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Providing Medical Care to Survivors of Sexual Assault and Harassment in the Military

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Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

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Abstract

Experiences of sexual assault and harassment during military service can have a profound impact on survivors’ health and healthcare needs. Fortunately, medical professionals can provide strong support for survivors’ recovery by helping to ensure that the full scope of their healthcare needs is addressed, by adapting care to be sensitive to the ways sexual assault and harassment may affect their experiences of healthcare, and by facilitating reparative experiences that stand in opposition to the devaluing, powerlessness, and helplessness that likely characterized their experiences of sexual assault or harassment. In service of this, this chapter provides an overview of key issues to consider when providing medical care to survivors of military sexual assault and harassment, including: (1) definitions, prevalence, and elements involving gender-based violence; (2) unique aspects of military sexual assault and harassment relative to other potentially traumatic experiences; (3) the impact of these experiences on survivors, including commonly associated conditions and effects on healthcare needs; (4) strategies for addressing this impact in a trauma-sensitive manner; and (5) key resources and ways to learn more. We hope that readers find this chapter both a helpful introduction to the topic and an accessible reference to guide their ongoing care for survivors.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note: Issues of sexual violence by enemy combatants and as a weapon of war are beyond the scope of this chapter. We also focus in particular on experiences of sexual assault and harassment occurring in the United States Armed Forces.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for PTSD Women’s Health Sciences Division at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA

    W. Christopher Skidmore & Margret E. Bell

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    W. Christopher Skidmore & Margret E. Bell

Authors
  1. W. Christopher Skidmore
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  2. Margret E. Bell
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Correspondence to W. Christopher Skidmore .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU School of Medicine and Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Veronica Ades

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Skidmore, W.C., Bell, M.E. (2020). Providing Medical Care to Survivors of Sexual Assault and Harassment in the Military. In: Ades, V. (eds) Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38345-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38345-9_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-38344-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-38345-9

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