Citation

Mengeling MA, Burkitt KH, True G, Zickmund SL, Ono SS, Bayliss NK, Holmes WC, Sadler AG. Violence Vict. 2019; 34(1): 175-193.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Springer Publishing)

DOI

10.1891/0886-6708.34.1.175

PMID

30808800

Abstract

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, has conducted universal screening for military sexual trauma (MST) to facilitate MST-related care since 2002. VHA defines MST as sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred during military service. Evidence of construct validity, the degree to which the screen is measuring what it purports to measure (i.e., MST), was examined using the 23-item Sexual Experiences Questionnaire-Department of Defense (SEQ-DoD).

RESULTS showed individuals who endorsed no SEQ-DoD items screened MST negative. Those who had experienced more SEQ-DoD behaviors with greater frequency, and across all four SEQ-DoD domains, were more likely to screen MST positive.

FINDINGS were similar for men and women. These findings contribute to the validity evidence for the VHA MST screen.

© Copyright 2019 Springer Publishing Company, LLC.

Language: en

Keywords

military sexual trauma; sexual assault; sexual harassment; veterans; workplace violence