Prevalence of Sexual Violence and Intimate Partner Violence Among US Military Veterans: Findings from Surveys with Two National Samples

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Abstract
Background: Sexual violence (SV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) experiences are major social determinants of adverse health. There is limited prevalence data on these experiences for veterans, particularly across sociodemographic groups. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of SV before, during, and after military service and lifetime and past-year IPV for women and men, and explore differences across sociodemographic groups. Design: Data are from two national cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2020. Weighted prevalence estimates of SV and IPV experiences were computed, and weighted logistic regression models were used for comparisons across gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age. Participants: Study 1 included veterans of all service eras (N = 1187; 50.0% women; 29% response rate). Study 2 included recently separated post-9/11 veterans (N = 1494; 55.2% women; 19.4% response rate). Main Measures: SV was assessed with the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory-2 (DRRI-2). IPV was assessed with the extended Hurt-Insult-Threaten-Scream Tool. Key Results: Women were more likely than men to experience pre-military SV (study 1: 39.9% vs. 8.7%, OR = 6.96, CIs: 4.71–10.28; study 2: 36.2% vs. 8.6%, OR = 6.04, CIs: 4.18–8.71), sexual harassment and/or assault during military service (study 1: 55.0% vs. 16.8%, OR = 6.30, CIs: 4.57–8.58; study 2: 52.9% vs. 26.9%, OR = 3.08, CIs: 2.38–3.98), and post-military SV (study 1: 12.4% vs. 0.9%, OR = 15.49, CIs: 6.42–36.97; study 2: 7.5% vs. 1.5%, OR = 5.20, CIs: 2.26–11.99). Women were more likely than men to experience lifetime IPV (study 1: 45.7% vs. 37.1%, OR = 1.38, CIs: 1.04–1.82; study 2: 45.4% and 34.8%, OR = 1.60, CIs: 1.25–2.04) but not past-year IPV (study 1: 27.9% vs. 28.3%, OR = 0.95, CIs: 0.70–1.28; study 2: 33.1% vs. 28.5%, OR = 1.24, CIs: 0.95–1.61). When controlling for gender, there were few differences across other sociodemographic groups, with the exception of sexual orientation. Conclusions: Understanding veterans’ experiences of SV and IPV can inform identification and intervention efforts, especially for women and sexual minorities.
Funding Information
  • Health Services Research and Development (VA HSR&D IIR 17-030)
  • U.S. Department of War (Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research 2018-2021 Program W81XWH1810697)

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