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Directionality of the Association Between Social Support and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Longitudinal Investigation 1
Author(s) -
King Daniel W.,
Taft Casey,
King Lynda A.,
Hammond Charity,
Stone Erika R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.0021-9029.2006.00138.x
Subject(s) - psychology , posttraumatic stress , association (psychology) , social support , interpersonal communication , structural equation modeling , clinical psychology , interpersonal relationship , social psychology , psychotherapist , statistics , mathematics
This study examined the nature of the association between social support and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology among 2,249 male veterans of the 1990‐1991 Gulf War. Using structural equation modeling, a cross‐lagged panel analysis indicated a strong negative relationship between PTSD at Time 1 and social support at Time 2, while social support at Time 1 did not predict PTSD at Time 2. Findings suggest that, over time, interpersonal problems associated with PTSD may have a detrimental influence on the quality and quantity of available social support resources. It is recommended that greater focus be placed on the interpersonal skills of those suffering from PTSD.