Date of Conferral

2022

Date of Award

Summer 2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Douglas McCoy

Abstract

AbstractMilitary sexual trauma/assault (MST/MSA) among male survivors is significantly underreported. Male survivors continue to deal with the societal and personal stigmas and barriers that impeded their ability or desire to seek help for their trauma. The most prevalent barrier is the societal stigma that men cannot be raped or experience sexual trauma or assault. The primary goal of the current research was to illuminate the current barriers male MST/MSA veteran victims experience seeking help while on active duty. Qualitative analyses were used to examine the collected data from the semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 male veterans who experienced MST/MSA while on active duty and have been revictimized by the institution while seeking help or stated seeking help or reporting was not an option. All the veterans discussed barriers related to personal and societal stigmas to seeking help. Freyd’s institutional betrayal trauma and betrayal blindness provided the study’s theoretical framework. The theories revealed the betrayal felt by the leaders in the institution created a lack of trust. The themes that emerged from the analysis were obstacles related to seeking help, institutional betrayal and cultural influences, trauma, the art of coping and mechanisms used, and the desire for significance/improve QOL. The study findings contribute to positive social change by helping DoD, Veteran Affairs, other military institutions, and policymakers develop male-specific programs to provide needed services for victims, training tools, and protocols to both healthcare providers and military command personnel necessary to help minimize the occurrence of MST/MSA.

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