Relationship Distress in Partners of Combat Veterans: The Role of Partners' Perceptions of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

An examination of partners' perceptions of Veterans' posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms was conducted. More specifically, this included investigating the simultaneous associations of the partners' distress with their perceptions of Veterans' re-experiencing, withdrawal or numbing, and hyperarousal symptom clusters. Two separate groups of partners of Veterans were included in the study. The first sample consisted of 258 partners of Operation Enduring- and Iraqi Freedom-era Veterans and the second sample consisted of 465 partners of Vietnam-era Veterans.