Impact of military leadership behaviors on OEF/OIF servicewomen's risk of sexual assault in combat-related and non-deployed settings

Background:The risk of workplace violence is heightened for women in male-dominated occupations. Currently 14% of US Armed Forces are women, with 24% deployed to combat-related areas.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of military leadership behaviors on risk of sexual assault (SA) in non-deployed and combat-deployed military environments.

Methods: A Mid-Western cohort of 1339 OEF/OIF era servicewomen participated in this cross-sectional study..

Results: The sample included: currently serving (79%) and Veteran (21%) servicewomen; 4% (lower) enlisted, 66% non-commissioned officers (NCOs) (upper enlisted), and 29% commissioned officers (COs); with 51% deployed in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Participants were asked 20 NCO and CO leadership behaviors that produced 4 behavior factors: 1)leadership environment (e.g., concern with ethical behavior, support seeking mental health care, zero tolerance for sexual harassment), 2)soldier treatment (e.g., embarrassing soldiers in front of other soldiers; showing favoritism); 3)NCO sexual harassment (e.g., sexually demeaning comments) and 4)CO sexual harassment. SA in military was experienced by 16% of participants, of which 39% acknowledged multiple assaults.  Risk factors for SA occurring in non-deployed settings included: Soldier treatment, NCO sexual harassment, and being of NCO rank. Risk factors for SA occurring in a combat-deployed setting included NCO sexual harassment.

Conclusions: Violence toward military women is a serious public health concern. Our findings demonstrate that NCOs may be a vulnerable population and that leadership behaviors have substantial impact on servicewomen’s safety or risk.  Identification of risk factors is vital in development of evidence-based interventions and policies that address military conduct.