Psychological and Marital Distress in Spouses of Vietnam Veterans: Importance of Spouses' Perceptions

Spouses of combat veterans with PTSD have greater psychological and marital distress than spouses of veterans without PTSD, however, few studies have examined how variables related to the spouses (e.g., cognitions) may play a role in their own distress. The current study examined spousesÕ perceptions of combat veteransÕ PTSD symptom severity in 465 spouses of veterans from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study. SpousesÕ perceptions of veteransÕ symptom severity were positively associated with spousesÕ psychological and marital distress, furthermore, spousesÕ perceptions fully mediated the effects of veteransÕ self-reported PTSD severity on spousesÕ distress. Additionally, for spouses who provided complete data with regard to their perceptions of veteransÕ PTSD, distress was highest when they perceived high levels of symptoms but veterans reported low levels. These results highlight the importance of interpersonal perceptions in intimate relationships and provide preliminary groundwork for future research on cognitions in spouses of combat veterans with PTSD.