Category: Military and Veterans Psychology
Shannon Exley, PhD
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Washington, District of Columbia
Amanda Murray, M.A., M.S.
Doctoral Candidate
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Alexandria, Virginia
Natasha Schvey, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Bethesda, Maryland
Shannon Exley, PhD
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Washington, District of Columbia
Amanda Murray, M.A., M.S.
Doctoral Candidate
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Alexandria, Virginia
Emily Ricker, Ph.D.
Scientist, Consortium for Health and Military Performance, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Bend, Oregon
The military environment may be a setting in which women are particularly vulnerable to mental and behavioral health concerns, when compared to their male counterparts. Women represent less than a quarter of the population of service members in each U.S. Military branch, and in some branches such as the Marines, they represent under 10% of the service (Council on Foreign Relations, 2020). Military women subsequently report a lower sense of belonging than male counterparts as well as greater experiences of discrimination, bias, and stigma associated with being a minority group in the military environment ̶ known contributors to mental health concerns (Thomas et al., 2018). Nearly a third of active-duty women who participated in a recent study conducted by the Service Women’s Action Network reported issues related to gender bias within their command (Thomas et al., 2018).
Women in the military are at greater risk for depression, posttraumatic stress, disordered eating, and military sexual trauma (MST) when compared with men (Breland et al., 2018; Thomas et al., 2018). In addition, trauma experiences of women in the military, such as MST, may increase risk for mental health concerns such as eating disorders, depression, and suicidal ideation (Breland et al., 2018; Kimerling et al., 2007; Monteith et al., 2018). Researchers have called for ongoing efforts from the Department of Defense to engage in research and policy work to determine how to most effectively support optimal female force readiness (McGraw, Koehlmoos, & Ritchie, 2016).
Consistent with this year’s convention theme of “Emergency & Disaster Preparedness and Response: Using Cognitive and Behavioral Science to Make an Impact,” this symposium features three studies that explore mental and behavioral health challenges of female service members. Specifically, we will present: (1) rates of experiences of gender-based stigma among female military officers during training and associations with perceived stress (Exley et al.); (2) gender differences in sexual assault-related care in active-duty service members (Murray et al.) and; (3) disordered eating and associations with physical and mental health in female service members (Ricker et al.).
The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Uniformed Services University or the Department of Defense. This research protocol was reviewed and approved by the USU institutional review board (IRB).
Presenter: Shannon L. Exley, PhD – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Co-author: Natasha Schvey, Ph.D. – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Co-author: Emily Ricker, Ph.D. – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Co-author: Amelia Barrett, M.S., ATC – Uniformed Services University
Co-author: Sarah de la Motte, PhD, MPH, ATC – Uniformed Services University
Presenter: Amanda Murray, M.A., M.S. – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Co-author: Tracey Koehlmoos, PhD – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Co-author: Amanda Banaag, MPH – Center for Health Services Research; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
Presenter: Emily Ricker, Ph.D. – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Co-author: Emily Ricker, Ph.D. – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Co-author: Amelia Barrett, M.S., ATC – Uniformed Services University
Co-author: Daniel Clifton, PhD, ATC – Henry M jackson foundation for the advancement of military medicine, uniformed services university of the health sciences
Co-author: Carl Goforth, PhD, RN – Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Jacksonville, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Co-author: Sarah de la Motte, PhD, MPH, ATC – Uniformed Services University