Posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD is linked to increased chances for maternal health complications
Georgia has one of the largest and fastest-growing populations of women veterans in the nation. Research from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs shows they’re at higher risk for PTSD than their male counterparts, in part because women service members are much more likely to experience military sexual trauma, the VA finds. The conditions increase their risks for pregnancy and postpartum complications in a state with one of the worst rates of maternal mortality in the U.S., particularly for Black Georgians.
Georgia military veteran Emily sits on the living room floor playing with her 1-year old son. As he pushes buttons on a toy DJ turntable, it lights up and plays music.
“This was given to us by some friends. Yesterday, this was the only thing he wanted to play with most of the day,” she says.
Her son isn’t napping as much lately. So, she isn’t getting much sleep either, says Emily, who didn’t want to give her last name to protect her privacy
“I think he’s going through his sleep regression. He’s gotten a lot more movement, which is fun, but also really exhausting,” she says. “I’m a single mom doing this by myself. I’ve been hanging on as easily as I can, I guess.”
It’s the kind of lack of support and sleep deprivation that research shows can exacerbate mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and PTSD — like what Emily has after experiencing multiple incidents of military sexual trauma in the Marine Corps
“I was assaulted by Marines in our unit,“ she says.
After that, Emily says her mental health quickly deteriorated.
“I was genuinely having nightmares and literally screaming in my sleep. I’ll admit, I sat in my shower holding a razor blade to my wrists many a times,” she says. “I kind of became like a angry fly on the wall. More like a wasp, I would say, because I became very mean. I didn’t want to be messed with anymore and I just was terrified to be near people I didn’t really know.”
Nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety and avoidance are typical of PTSD. The condition can develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, says Dr. Liza Zwiebach, clinical psychologist at Emory University School of Medicine.
“A person may experience really intrusive images, memories reminiscent of traumatic events while they’re awake, or they might become physically or emotionally upset at reminders of traumatic events,” Zwiebach says
Zwiebach is the Clinical Director of Emory Healthcare’s Veterans Program, which specializes in treating PTSD, traumatic brain injury (TBI), military sexual trauma and other conditions in active service members and post-9/11 veterans.
A past history of trauma can increase the chances a veteran would develop PTSD, she says. So can what happens after a traumatic event.
Zwiebach says social support is critical, but it’s often not there for survivors of military sexual trauma
“Unlike maybe with some combat-related events that happen, where command has their back. And sometimes it’s much worse than a lack of support, but it’s actually victim-blaming,” she says. “And things like that will likely put somebody at greater risk for developing PTSD than someone else.”
Georgia’s women veterans at risk
Georgia has one of the largest and fastest-growing populations of women veterans in the nation. VAresearch has found women who deploy are at higher risk for PTSD than their male counterparts, in part because women service members are much more likely to experience military sexual trauma, including sexual harassment and sexual assault. It affects about 1 in every 3 women screened by a VA provider, according to the VA, compared to 1 in 50 men.
It’s a problem both the VA and U.S. military officials have worked for years to address.
“Over time, as more data was collected and the scope of the problem became more clear and members of Congress became more attuned to this and advocates raised their voices more and more, the military started to devote more energy and reve argued,” says Kayla Williams, senior policy advisor at the Vet Voice Foundation and former director of the VA Center for Women Veterans.
Williams, an Iraq War combat veteran, also served on the Biden administration’s Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military for the Department of Defense
“The secretary at the time did accept all of those recommendations and there were also some legal changes to move prosecution out of the chain of command,” she says. “So, really some comprehensive reforms were underway in hopes of finally getting ahead of this issue.”
Advocates say there has been progress. Government numbers show it’s mixed.
A congressionally mandated Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military for fiscal year 2025 from the Department of Defense’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office found the rate of sexual harassment among active-duty forces dropped between 2023 and 2025.
During the same period, reported sexual assaults increased from 25% to 33%.
In a written statement, the department said it “encourages greater reporting of sexual assault and sexual harassment to connect victims with essential care and hold offenders appropriately accountable.”
Lasting impacts of PTSD
Georgia veteran Emily left the Marine Corps on an unrelated medical discharge about a decade ago. Before getting out, she reported her alleged attackers and there was an investigation
She also connected to a therapist while she was in the military. And, after her discharge, she continued with treatment through the VA health system
“I wish I had tried to seek real therapy in the beginning, which is something I didn’t do. I kind of would just go to the chaplain,” she says. “I really had blocked out a lot of it and it was just a lot of exposure therapy that opened up a lot of it.”
During her pregnancy, Emily developed the blood pressure condition preeclampsia, which is linked by VA studies to PTSD. VA research also shows women veterans with PTSD face higher risks for preterm birth, gestational diabetes, postpartum depression and anxiety
“It was a very rough pregnancy,” Emily says
Since having her son about a year ago, it’s been tough getting to her therapy appointments. She doesn’t have regular help with childcare
But when she can go, it helps, she says.
“I started doing a little bit better, like I started opening up and being a happier person,” she says
Now, she wants other veterans who’ve experienced military sexual trauma and PTSD to know they can reach out for help, too.
“I think some people might think, like, oh you’re weak because this happened to you. It doesn’t make somebody weak. It doesn’t make them a problem.”
WABE’s reporting on mental health and women military veterans is supported by the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
