Date of Graduation
Spring 2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Clinical Psychology (PsyD)
Department
Psychology
Committee Chairperson
Lauren Brumley, PhD
Committee Member
Sabina Samipour-Biel, PhD
Committee Member
Michael Gawrysiak, PhD
Abstract
Female service members experience disproportionately higher rates of military sexual trauma (MST) compared to their male counterparts. MST significantly increases risk for many mental health, physical health, and occupational concerns. In addition to the negative effects of MST itself, many service members also experience institutional betrayal (IB), which refers to failures of the organization to prevent or appropriately respond to traumatic events such as MST. High rates of MST and its negative consequences are well documented, but the organizational factors fostering IB are under-studied in the military population. The current study examined environmental antecedents of MST and IB guided by our proposed theoretical model – Organizational Antecedents of Military Sexual Trauma and Institutional Betrayal: A Military Model. We recruited former and current female servicemembers to complete a survey via Qualtrics and utilized a cross-sectional design. Correlation analyses suggest that organizational support and belongingness were associated with fewer MST experiences and less IB, and sexism, hypermasculinity, toxic leadership, and male privilege norms in the workplace were associated with more MST and IB. In a multiple regression, women who were serving in military branches other than the army, perceived leadership as more toxic, and felt less organizational belongingness experienced more MST. Serving in a non-army military branch and lower organizational belongingness (marginally significant) predicted greater IB. Variance explained in both models was remarkably high, perhaps indicating that experiences of MST and IB pervasively impact the ways female service members experience other aspects of organizational culture and leadership. The findings of this study suggest potential key organizational antecedents as targets for prevention and intervention, which ultimately could create a safer workspace for female service members.
Final Version Confirmation
1
Recommended Citation
Kline, Natalie, "Culture of Betrayal: Exploring Organizational Antecedents of Institutional Betrayal and Military Sexual Trauma" (2026). West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects. 19.
https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/all_capstones/19