Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Emotional disclosure and posttraumatic stress symptoms: Veteran and spouse reports.
Journal Name
International Journal of Stress Management
Journal Volume
21
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
186-206
DOI
10.1037/a0035162
Summary
The amount of positive and negative emotions that Service members share with others following deployment may impact later adjustment and well-being. Associations between factors of emotional disclosure (e.g., amount, valence, listener) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) were examined among Service members deployed in OEF/OIF and their spouses. Service members were more likely to disclose positive emotions, and while greater disclosure of positive emotions to civilians predicted lower PTSS four to six months later, greater disclosure of positive emotions to other Veterans predicted higher PTSS.
Key Findings
Veterans were significantly more likely to disclose positive emotions than negative emotions.
Veterans were more likely to disclose negative emotions to others with a shared experience of combat exposure (i.e., other Veterans) than those without shared experiences, but they disclosed positive emotions equally to both groups.
Greater disclosure of positive emotion to civilians predicted lower PTSS levels four to six months later; however, greater disclosure of positive emotions to other Veterans predicted higher PTSS levels four to six months later.
Disclosure of negative emotions was not related to later PTSS levels.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide information about the potential benefits (for Service members and their partners) of sharing positive aspects of deployment
Offer workshops for Service members' partners about how to respond in a supportive manner to disclosures about combat or deployment
Provide education to military couples about how to communicate positively with one another post-deployment
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend continued support for programs that promote communication within military couples
Encourage the development and continuation of support group programs that provide Service members a chance to discuss comabt experiences with other Veterans
Promote professional development for providers working with Service members about how to encourage and manage emotional disclosures
Methods
Participants were drawn from a larger study of Utah National Guard or Reserve members who deployed to OEF/OIF and their spouses and were recruited at post-deployment workshops.
Participants completed assessments at both three months post-deployment (Time 1) and four to six months after Time 1 (Time 2).
The study examined whether emotional disclosure and factors related to that disclosure (e.g., amount, listener, emotional valence) were predictive of later PTSS levels.
Participants
Participants included 80 male Service members and their female spouses; Service members had an average age of 36.3 years (SD = 8.4) and were primarily White (89%).
Spouses had an average age of 32.9 years (SD = 7.8) and were primarily White (40%).
Service members had either been deployed as part of OIF (68%) or OEF (32%).
On average, couples had been married 11.75 years (SD = 8.55) and had 2.1 children (SD = 1.6).
Limitations
Since the sample was made up of primarily White, married couples in which the Service member was a male National Guard or Reserves member, results may not generalize to samples with other military or demographic characteristics.
All measures were self-report, and participants may have tried to respond in the most socially desirable ways, particularly regarding disclosure.
Unmeasured variables (e.g., pre-deployment mental health) may have impacted Service members' PTSS levels at follow-up.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine how Service members' emotional disclosure may change over time following deployment
Explore how early responses to Service member disclosure post-deployment may influence later decisions regarding whether and what to disclose
Assess whether levels and emotional valence of disclosure differ between Service members with and without clinical PTSS levels
Focus
Multiple Branches
Population Focus
Military Component
Abstract
Recent research has shown a relationship between self-disclosure and symptoms of posttraumatic stress in combat veterans. However, previous research has not controlled for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms prior to disclosure, leaving the directionality of this association in question. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veteran service members from the Utah National Guard and Reserves (n = 81) and partners of service members (n = 80) completed survey measures of combat exposure, PTSD symptoms, social support, and emotional disclosure at two separate time points after deployment. Greater disclosure of positive emotions regarding combat deployment to support figures without shared combat exposure predicted lower symptoms of PTSD, even when controlling for prior symptoms of PTSD and perceived social support. In contrast, greater disclosure to support figures who also experienced combat predicted greater symptoms of PTSD, even when controlling for prior PTSD symptoms. Disclosure of positive emotions associated with combat deployment may serve as a protective factor against the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms, particularly when that disclosure includes individuals without shared deployment experiences.
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