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Female Combat Soldiers Have Similar Reactions to Combat as Their Male Counterparts

The American Psychological Association recently conducted a study on the resilience of female veterans from recent wars. Their study concluded those females who served in combat were as resilient as their male counterparts.

The study focused on male and female veterans who were deployed between 2007 and 2008 to Iraq and Afghanistan. The study found levels of combat-related-stress as well as mental health complications in the first 12 months following their return stateside were on similar levels between the two groups.

Both males and females respond to combat trauma in similar fashions, both physically and mentally. Although women remain banned from combat, almost 800 females have been wounded or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the Pentagon is under pressure to lift their ban on women in combat, these findings come at a critical time.

Subjects of the study were randomly chosen from the Defense Manpower Data Center roster. The combat stressors included firing upon people, being fired upon, observing injured and dead people, handling human remains, and living in combat areas, among many others.

Although men reported being involved in more combat situations, post-deployment mental conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression were very similar between the groups. Male veterans, however, did display higher levels of substance abuse.  

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.