Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Veteran PTSS and spouse relationship quality: The importance of dyadic coping
Journal Name
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
Journal Volume
7
Issue Number
5
Page Numbers
493-499
DOI
10.1037/tra0000036
Summary
Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) may impact marital relationships. This study examined the possible role of coping styles in the association between PTSS and relationship quality. Results indicated that certain types of coping mitigated the negative association between PTSS and relationship quality.
Key Findings
Higher Veteran PTSS was associated with lower relationship quality only when the Veteran’s spouse reported that the Veteran provided little support in the relationship.
There was no association between PTSS and relationship quality when spouses reported that the couples engaged in collaborative coping strategies.
Spouses were less likely to report using collaborative coping strategies when Veterans had high PTSS.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer classes aimed at increasing collaborative coping skills for Service members who exhibit PTSS and their spouses
Identify couples who may be experiencing relationship difficulties in the face of PTSS and provide information to them regarding options for support or treatment
Develop workshops for new Service members and their spouses to increase communication skills and to mutually cultivate positive coping strategies
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend that support for Service members who have experienced trauma includes attention to relationship factors
Continue to support programs aimed at strengthening couples’ communication and resilience
Promote education regarding the protective role of collaborative coping within marital relationships for providers who work with Service members
Methods
Participants were recruited from a support center for military families and two clinics that provided individual and couples’ therapy for Veterans.
Each member of the couple competed a packet of questionnaires with information regarding PTSS, relational coping strategies, relationship adjustment, and demographics.
Data were analyzed to evaluate the impact of coping strategies on the association between PTSS and relationship adjustment.
Participants
Participants were 56 civilian women and their Veteran husbands who had experienced at least one combat-related deployment.
The women were primarily White (75%) with an average age of 28 years old (SD = 6.85) and their husbands were also primarily White (72%) with an average age of 29 years old (SD = 6.95). No other information was provided regarding the racial or ethnic composition of the sample.
Most of the husbands served in the Army (79%). Information about other branches represented was not included.
Limitations
A self-report measure of PTSS was used, so it is unclear whether these results extend to individuals with clinical diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
All couples included in the study consisted of a female civilian spouse and a male Veteran, so results cannot be extended to other types of couples.
It is unknown whether these individuals were Active Duty Service members or members of the Reserve Component, so it is unclear the populations to which these results can be extended.
Avenues for Future Research
Investigate the possible protective role of support and coping in individuals who are still serving in the military
Examine this association in populations with a clinical diagnosis of PTSD
Follow couples over time to determine the impact of other life events, such as subsequent deployment or combat exposure, on this association
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Research with combat Veterans and their spouses has documented the harmful impact of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) on relationships, yet few studies have evaluated theoretically based models of relational processes among these couples. In this study, the authors tested 2 moderators of the association between male combat Veterans’ PTSS and their female spouses’ reported relationship quality based on Bodenmann’s (1997, 2005) systemic transactional theory of dyadic coping. We hypothesized that supportive dyadic coping and common dyadic coping would moderate the association of PTSS and spouses’ relationship quality. Hypotheses were supported. The degree to which a Veteran’s PTSS was negatively associated with his spouse’s relationship quality depended on whether she perceived him as supportive when she experiences stress (i.e., supportive dyadic coping) and the degree to which she perceived the couple as working together to manage difficulties (i.e., common dyadic coping). The significant interactions of PTSS with supportive and common dyadic coping accounted for 11.95% and 10.58% of the variance, respectively. Tests of conditional effects showed veterans’ PTSS was only significantly negatively associated with spouses’ relationship quality when supportive and common dyadic coping were low. Findings highlight the importance of adaptive dyadic coping behaviors as a protective factor for spouses of Veterans and hold implications for research and practice.
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