A Student‐Directed Community Project to Support Sexually Abused Women Veterans Suffering from Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

While awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sexual abuse continues to grow, it has only been during the past few years that the military has realized the prevalence and impact of sexual abuse inflicted upon women while on active military duty. Though Veteran Administration (VA) agencies throughout the United States have given concerted attention to this problem, published resources specific to PTSD and military sexual abuse have been limited. In this article the authors present the results of a 2(1/2)-year endeavor to address the problem of PTSD and military sexual abuse at the Tulsa VA Outpatient Clinic. The project started with a research study and the subsequent initiation of a PTSD women veterans support group, and culminated in the development of resource manuals for both professional staff and women veterans.

Women in the National Guard: Experiences with children during deployment

“…Meeting with other women in a safe environment can help to challenge the critical self-talk that the women in our study sometimes engaged in, and the belief that one is alone in her experiences. In one study conducted of women veterans who experienced sexual trauma, women reported that at certain stages of their recovery, they would have found it helpful to know that others had similar experiences (Wing & Oertle, 1998 as cited in Wing et al, 2000). A support group can provide women with the opportunity to offer support to each other; this potential for altruism can be very beneficial therapeutically (Yalom, 1995).…”