Perceived Support from Multiple Sources: Associations with PTSD Symptoms

Perceived social support is negatively associated with severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the literature lacks data about specific sources of support. Using 2 service member (SM) samples (n = 207 and 465), this study examined perceived support from family/friends and the broader public. SMs perceived high support from both sources. In multivariate regressions, perceived support from the broader public was not significantly associated with severity of PTSD symptoms, but it demonstrated a nearly identical effect size ( = -.21) as support from family/friends ( = -.23) in a sample of active duty and National Guard/Reserve SMs. We found that, SMs perceived high levels of support from the broader public, with modest evidence that such perceptions may relate to severity of PTSD.