Date

8-20-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Lisa Avirette

Keywords

military sexual trauma, psychosocial functioning, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, identity, veterans, institutional betrayal, risky behaviors, PTSD

Disciplines

Counseling | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Military Sexual Trauma (MST) is a pervasive yet often underrecognized form of military-based trauma that may significantly disrupt veterans’ psychological and psychosocial functioning. Although existing literature highlights clinical symptomatology, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), less is understood about how MST shapes long-term psychosocial functioning across relational, occupational, emotional, and identity-based domains. This Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study explored the lived experiences of veterans who survived MST and examined how participants describe changes in self-concept, interpersonal relationships, occupational functioning and overall quality of life following trauma exposure. Grounded in Psychosocial Development Theory and Ecological Systems Theory, this study examined how veterans interpret and make meaning of psychosocial changes associated with PTSD symptomology, survival-oriented coping behaviors, relational dynamics and long-term adaptation following MST. Through semi-structured interviews, participants shared narratives reflecting on disruptions in trust, identity, relational functioning, spirituality, institutional betrayal, occupational roles, and social functioning across time. Findings from this study contribute to a deeper understanding of MST as not only a trauma event, but also an enduring psychosocial experience that continues to influence veterans’ functioning long after military service.

Download

Included in

Counseling Commons

Share

COinS