The Relationship Between Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Support, and Dyadic Adjustment Among OEF/OIF Veterans and Their Spouses

Résumé du livre

This dissertation examined the relationship between PTSD symptom severity, social support, and dyadic adjustment among male heterosexual veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and their female civilian spouses (n = 10 couples). Elevated rates of PTSD, trauma exposure, and dyadic distress were found in this sample such that 80% of the veterans and 30% of the spouses met screening criteria for PTSD and over 90% of the veterans and spouses reported clinically significant levels of relationship distress. The veteran's PTSD symptom severity, particularly the symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing, were significantly and negatively associated with the civilian spouse's dyadic adjustment. Surprisingly, group support was positively associated with PTSD symptom severity. These preliminary findings suggest that there is a clear need for an empirically validated couple's treatment for OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD and their spouses. Couples therapists can focus on decreasing the veteran's avoidance and numbing symptoms, particularly avoidance of emotional expression, as these symptoms prove significantly detrimental to the health of intimate relationships. Future researchers may want to investigate what to treat first in PTSD-positive couples therapy: the individual's PTSD, the spouse's psychopathology, or the couple's marital distress.