WASHINGTON — Survivors of sexual assault in the military face "unique barriers" when they seek mental health care, according to a new report from The RAND Corporation, a non-profit global policy think tank, which also found that treatment options are "limited in scope and quality."
Reports of sexual assault in the US military jumped 13% between 2020 and 2021, according to the Defense Department's latest report on sexual assault released last August.
In total, that report says the branches received more than 8,800 reports of sexual assault during that timeframe.
Now, The RAND Corporation report says that sexual assault and sexual harassment have significant associations with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use disorders among victims.
The report also finds that despite the need to address these harms, some service members report that connecting to health care or mental health services following sexual assault or sexual harassment can be difficult, in part "because of a lack of leadership support."
The RAND report notes barriers victims face seeking treatment include distrust and the perception that the predominantly male culture of military settings is unwelcoming to women.
Retired Air Force Colonel Don Christensen is President of Protect Our Defenders, a national non-profit human rights organization dedicated to ending sexual violence, victim retaliation, misogyny, sexual prejudice, and racism in the military and combating a culture that has allowed it to persist.
"There's a huge problem with confidence in the system," he said in an interview with 13News Now.
Christensen questions if uniformed leaders are sincerely committed to solving this problem.
"I think there's really a culture of disbelief -- particularly in the senior ranks -- that this is a real issue."
Protect Our Defenders said the findings in the RAND report "illustrate the need for increased access to treatment programs for survivors of military sexual assault, and a better understanding of why barriers to such access currently exist."
Protect Our Defenders filed a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief, filed on Wednesday which advocates for the protection of service members’ psychotherapist-patient privilege, especially in cases of sexual assault.