Military Sexual Trauma (MST)

Military culture: Understanding the culture, values, and norms within the military community is essential to understanding how MST occurs and how it can be prevented and addressed.

PTSD: MST often leads to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which involves symptoms such as anxiety, depression, nightmares, and flashbacks. Understanding PTSD is crucial in providing appropriate treatment to survivors.

Trauma-informed care: Trauma-informed care is a framework for understanding and responding to the complex needs of survivors of trauma. It involves creating a safe and supportive environment, empowering survivors, and avoiding re-traumatization.

Intersectionality: Understanding how factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability intersect with MST is crucial to provide effective support and advocacy for survivors.

Advocacy: Advocacy involves supporting and empowering survivors of MST to access resources and services, such as counseling, medical care, and legal assistance.

Reporting and investigation: Understanding the military justice system and the process for reporting and investigating instances of MST is crucial in supporting survivors and holding perpetrators accountable.

Policy and prevention efforts: Understanding policy and prevention efforts around MST within the military, as well as efforts to address cultural and systemic factors that contribute to MST, is essential for creating a safer and more equitable environment for service members.

Self-care and burnout prevention: Providing support to survivors of MST can be emotionally and mentally taxing, so understanding strategies for self-care and burnout prevention is important for practitioners in the field.

Collaborative care: Collaborative care involves working with other professionals, such as mental health professionals, medical providers, and legal advocates, to provide coordinated and holistic support to survivors of MST.

Trauma-focused therapies: Understanding and employing trauma-focused therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), can be effective in treating PTSD and other symptoms of trauma for survivors of MST.

Sexual harassment: This type of MST includes any unwanted sexual advances or conduct, including vulgar and offensive remarks, unwanted touching, and insinuations.

Sexual assault: This type of MST includes any type of sexual contact that occurs without consent, either as a result of threats, coercion, or being physically overpowered by someone.

Rape: Rape is a type of sexual assault that involves sexual penetration without consent.

Indecent exposure: This type of MST is characterized by exposure to one's genitalia or other intimate body parts.

Stalking: Stalking involves unwanted and repeated contact or harassment, often accompanied by threats or intimidation.

Sexual humiliation: This type of MST includes any unwanted and degrading sexual or personal attacks, such as taking photos or videos to capture intimate acts or indecent gestures.

Compromising photography: This type of MST consists of taking photos or videos without consent, often in compromising positions, which can lead to harassment and exploitation.

Exploitation of dependent status: This type of MST involves taking undue advantage of someone's vulnerable or dependent status for sexual favors.

Reprisal or retaliation: This type of MST involves retribution or retaliation for refusing unwanted sexual advances or reporting incidents of sexual harassment or assault.

Inappropriate fraternization: This type of MST includes unwelcome, inappropriate, and nonprofessional interaction between service members of different ranks or between service members and civilian employees.