Sexual Assault and Disabling PTSD in Active Duty Service Women

Sexual assault in the military is a major concern and may result in significant health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those developing disabling PTSD symptoms may require a disability evaluation. In this article, the authors examined disability evaluation trends for service women with PTSD to better understand characteristics associated with inability to continue Active Duty service. The authors conclude that active duty service women with PTSD and a military sexual trauma (MST) index trauma are much more likely to require disability evaluation (IDES) than those with PTSD due to other trauma types. IDES evaluation for conditions such as PTSD may result in early termination of military service and is a potential downstream consequence of MST.