Perceived Barriers to Care and Gender Preferences Among Veteran Women Who Experienced Military Sexual Trauma: A Qualitative Analysis

The primary goal of this pilot study was to investigate potential barriers to accessing military sexual trauma (MST)–related care for female veterans within the Veterans Administration (VA) health care system. Secondary goals were to explore whether female veterans have preferences regarding the gender of clinicians who provide MST-related care and preferences concerning whether psychoeducational materials are gender targeted. Qualitative analyses were used to examine data collected from semistructured interviews conducted with nine female veterans enrolled in Veterans Health Administration care who reported MST. Veterans identified four types of potential barriers: psychological avoidance, stigma related, gender related, and lack of knowledge. Most women reported a gender preference for a female clinical provider, and all reported preferences for a gender-targeted psychoeducational brochure on MST compared to a gender-neutral brochure. These preliminary data suggest that different types of barriers may exist for women seeking MST-related care. In addition, these data suggest that psychoeducation and outreach for women who have experienced sexual trauma should be provided in a gender-targeted manner.