Sexual Assault Among U.S. Military Spouses: An Examination of Prevalence, Characteristics, and Associations With Individual and Military Factors

Despite the prevalence of sexual assault in military contexts and the unique risk factors associated with military life, little research has examined sexual assault experiences among family members of military personnel. This study examined the prevalence and characteristics of sexual assault among spouses of U.S. service members, and explored which individual and military factors were associated with sexual assault. Military spouses enrolled in the Millennium Cohort Family Study ( N = 19,500) self-reported experiences of sexual assault since entering the military community, including offender and assault characteristics. Descriptive statistics weighted to the population were used to explore prevalence and characteristics of sexual assault experiences, while logistic regressions were used to examine associations with individual and military factors. Approximately 7.6% of military spouses experienced sexual assault (female: 8.2%, male: 4.1%). Spouses who were veterans had the highest prevalence (18.9%), followed by spouses who were currently serving (8.9%) or had never served in the military (6.9%). Among those who experienced sexual assault, a wide range of offender and assault characteristics were reported, including assault from a “friend, relative, or acquaintance” (43.2%) and “spouse or significant other” (27.5%). The most common assault characteristics were those involving sexual contact (59.8%), assault via incapacitation (47.1%), and completed sexual intercourse (46.4%). Higher odds of sexual assault were observed among spouses who were female, had current or former military service, were separated, divorced or widowed, or were affiliated with the Navy. However, an interaction indicated that current military service was only a risk factor among female spouses. These findings provide novel insight into the sexual assault experiences of military spouses and may inform sexual violence prevention and response within the U.S. military.