Secondary traumatization and self-rated health among wives of former prisoners of war: The moderating role of marital adjustment

Abstract

We investigated the relationships between secondary traumatization, marital adjustment, and self-rated health among wives of former prisoners of war. Participants were Israeli wives of former prisoners of war (N = 116) and a matched control group of wives of combat veterans (N = 56). Wives of former prisoners of war reported worse self-rated health compared to the control group of wives of combat veterans. Wives of former prisoners of war also reported higher levels of secondary traumatization, and marital adjustment moderated the relationship between wives' secondary traumatization and their general health. The experience of living with former prisoners of war who might also suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with wives' own psychological and self-rated health outcomes.

The Roles of Fathers' Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Adult Offspring's Differentiation of the Self in the Intergenerational Transmission of Captivity Trauma

“…As Galovski and Lyons (2004) observed, ST is a multifaceted phenomenon, manifested in both nontrauma‐specific forms of distress as well as specific PTSS. Indeed, indirect PTSD symptoms (PTSS) experienced by family members of war‐related trauma survivors have been reported mainly regarding veterans' wives (Renshaw et al., ) and ex‐POWs' wives (Zerach, Greene, & Solomon, ). Therefore, in the present study, we aim to explore the indirect PTSS of adult offspring of ex‐POWs and veterans that is related to their fathers' traumatic war experiences.…”

Does parent’s psychological distress mediate the relationship between war trauma and psychosocial adjustment in children?

“…Studies suggest that the effects of war atrocities affect not only the traumatized himself or herself but also people in his or her close environment through secondary victimization. Secondary victimization occur when people who come into close contact with the traumatized person may experience considerable emotional distress and may display PTSD-like responses similar to those exhibited by the primary survivor (Zerach et al, 2013). The assumption is that parents’ distress indirectly affects children’s well-being through its impact on parenting behavior (Dyb et al, 2011; Schwerdtfeger and Geoff, 2007).…”

Physical and Mental Health and Functioning Among Traumatic Brain Injury Close Relatives: The Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

“…Previous findings also documented a similar effect among relatives of traumatized individuals. Specifically, in a study of ex‐prisoners of war and their wives, the wives’ PTS symptoms predicted their later physical health (Lahav, Stein, & Solomon, ; Zerach, Greene, & Solomon, ). Further research is needed to examine whether allostatic load is involved in the etiology and maintenance of the implications of sTBI for close relatives.…”

“…That is, the detrimental ramifications of trauma are often observed among individuals who were not directly exposed to the traumatic event but were close to a person who was, causing secondary traumatization (Figley, ). Although the risk of secondary traumatization has gained significant recognition and support in the literature (e.g., Lahav, Levin, Bensimon, Kanat‐Maymon, & Solomon, ; Zerach et al., ), it seems to be somewhat disregarded from the TBI literature. The current findings provide initial evidence for this phenomenon among close relatives of individuals who sustained a sTBI.…”