Sexual assault within the military continues to receive increasing attention. While sexual assault happens to both men and women in the military, little is known about the impact of sexual assault on men.

According to researchers, recent reports suggest U.S. service members who deployed in support of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have higher rates of new-onset asthma than those who did not deploy. Millennium Cohort Study researchers aimed to determine what risk factors may be associated with developing asthma, including combat deployment, among study participants.

A new partnership between DoD and VA medical researchers achieves a milestone with its first joint publication, which examines post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in veteran and active duty populations. The study will be published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, June 2017.

Recent research from the Millennium Cohort Study found that military personnel who deployed with combat experiences were more likely to report back pain after deployment than service members who deployed without combat experience. Study findings were recently published in the November issue of Spine.

Despite being held to stringent weight and body fat standards, newly published research shows that one in five individuals from a sample of U.S. military personnel from 2001 - 2008 have obesity. Further, shortly after separating from active duty, U.S. military veterans are as likely to have obesity as civilians. Data from the research also showed an association between military personnel who have obesity - including both active duty and veterans - and mental health conditions like depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The research led by Toni Rush, MPH, is published in the July issue of Obesity, the scientific journal of The Obesity Society.

A new study found that military service members who reported insomnia symptoms or short sleep durations were less resilient than members who reported healthy sleep hygiene. Several physical and mental variables were evaluated as indices of resilience. These variables were, self-rated general health, lost workdays, deployment, completion of service term, and health care utilization.

A study that will be published next month found that the escalating use of stimulants by the military in active duty soldiers, including those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, was strongly correlated with an increase in the rates of PTSD, even when controlling for other factors, like the rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The study examined the use of prescription stimulants, like Ritalin and Adderall, and the rates of PTSD in nearly 26,000 military service members between 2001 and 2008, and found that the incidence of PTSD increased along with the prescriptions.

Stimulant medications used to treat attention deficit problems and keep service members alert during long stretches of combat might increase vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder.

This study provides evidence of the negative consequences of sexual trauma to US military women, including decrements in functionality in the workplace and potentially on military readiness. Given the increasing roles and responsibilities of women with the military, prevention and mitigation against sexual trauma should remain a high priority. These data support the urgent need for effective strategies to prevent sexual trauma and provide important information for developing programs to assist women who have experience sexual trauma.

A new study by the Department of Veterans Affairs found there is no difference in the chances of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, between males and females who have similar experiences, combat included.As a result of carefully looking at veterans' medical histories and life experiences, researchers said the number of PTSD cases among veterans caused specifically by service in Iraq and Afghanistan may be lower than thought.