Psychological distress among cohabitating female partners of combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was examined in a cross-sectional study using a modified version of the Health Belief Model. A convenience sample of 89 cohabitating female partners of male veterans in outpatient PTSD treatment was interviewed by telephone using a structured interview. Partners endorsed high levels of psychological distress with elevations on clinical scales at or exceeding the 90th percentile. Severe levels of overall psychological distress, depression, and suicidal ideation were prevalent among partners. Multivariate analyses revealed that perceived threat, recent mental health treatment, and level of involvement with veterans predicted global partner psychological distress. Partner burden was predicted by partner self-efficacy, perceived threat, barriers to mental health treatment, and partner treatment engagement. These findings are compelling since they demonstrate that partners of veterans with combat-related PTSD experience significant levels of emotional distress that warrant clinical attention. Psychological distress and partner burden were each associated with a unique combination of predictors, suggesting that although these constructs are related, they have distinct correlates and potentially different implications within the family environment. Future research should examine these constructs separately using causal modeling analyses to identify modifiable targets for interventions to reduce psychological distress among partners of individuals with PTSD.

The U.S. military deployed in support to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) show high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and relationship, partner, and parenting distress. Given the pervasive effect of combat-related PTSD on returning veterans and its effect on their loved ones, the investigators have developed a couples-based treatment, structured approach therapy (SAT), to reduce PTSD while simultaneously decreasing relationship and partner distress. This study presents treatment outcome data measuring PTSD and relationship outcomes from a randomized clinical trial (RCT) comparing SAT, a manualized 12-session novel couples-based PTSD treatment, to a manualized 12-session couples-based educational intervention (PTSD Family Education [PFE]). Data were collected from 57 returning veterans meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition, text revision; DSM-IV-TR) criteria for PTSD and their cohabiting partners; data collection was scheduled for pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up. Findings from an intent-to-treat analysis revealed that veterans receiving SAT showed significantly greater reductions in self-rated (PTSD Checklist; p < .0006) and Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)-rated PTSD (p < .0001) through the 3-month follow-up compared with veterans receiving PFE; 15 of 29 (52%) veterans receiving SAT and 2 of 28 (7%) receiving PFE no longer met DSM-IV-TR criteria for PTSD. Furthermore, SAT was associated with significant improvements in veteran relationship adjustment, attachment avoidance, and state anxiety. Partners showed significant reductions in attachment anxiety. This couples-based treatment for combat-related PTSD appears to have a strong therapeutic effect on combat-related PTSD in recently returned veterans.

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Domestic violence rates among veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are higher than those of the general population. Individuals who have been diagnosed with PTSD who seek couples therapy with their partners constitute an understudied population. Self-report measures of domestic violence, relationship satisfaction, and intimacy were administered at intake to 179 couples seeking relationship therapy at a Veterans Affairs clinic. Couples in which the veteran was diagnosed with combat-related PTSD were compared with two other groups based on the veteran's primary diagnosis (depression, adjustment disorder/V-code). Both the PTSD- and depression-diagnosed veterans perpetrated more violence than did those with adjustment/V-code diagnoses. Domestic violence rates among depressed and PTSD-diagnosed veterans were much higher than those found in previous research. Implications for assessment and treatment are discussed.