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Watkins K, Bennett R, Zamorski MA, et al. Military-related sexual assault in Canada: a cross-sectional survey. CMAJ Open. 2017;5(2):E496-E507doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20160140.
Watkins, K., Bennett, R., Zamorski, M. A., & Richer, I. (2017). Military-related sexual assault in Canada: a cross-sectional survey. CMAJ open, 5(2), E496-E507. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20160140
Watkins, Kimberley, et al. "Military-related sexual assault in Canada: a cross-sectional survey." CMAJ open vol. 5,2 (2017): E496-E507. doi: https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20160140
Watkins K, Bennett R, Zamorski MA, Richer I. Military-related sexual assault in Canada: a cross-sectional survey. CMAJ Open. 2017 Jun 22;5(2):E496-E507. doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20160140. PMID: 28642253; PMCID: PMC5498324.
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CMAJ Open. 2017 Jun 22;5(2):E496-E507. doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20160140.

Military-related sexual assault in Canada: a cross-sectional survey.

CMAJ open

Kimberley Watkins, Rachel Bennett, Mark A Zamorski, Isabelle Richer

Affiliations

  1. Affiliation: Department of National Defence, Ottawa, Ont.

PMID: 28642253 PMCID: PMC5498324 DOI: 10.9778/cmajo.20160140

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Most research on military-related sexual assault is based on the United States military and has important limitations, such as low response rates. We sought to estimate the lifetime prevalence of sexual assault, assess its relation to military service and identify the circumstances, correlates and associations with mental disorders of military-related sexual assault among Canadian military personnel.

METHODS: We used the 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey, a cross-sectional representative survey of Canadian Regular Force personnel (

RESULTS: Self-reported sexual assault was more prevalent among women (non-military-related sexual assault 24.2%, military-related sexual assault 15.5%) than men (5.9% and 0.8%, respectively). About a quarter of women with military-related sexual assault reported experiencing at least 1 event on deployment. After covariates were controlled for, military-related sexual assault was independently associated with any lifetime and any past-year mental disorder (adjusted odds ratio 2.9 and 3.0, respectively) and lifetime and past-year posttraumatic stress disorder (adjusted odds ratio 4.3 and 4.1, respectively).

INTERPRETATION: Canadian military women are at increased risk for sexual assault and military-related sexual assault relative to their male counterparts. Deployment may be a period of elevated risk for military-related sexual assault, and women who reported military-related sexual assault are more likely to have experienced mental disorders, especially posttraumatic stress disorder.

Copyright 2017, Joule Inc. or its licensors.

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors are employed by the Department of National Defence. No other competing interests were declared.

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