Building Back Something Remarkable From Shattered Pieces: An Inquiry Into Military Sexual Trauma as Shared Online by Veteran Women

Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences of eight women veterans regarding military sexual trauma (MST), as shared on two online social media platforms. The study integrated two qualitative methods, netnography (which facilitated analysis of social media content) and phenomenology (which explored the meaning of lived experiences). Figural themes included: (a) Called to serve, (b) The powerlessness of the assault, (c) Lasting impacts of the assault, (d) Disbelieved, blamed, and silenced, (e) Life savers, (f) You are not alone, (g) Block out the trauma, (h) You do not belong, (i) Thank you for serving, bye, and (j) Getting my life back.

Keywords

military trauma women veterans sexual assault netnography phenomenology

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