.Boston (SmartAboutHealth) - It appears that sexual trauma is quite common among U.S. veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The new report was released by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department, and found that 15% of those veterans seeking medical attention suffered from sexual trauma.

The sexual trauma was said to have been caused by anything from harassment to rape.

The VA also reported that overall, these veterans suffering from sexual trauma were 1.5 times more likely to need medical aid compared to other veterans.

Sexual trauma is quite dangerous as it can lead to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Many of the veterans who did seek help were reportedly not even aware that help was available.

The majority of these veterans were women, with more than one in seven women seeking help for this sort of thing.

The report was presented at a meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego.