Military sexual trauma is defined as which of the following?

• A. A physical injury from sexual assault only.
• B. A psychological disturbance unrelated to service.
• C. Psychological trauma resulting from a physical battery or sexual harassment during service.
• D. Psychological trauma, resulting from a physical nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment which occurred while the Veteran was serving on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training.

Answer: (D)

Military sexual trauma is about psychological trauma that results from sexual harm experienced during military service. It includes not only physical sexual assault but also any sexual harassment or battery that occurred while the service member was on active duty, on active duty for training, or during inactive duty training. This broad scope matters because MST can involve non-physical experiences (like harassment) that still cause significant psychological impact.

The option that best fits this definition includes all these elements: psychological trauma linked to a physical or sexual battery or sexual harassment that happened during service in any duty status. It’s more inclusive than focusing only on physical injury, and it ties the trauma directly to the service period.

Why the others don’t fit as well: one option limits the issue to physical injury from sexual assault alone and ignores psychological impact and harassment; another denies any link to service; and the remaining option is narrower, not fully capturing the range of experiences (including non-physical harassment and training periods).