%0 Journal Article
%T Barriers and facilitators of mental health treatment-seeking in U.S active duty soldiers with sexual assault histories
%J Journal of Traumatic Stress
%D 2015
%A Zinzow, Heidi M.
%A Britt, Thomas W.
%A Pury, Cynthia L. S.
%A Jennings, Kristen
%A Cheung, Janelle H.
%A Raymond, Mary Anne
%V 28
%N 4
%P 289-297
%X Despite significant mental health needs among sexual assault (SA) victims in the military, little is known about treatment-seeking patterns or factors associated with service use. This study examined service use behavior, barriers, and facilitators of mental health treatment-seeking in an active duty sample of 927 U.S. Army soldiers with mental health problems. SA victims (n = 113) did not differ from non-victims on barriers or facilitators after adjusting for demographic and mental health variables, with stigma rated as the largest barrier. Most SA victims (87.6%) had sought informal support and 59.3% had sought formal treatment. One third of treatment-seekers had dropped out of treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified several correlates of treatment-seeking among SA victims: Black race (OR = 7.57), SA during the military (OR = 4.34), positive treatment beliefs (OR = 2.22), social support for treatment (OR = 2.14), self-reliance (OR = 0.47), and stigma towards treatment seekers (OR = 0.43). Mental health symptoms were not associated with treatment seeking. <br><br>FINDINGS suggested that treatment-facilitating interventions should focus on improving recognition of mental health symptoms, altering perceptions related to self-reliance, and reducing stigma. Interventions should also enlist support for treatment-seeking from unit members, leaders, and significant others.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I John Wiley and Sons
%@ 0894-9867
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jts.22026