A meta-analysis on the crossover of workplace traumatic stress symptoms between partners.

Abstract

Workers who are exposed to severe situations such as death, harassment, and others’ suffering at work are vulnerable to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe distress. This distress may extend to their intimate partners, despite their lack of firsthand experience with the traumatic stressors. Although theory and empirical research suggest that employees’ traumatic distress can transmit to their partners, the magnitude of these effects and when, how, and why intimate partners develop secondary traumatic symptoms and distress are not as clear. Drawing from crossover theory as an organizing framework (Westman, 2001), our meta-analysis of 276 articles indicates that the relationship between employee PTSD/distress and spouse PTSD/distress is as strong as the relationship between employee trauma exposure and employee PTSD/distress (ρ = .26), suggesting that workers’ PTSD/distress is as distressing for partners as the traumatic stressors are for workers encountering them firsthand. Our moderation tests further revealed that the trauma-exposed workers’ vulnerability to traumatic stress symptoms was stronger in military than in nonmilitary settings, whereas the extent to which their symptoms crossover to their intimate partners did not vary across occupations. Mediation tests suggest that traumatic stress crossover is partially explained by the worsened quality of the couple’s relationship (e.g., increased social support burden and undermining), consistent with the crossover via couple interaction explanation in crossover theory. On the other hand, there was mixed support for the mediating role of the partner’s empathy, indicating further research and clarification are needed. Implications for crossover theory and practice are discussed.

PTSD, Relationship Satisfaction, and Social Support for EMS Workers and Their Romantic Partners

“…This disconfirms the second hypothesis that relationship satisfaction reported by partners decreases as EMS workers’ PTSD symptom severity increases. This finding was inconsistent with prior literature (Regehr, 2005, Regehr et al, 2002; Sharp et al, 2022; Wang et al, 2022). Regarding social support, responses show that EMS workers’ PTSD symptomology does not impact the number of individuals within partners’ social support networks.…”

“…This confirms hypothesis 1, that as EMS workers report more severe PTSD symptoms, their partners also tend to report more severe PTSD symptoms. These findings are consistent with previous literature (Dirkzwager et al, 2005; Goff et al, 2006; Jordan et al, 1992; Wang et al, 2022). We also found that EMS workers’ PTSD severity most influenced partners’ intrusion and hyperarousal symptoms.…”

“…Instead, increased EMS workers’ PTSD symptomology has a negative effect on partners’ satisfaction with social support networks. This disconfirms the third hypothesis that partners’ number of social supporters is impacted by increasing PTSD symptoms among EMS workers; instead, the quality of social support is reported to decrease as EMS workers’ PTSD symptomology increases which is consistent with existing literature (Sharp et al, 2022; Wang et al, 2022). Level 2 partners were more likely to be satisfied with their social support, whereas levels 3 and 4 partners were less likely to be satisfied with their social support.…”

“…STS also deleteriously impacts romantic relationship quality within worker–partner dyads, such as partner coping responses and how they respond to marital tension (King & DeLongis, 2014). A meta-analysis of the effects of workplace traumatic stress symptoms found that workers’ and partners’ PTSD symptoms demonstrated similar effect sizes, suggesting that traumatic stress is transmissible in couples (Wang et al, 2022). The study also found that decreased relationship quality partially explained traumatic stress transmission (Wang et al, 2022).…”

“…A meta-analysis of the effects of workplace traumatic stress symptoms found that workers’ and partners’ PTSD symptoms demonstrated similar effect sizes, suggesting that traumatic stress is transmissible in couples (Wang et al, 2022). The study also found that decreased relationship quality partially explained traumatic stress transmission (Wang et al, 2022). Regehr (2005) found that spouses of paramedics were more likely to report emotional reactivity and withdrawal from their partner following trauma exposure (Regehr et al, 2002).…”