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Daily Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Accommodation and Relationship Functioning in Military Couples
Author(s) -
Campbell Sarah B.,
Renshaw Keith D.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/famp.12393
Subject(s) - psychology , feeling , accommodation , posttraumatic stress , clinical psychology , subclinical infection , multilevel model , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , neuroscience , machine learning , computer science
Romantic partners’ accommodation of trauma survivors’ posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) symptoms (e.g., taking on tasks, survivors avoid participating in social withdrawal) is associated with lower relationship satisfaction for both partners and survivors. Little is known about associations of partner accommodation with other aspects of relationship functioning, like intimacy. Sixty‐four male military veterans with at least subclinical PTSD and their partners participated in a 2‐week daily diary study. Veterans completed nightly measures of PTSD symptoms, while female partners completed nightly measures of accommodating behaviors performed that day. Both partners reported feelings of intimacy each night. Multilevel models revealed that accommodation was significantly, negatively associated with feelings of intimacy, with stronger effects for partners ( t = −8.70) than for veterans ( t = −5.40), and stronger effects when veterans had lower ( t = −7.43) rather than higher ( t = −5.20) levels of daily PTSD symptoms. Therapists should consider accommodating behaviors as a potential impediment to relationship intimacy, particularly when veterans have less severe symptoms of PTSD . Accommodating behaviors are an ideal treatment target in behavioral couple therapies.