Military Sexual Trauma and the Silent Crisis in Perinatal Mental Health copertina

Military Sexual Trauma and the Silent Crisis in Perinatal Mental Health

Military Sexual Trauma and the Silent Crisis in Perinatal Mental Health

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 Do you know that simply serving in the military places women at significantly higher risk for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and adverse birth outcomes, even before combat exposure is considered? And do you know that one of the most powerful drivers of this risk is still rarely discussed in perinatal care?In this episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett shines a light on an overlooked public health crisis: the impact of military service, and specifically military sexual trauma, on perinatal mental health and birth outcomes. Drawing from large-scale studies, systematic reviews, and longitudinal data, she reveals just how profound these risks are for pregnant and postpartum veterans.Dr. Kendall-Tackett walks listeners through research showing extraordinarily high rates of prenatal and postpartum depression, PTSD, anxiety, preterm birth, and low birth weight among military women. She explains how trauma-related stress physiology affects pregnancy, why these outcomes persist even when controlling for other risk factors, and how military culture itself may contribute to vulnerability, even for women who were not directly assaulted.For healthcare providers, policymakers, and anyone working in women’s mental health, this episode is a call to move beyond treatment alone and begin addressing prevention, screening, and systemic change. For military mothers, it is validation and proof that these outcomes are not personal failures, but predictable responses to chronic stress and trauma.In This Episode:(00:00) Introduction and episode overview(01:06) Growth of women in the US military and vulnerability(02:11) Defining military sexual trauma (MST)(04:04) MST vs. combat exposure: mental health impact(05:18) Physical health consequences of MST(06:26) Review of studies on pregnancy outcomes(07:41) Study: harassment, assault, and mental health(10:04) Mental health outcomes by assault status(11:07) Study: MST, PTSD, and birth experience(12:17) Study: MST, combat, childhood trauma, and birth outcomes(13:31) Quantifying MST’s impact on birth weight and depression(14:38) Study: MST and mother-infant bonding(15:45) Call to action: addressing MST in guidelines(16:43) Betrayal trauma and military culture(17:42) Conclusion and further resourcesNotable Quotes:(02:37) “These papers, I actually have to admit, kind of blew my mind. I knew there was some increased vulnerability within this population, but I had no idea it was this high.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(01:07) “We talk about treatment, but we’re not really talking about prevention and this is a population that is particularly vulnerable.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(04:19) “Military sexual trauma can actually have an effect above and beyond the effect of combat exposure.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(07:58) “71% of the women who were harassed, actually had depression, compared to 41% of the non-harassed women.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(11:02) “Chronic activation of the stress system sends inflammatory messengers that directly affect pregnancy.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-TackettResource and LinksThe Science Chick ReportThe Science Chick Report Dr. Kathleen Kendall-TackettWebsiteLinkedInXFacebookResearchGate (upcoming paper)Mentioned Manzo (2024) – Military trauma and pregnancy outcomesGross et al. – Military sexual trauma and perinatal mental healthSchaefer et al. (2024) – PTSD, trauma, and birth experiencesNilny et al. (2022) – Military trauma, preterm birth, and depressionCreech et al. (2022) – Military sexual trauma and mother-infant bondingChikowsky (2017) – Long-term health outcomes in veterans
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