Abstract
Using the Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (n = 43,440) we examined risk factors associated with the experience of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). We used logistic regression models to identify predictors of being a target of sexual misconduct among CAF members. We also examined whether risk factors associated with sexual misconduct vary by sex and environmental command (Army, Navy, Air Force, or Military Personnel). The proportions of CAF members who experienced sexual assault, inappropriate sexualized behavior, or discriminatory behavior on the basis of sex and sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year were 2%, 18.4%, and 5.9%, respectively. The odds ratio of being the target for sexual assault or inappropriate sexual behavior and discriminatory behavior in the past year among females compared to males was 4.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.14 to 5.44), 2.55 (95% CI = 2.41 to 2.71), and 4.67 (95% CI = 4.3 to 5.08), respectively. Being a victim of one or more of the three types of sexual misconduct in the past year was associated with one or more of the following factors: younger, single, Indigenous, disabled, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, highly educated, or junior non-commissioned members of the CAF. Results were generally consistent when we stratified our analysis by sex and environmental command. These results suggest that sexual misconduct is a problem within the CAF. There is a need for change within the CAF to prevent sexual misconduct among at-risk members.
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Acknowledgements
The analyses for this paper were conducted at the Statistics Canada’s Atlantic Research Data Centre (ARDC) at Dalhousie University, which is part of the Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN). We would like to thank the CRDCN for facilitating the access to the Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (SSMCAF) and the ARDC analyst Heather Hobson for her support and assistance. We also thank three anonymous reviewers and the editor for their insightful comments and suggestions.
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We used secondary data from the Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (SSMCAF). The SSMCAF is available for use by researchers with an approved project at the Statistics Canada Research Data Centre (RDCs) in Canadian universities. Data accessed through the RDCs, which follows strict disclosure protocols according to the Statistics Canada Acts, are exempt from research ethics board review based on Tri-council policy statement: Ethical conduct for research involving humans (TCPS2, Article 2.2a).
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Hajizadeh, M., Aiken, A. & Cox, C. Risk Factors Associated with Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces: Does It Vary by Sex and Environmental Command?. Arch Sex Behav 48, 2581–2594 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-01507-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-01507-x