Psychological Distress and Burden Among Female Partners of Combat Veterans With PTSD

Abstract

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.

Identification of domains and measures for assessment battery to examine well-being of spouses of OIF/OEF veterans with PTSD

“…All were married or engaged to be married to an OIF/OEF veteran (although one interviewee was not married but engaged, throughout this article we refer to all the veterans and women as "spouse(s)" or "husband" and "wife"). Interviewees had a mean age of 29.7 years (range [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34], and the veterans they cared for had a mean age of 34.6 years (range . Three of the seven women interviewed had children in the home, and four of the seven women interviewed worked full-time.…”

“…Guilt, substance abuse, and vicarious experiencing of the veteran's pain have been reported by spouses of Vietnam-era veterans [22][23]. Families of Vietnam veterans also experience worse mental health outcomes when the veteran has PTSD [24][25][26][27][28]. Spouses of Vietnam veterans with PTSD have more symptoms of depression and other psychological disorders (i.e., anxiety and low self-esteem) than spouses of veterans without PTSD [22,[29][30].…”

Long-Term Trajectories and Service Needs for Military Families

“…PTSD symptom severity is strongly associated with higher caregiver burden in veterans' partners (Beckham et al 1996;Calhoun et al 2002;Klaric et al 2010;Manguno-Mire et al 2007). Compared to partners of Vietnam veterans seeking help for non-PTSD psychological problems, partners of Vietnam veterans with PTSD reported higher caregiver burden (Calhoun et al 2002).…”

Together in pain: Attachment-related dyadic processes and posttraumatic stress disorder.

“…Of special interest here, PTSD can affect a victim's significant others (e.g., spouse, children; see Manguno-Mire et al, 2007;Stamm, 1999), causing close relationship partners to develop symptoms that mimic PTSD, a phenomenon that Figley (1986) labeled secondary traumatic stress (STS). In the case of war trauma, for example, wives of veterans may experience mental images and dreams about their husband's war experiences, and they may avoid activities, people, or places that remind them of their husband's war trauma.…”