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Individual, Family, and Community Predictors of PTSD Symptoms Following Military Deployment
Author(s) -
Olson Jonathan R.,
Welsh Janet A.,
Perkins Daniel F.,
Ormsby LaJuana
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
family relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1741-3729
pISSN - 0197-6664
DOI - 10.1111/fare.12343
Subject(s) - active duty , software deployment , spouse , social support , psychological intervention , psychology , military personnel , clinical psychology , service member , military service , coping (psychology) , psychological resilience , military deployment , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , archaeology , sociology , political science , computer science , anthropology , law , history , operating system
Objective Using an ecological resilience model, we sought to identify protective factors that buffer against the effects of stressful deployment‐related experiences on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among active duty U.S. Air Force personnel who were married or in a committed relationship. Background Stressful deployment experiences are associated with PTSD symptoms among active duty military personnel. However, certain protective factors may buffer against negative effects of such experiences. Method Analyses for the present study were active duty military personnel who completed the 2011 Air Force Community Assessment Survey, were married or in a committed relationship, and had completed at least one deployment at the time of the survey ( N = 12,166). Results Regression analyses indicated that stressful deployment experiences were statistically related to elevated PTSD symptoms but also that both personal and contextual factors moderated those symptoms. Furthermore, self‐efficacy, family coping, spouse/partner support, financial resources, and religious participation moderated the relation between stressful deployment experiences and PTSD symptoms. Conclusion PTSD symptoms were positively associated with stressful deployment experiences, and symptoms were less likely to occur when service members experienced support from individual, family, and community sources. Implications Interventions that promote self‐efficacy and social support from multiple ecological contexts may help reduce PTSD symptoms among combat‐exposed Air Force personnel.