The Correlation between Female Veteran Mental Health and Branch of Military Service

Purpose: While military mental health has been a topic of interest in recent years, the relationship between branch of military service and female veteran mental health outcomes has been under-explored. Female veterans are six times more likely to commit suicide than civilian counterparts, and present posttraumatic stress (PTS) rates that sit at approximately 20% (with some studies reporting statistics up to 50%), along with 20-30% for depressive disorders. Seeking to more fully understand what contributes to these issues is a necessary step in creating programming designed to improve outcomes and prevent death by suicide in women veterans. Methods: Researchers conducted a secondary analysis of data collected by the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN) in their 2017 needs assessment of women veterans. Quantitative analyses included multinomial regression tests and one-way ANOVA tests of dependent variables, with branch of military service as the independent variable. Results: Statistically significant differences between branches of service were found in respondent questions asking about the following: impact of service on mental health, impact of service on physical health, and existing depression diagnoses. Additional analyses of questions regarding stress injury, self-harm, and attitudes toward mental health treatment did not show significant difference. Conclusions: Many factors impact the mental wellbeing of service women. The experiences of unit cohesion, the incidence of trauma, or the availability of a network of peers on which to rely all change the operating environment for a military woman. To date, insufficient research has examined the role of service branch on mental health outcomes in veteran women, a knowledge gap the present study sought to fill. Recommendations: The results of the study provide important feedback for service branches and the veteran care sector as they consider predictors for adverse health outcomes in women veterans. Tailoring culturally-competent outreach to service women in indicated, as is continuing to increase understanding of the military woman's transition experience.