Key Factors Involved in Engaging Significant Others in the Treatment of Vietnam Veterans with PTSD

In an effort to be responsive to the often complicated, multilayered family issues of people living with posttraumatic stress disorder, many well-intentioned therapists create a variety of family-based services— only to be discouraged when participation is very low. In the current project, 10 Vietnam veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder who were active in a stress recovery program and their live-in female partners completed separate semistructured interviews. Interviews explored each couple’s perceptions about family participation in mental health treatment, including potential benefits and barriers. Findings revealed 9 key themes that elucidate many of the important issues in family engagement. The authors make 7 recommendations about how clinicians can overcome some of the possible obstacles to involving families in care.