Themes in Help-seeking of Female Military Sexual Assault Survivors

While large efforts have been made to address military sexual assault, there are still barriers in the help-seeking journey that need attention. This study aimed to examine barriers and facilitators to formal and informal help-seeking behaviors and to understand the role of stigma in survivors' help-seeking behaviors for female military sexual assault survivors. Through semi-structured interviews, the study explored the help-seeking experiences and mental health sequela of fourteen female military sexual assault survivors. This study focused on cis-gender women over the age of eighteen who experienced a military sexual assault, by another military service member, while on active-duty. Women shared their narratives, and how their help-seeking experiences were impacted by cultural norms, facilitators, barriers, and affected growth for some of the women. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) produced seven themes in help-seeking: types of help-seeking, barriers to help-seeking, facilitators to help-seeking, coping, mental health impacts, disclosure, and post-traumatic growth. Findings from this study further inform the research community of facilitators and barriers to help-seeking and informs changes to decrease the mental health impact on survivors by increasing areas of support. The findings of this research highlighted that help-seeking was impacted by military culture, societal attitudes toward sexual assault, and self-perceptions of mental health. Further research is needed to minimize the widespread barriers to help-seeking, decrease the delay in receiving mental health services, and ultimately address and eliminate underlying factors that perpetuate military sexual assault.