Vulnerabilities in Military Rape Culture

Abstract

(from the cover) This thorough analysis of sexual assault in the military examines the scope of this long-neglected issue using a lens informed by modern day attachment and trauma theories. Starting with an overview of sexual violence during wartime, it details the cultural and organizational aspects of military life--and entrenched ideas about war and masculinity--that compound military sexual trauma (MST) and reinforce barriers to treatment for women and men. The book's second half reviews empirically supported interventions for MST survivors, recommending therapy that attends to somatic, implicit, relational-based aspects of trauma processing rather than the conventional cognitive therapies currently funded in many military mental health programs. This powerful presentation, which includes sobering quotes from survivors, also raises serious questions about meeting veterans' needs, training for on- and off-base clinicians, and government funding. Understanding and Treating Military Sexual Trauma is of interest to researchers in academic settings and private practice clinicians and government psychologists. It provides cutting-edge knowledge to practitioners in training, such as graduate-level students in psychology and social work. Its dual emphasis on military culture and women's lives informs those in gender studies, sociology, and program planning disciplines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)