File:Battling PTSD And Sexual Assault In The Combat Zone (IA BattlingPTSDAndSexualAssaultInTheCombatZoneNavyMedicine).pdf

By Cmdr. Jean Fisak, NC, USN, deputy director, Naval Center for Combat & Operational Stress Control.

"Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a term that everyone in the military community has become very familiar with. The association between combat stress and a heightened risk of developing PTSD is well known. In fact, PTSD has come to be known as one of the signature wounds of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan where the lines between combatants and civilians are blurred and the combat zone can be anywhere from a crowded marketplace to a desolate road riddled with Improvised Explosive Devices. But combat exposure is not the only risk factor for PTSD. It’s a complex mental health condition that can arise when an individual experiences a traumatic or catastrophic event — like sexual assault. And, when a sexual assault happens to a military member serving in a combat zone, the psychological trauma of the assault can be exacerbated by combat stress. Cumulative traumas can result in higher incidences of PTSD."