés de 33 ans + ). Les personnes cautionnant le traumatisme sexuel ont été stratifiées en TSM et non-TSM et comparées aux personnes sans traumatisme sexuel. La prévalence de TSM de durée de vie a été calculée, et les corrélats des traumatismes sexuels ont été examinés à l‘aide des analyses de régression multinomiales.

Résultats: La prévalence globale du TSM était de 44,6% chez les femmes et de 4,8% chez les hommes. Les estimations étaient comparables entre les membres présentement en service et les anciens combattants. Dans les modèles ajustés chez les deux sexes, le TSM était plus probable chez les personnes plus jeunes (c.-à-d., les 33–49 ans), et le TSM et non-TSM étaient plus probables chez ceux déclarant plus d‘événements traumatiques non-sexuels. Chez les femmes, le TSM et le non-TSM étaient plus probables chez ceux déclarant un revenu du ménage plus faible, le non-TSM était moins probable chez les Officiers, et le TSM était plus probable chez ceux ayant des antécédents de déploiements et servant dans un environnement aérien. Un toucher sexuel non consenti par un membre ou un employé militaire canadien était le type et le contexte le plus prévalent de TSM.

Interprétation: Une prévalence élevée de TSM a été observée dans un échantillon de suivi des membres et des anciens combattants des Forces armées canadiennes. Les résultats peuvent éclairer la future recherche ainsi que les initiatives de prévention du TSM.

Keywords: Canadian armed forces; epidemiology; military sexual trauma; veterans.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Statistics Canada. Sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, 2018. 2019. Available from: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/daily-quotidien/190522/dq190522a-eng.....
    1. Bartlett BA, Mitchell KS. Eating disorders in military and veteran men and women: a systematic review. Int J Eat Disord. 2015 Dec;48(8):1057‐1069. - PubMed
    1. Cichowski SB, Rogers RG, Clark EA, Murata E, Murata A, Murata G. Military sexual trauma in female veterans is associated with chronic pain conditions. Mil Med. 2017 Sep 1;182(9-10):e1895‐9. - PubMed
    1. Klingensmith K, Tsai J, Mota N, Southwick SM, Pietrzak RH. Military sexual trauma in US veterans: results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. J Clin Psychiatry. 2014 Oct 28;75(10):1133‐1139. - PubMed
    1. Government of Canada. Canadian Armed Forces releases unified sexual misconduct response policy. 2020. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/maple-leaf/defence/....

Publication types

Grants and funding