Military sexual trauma and mental health counseling: Effects on resilience over time among recent-era U.S. veterans

Military sexual trauma (MST) is prevalent and causes numerous deleterious effects on survivors. This study investigated the association between mental health counseling (MHC) and resilience among a large cohort of U.S. veterans who served in support of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Data were collected over 6.5 years (Wave 1: n = 9,566, Wave 8: n = 2,970). Female veterans who experienced sexual harassment, β = −.12, and both sexual harassment and unwanted sexual contact, β = −.21, had lower baseline resilience scores. For male veterans, sexual harassment, β = −.08; unwanted sexual contact, β = −.09; and both sexual harassment and unwanted sexual contact, β = −.12, were related to lower baseline resilience scores. For both female, β = −.46, and male veterans, β = −.57, MHC was negatively associated with baseline resilience; however, MHC was positively associated with resilience scores over time for female, β =.17, and male veterans, β =.29. In the full mediation models tested, MHC mediated the path between all types of MST and resilience among male and female veterans. The findings suggest that engaging in MHC during the transition from active duty to civilian life may effectively increase resilience for veteran survivors of MST.