Women veteran mental health

Women Veteran Mental Health Student’s Name Institution Course Name and Number Lecturer’s Name Due Date Women Veteran Mental Health Women represent about 15% of active military personnel in the United States (Dallocchio, 2021). Their participation in the military service has presently increased, with many women developing an interest in becoming military. This makes women one of the fastest-growing groups in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). According to Zaccari et al. (2024), there are over two million women veterans in the US out of approximately 20 million veterans. Despite their military service being heroic, with some women achieving high-ranking positions and receiving prestigious awards, their contribution has always been overlooked (Adams et al., 2021). It is worth noting that the military is dominated by men. Women in the service are likely to face gender-based issues in their career. Working in this environment subjects women to stigma due to the feeling that they are working in a male world where they do not belong. They feel their jobs demand extra strength with the ability to withstand hardships including negative, invalidating, and dismissive comments (Kelly et al., 2021). Similarly, servicewomen who are mothers encounter the same challenges as all working mothers– balancing work and family. However, their challenges seem more intense than those of other women, especially when sent to combat missions away from their homes. This makes it difficult for them to return home and bond with their families. It comes with social biases as well because society is more accepting of men being away from their children than women (Marshall et al., 2021). These issues, coupled with combat experiences affect women’s mental health more than men's when in service and after leaving active duty. One of the gender-related concerns women veterans have raised is sexual violence. Schultz et al., (2023) outlined that nearly one in every four service women has encountered sexual assault or harassment while active in the military. Most of these women suffer from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and military sexual trauma (MST). Women veterans, particularly those with prolonged military wounds, struggle more with mental health conditions including stress, anxiety, and depression, and reintegrating into civilian life becomes a problem for them (Marshall et al., 2021). A survey, which involved 13300 male veterans and 5100 female veterans reported a high prevalence of mental illnesses in females (Schultz et al., 2023). About 56.1% of female respondents reported suicidal thoughts against 50.8% of men (Schultz et al., 2023). According to the National Veteran Suicide Prevention, the rate of women veterans with PTSD is almost twice that of their male colleagues and female civilians (Schultz et al., 2023). Women veterans also have higher rates of depression, anxiety, Substance use and eating disorders. For that reason, relevant bodies have called for strong measures to support women veterans and help them overcome mental health challenges they encountered when actively involved in military affairs. Improving the Mental Health of Women Veterans Studies have shown that women are more susceptible to mental health problems than their male counterparts. Unfortunately, they do not have the physical and emotional strength like men to deal with these issues. This leaves them exposed to long-term and extreme mental health conditions and their consequences if effective interventions are not implemented. The increased susceptibility and adverse effects of mental health conditions like suicidal ideation call for measures to improve women veterans’ mental health. Improving the mental health of women veterans involves a multifaceted approach that addresses their unique needs and barriers to care. It begins by building better systems of care that engage and support women in seeking psychological help. Studies show tha...