European Journal of Psychotraumatology (Nov 2023)

Alcohol-involved sexual assault in the US military: a scoping review

  • Erin L. Miggantz,
  • Lindsay M. Orchowski,
  • Jessica L. Beltran,
  • Kristen H. Walter,
  • Julia C. Hollingsworth,
  • Kelly Cue Davis,
  • Zoe Y. Zong,
  • Richard Meza-Lopez,
  • Anna Hutchins,
  • Amanda K. Gilmore

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2023.2282020
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 2

Abstract

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ABSTRACTBackground: Sexual assault and alcohol use are significant public health concerns, including for the United States (US) military. Although alcohol is a risk factor for military sexual assault (MSA), research on the extent of alcohol-involvement in MSAs has not been synthesised.Objective: Accordingly, this scoping review is a preliminary step in evaluating the existing literature on alcohol-involved MSAs among US service members and veterans, with the goals of quantifying the prevalence of alcohol-involved MSA, examining differences in victim versus perpetrator alcohol consumption, and identifying additional knowledge gaps.Method: In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for Scoping Reviews, articles in this review were written in English, published in 1996 or later, reported statistics regarding alcohol-involved MSA, and included samples of US service members or veterans who experienced MSA during military service.Results: A total of 34 of 2436 articles identified met inclusion criteria. Studies often measured alcohol and drug use together. Rates of reported MSAs that involved the use of alcohol or alcohol/drugs ranged from 14% to 66.1% (M = 36.94%; Mdn = 37%) among servicemen and from 0% to 83% (M = 40.27%; Mdn = 41%) among servicewomen. Alcohol use was frequently reported in MSAs, and there is a dearth of information on critical event-level characteristics of alcohol-involved MSA. Additionally, studies used different definitions and measures of MSA and alcohol use, complicating comparisons across studies.Conclusion: The lack of event-level data, and inconsistencies in definitions, measures, and sexual assault timeframes across articles demonstrates that future research and data collection efforts require more event-level detail and consistent methodology to better understand the intersection of alcohol and MSA, which will ultimately inform MSA prevention and intervention efforts.

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