By the Numbers: 25 February 2019

By the Numbers: 25 February 2019

25.2%
The percentage of women Veterans who "reported inappropriate/unwanted comments or behavior by male veterans on VA grounds," according to a pre-publication article posted online by the journal Women's Health Issues -- Prevalence of Stranger Harassment of Women Veterans at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and Impacts on Delayed and Missed Care.

Incident descriptions were wide-ranging (e.g., catcalls, sexual/derogatory remarks, propositioning, stalking, and denigration of veteran status). Reports of harassment were more common among women with histories of military sexual trauma; other trauma exposures (e.g., combat, childhood); positive screens for anxiety, depression, and/or posttraumatic stress disorder; and fair/poor health. Those who reported harassment were significantly less likely to report feeling welcome at VA, and more likely to report not feeling safe, and delaying/missing care.