Publication year
2011
Citation Title
Combat veterans' symptoms of PTSD and partners' distress: The role of partners' perceptions of veterans' deployment experiences.
Journal Name
Journal of Family Psychology
Journal Volume
25
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
953-962
DOI
10.1037/a0025871
Summary
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can cause relationship difficulties, particularly when symptoms are not well understood. The relationship between Service members' mental health symptoms, partners' perceptions, and partners' distress were examined among the Utah National Guard and Reserves. Only when partners believed that Service members had low trauma exposure did Service members' withdrawal and numbing PTSD symptoms relate to partners' psychological and relationship distress.
Key Findings
Partners who believed that their Service member had low exposure to traumatic experiences, but not those who perceived high exposure, had more psychological and relationship distress when the Service member exhibited numbing or withdrawl symptoms.
Unexpectedly, partners’ perceptions of trauma exposure did not explain the relationship between Service members' overall PTSD symptoms and partners' relationship and psychological distress.
Greater severity of Service member's PTSD symptoms was associated with greater partner psychological and relationship distress in general.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide education for partners about the symptoms of PTSD, including how Service members' symptoms are often part of a reaction to traumatic stress rather than a reaction to the partner or relationship
Offer classes for Service members about the consequences of PTSD symptoms on relationships and strategies for improving and maintaining relationships while recovering from PTSD
Educate Service members and partners about the signs and symptoms of PTSD and where to seek help for mental health problems
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage mental health professionals working with military families to receive education about PTSD, including the impact of symptoms on relationships
Continue to support programs for Service members and families suffering from the effects of PTSD, including programs focusing on marriages and relationships
Recommend education for all Service members and their families pre-deployment regarding the potential effects of trauma and PTSD, including on relationships
Methods
National Guard or Reserves Service members and partners were recruited through eight voluntary post-deployment workshops in Utah from 2007-2008, with a 50% response rate.
Service members and partners completed questionnaires about demographic information, PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms, deployment experiences, and relationship satisfaction.
The associations between partners' perceptions of Service members' trauma exposure, Service members' mental health symptoms, and couples' relationship satisfaction were examined.
Participants
Participants included 206 National Guard or Reserved Service members (M = 35 years, SD = 8.35) who deployed during OEF/OIF and their spouses or romantic partners (M = 33 years, SD = 8.29).
The majority of Service members were male (99%), married (99%), White (86%), and identified as Mormon (82%); they represented both the Army (80%) and Air Force (20%).
The majority of partners were female (99%), White (85%), and identified as Mormon (84%); they had been married to the Service members for an average of 10.17 years (SD = 7.90).
Limitations
Data are cross-sectional, so conclusions cannot be drawn regarding the direction of effects.
The sample was mostly White, Mormon, and male Service member-female partner couples, so results may not generalize to other military couples.
Participants may have differed in unknown ways from those who chose not to participate, including in PTSD symptom levels or relationship satisfaction.
Avenues for Future Research
Replicate this study among Service members from other branches of the military and with a more diverse background
Utilize a longitudinal design to explore the causal relationships between Service members' PTSD, partners' attributions about deployment experiences, and partners' psychological and relationship distress
Explore whether partner education about PTSD can reduce their levels of psychological and relationship distress about Service members' numbing and withdrawal symptoms
Focus
National Guard
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Component
Abstract
Romantic partners of combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report elevated relationship and psychological distress. One recent study suggests that this association may be weaker when partners perceive that veterans experienced higher levels of traumatic deployment events, but such results have not yet been replicated. We replicated and extended these findings in a sample of 206 National Guard Service members who deployed overseas since 2001 and their partners. We used multivariate structural equation models to explore whether partners' perceptions of Service members' deployment experiences moderated the associations of severity of Service members' overall PTSD and specific PTSD clusters with partners' psychological and relationship distress. The significant association of overall PTSD symptom severity with partners' distress was not moderated by partners' perceptions. When examining PTSD symptoms at the cluster level, only the numbing/withdrawal cluster was significantly associated with distress. However, this association was moderated by partners' perceptions of Service members' deployment experiences, such that the associations weakened as these perceptions increased. These results are in line with research indicating that the avoidance cluster of PTSD symptoms is particularly detrimental for partners of those with PTSD. Furthermore, they indicate that such symptoms are associated with less distress in partners who perceive that service members experienced high levels of potentially traumatic deployment events. Such perceptions may be linked with external attributions for symptoms, which suggests that psychoeducation regarding the causes of PTSD and the totality of PTSD symptoms may be useful in intervening with such partners.
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