Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Depression Among Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Women Veterans

Female Veterans completed self-report questionnaires about their experiences with trauma and associated mental health outcomes (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and depression). Analyses examined the associations between traumatic experiences and PTSD or depressive symptomology and to assess differences based on sexual orientation. Regardless of sexual orientation, all female Veterans were more likely to report being the victim of sexual-related trauma during military service, and sexual trauma during service was the strongest predictor of PTSD.