PREVALENCE OF PREMILITARY ADULT SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION AND AGGRESSION IN A NAVY RECRUIT SAMPLE

U.S. Navy recruits (n = 3,776) were surveyed for premilitary histories of adult sexual assault. They completed a survey designed to estimate rates for experiences as victims (women) and perpetrators (men) of at tempted and completed rape since the age of 14. The results show that 45.5% of the women reported being the victim of attempted (9.4%) or co mpleted rape (36.1%) before entering the Navy, Male recruits' self-rep orts indicated that 14.8% admitted perpetrating attempted (3.5%) or co mpleted rape (11.3%) before entering the Navy, A high percentage of re cruits in this study reported histories of sexual assault, Female vict ims of sexual assault are at high risk of incurring somatic and/or psy chological problems that require treatment by health care professional s, Male perpetrators of sexual assault are at high risk of repeating t heir behavior. The results of this study suggest that it may be cost-e ffective to develop treatment, education, and prevention programs for military recruits.