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Effects of posttraumatic stress and acculturation on marital functioning in Bosnian refugee couples
Author(s) -
Spasojević Jelena,
Heffer Robert W.,
Snyder Douglas K.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1023/a:1007750410122
Subject(s) - acculturation , bosnian , refugee , psychology , clinical psychology , mental health , posttraumatic stress , scale (ratio) , psychiatry , immigration , philosophy , linguistics , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , history
Forty Bosnian refugee couples living in the United States completed a translated version of the PTSD Symptom Scale—Self Report, the Behavioral Acculturation Scale, the Marital Satisfaction Inventory—Revised, and a demographic questionnaire. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology was the best predictor of marital functioning and was related negatively to acculturation. After controlling for PTSD, acculturation did not predict marital functioning. Wives' marital satisfaction was best predicted by husbands' PTSD, husbands' acculturation, and their own PTSD. Husbands' marital satisfaction was not predicted significantly by any of these variables. These findings suggest several implications for mental health professionals dealing with refugees and other traumatized populations.