Veterans are not the only ones suffering from posttraumatic stress symptoms: what do we know about dependents’ secondary traumatic stress?

Abstract

PurposePrevious research has mainly focused on veterans’ mental health problems, especially on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Less is known about the impact that the veteran’s experienced potentially traumatic events (PTEs) might have on their significant others. Therefore, we reviewed the scientific literature to find out what is known about the prevalence of secondary traumatic stress (STS) in significant others of veterans.MethodsWe systematically searched Pubmed, PsycINFO, Embase, Cochrane Library and PILOTS for relevant articles. This search resulted in 3100 records from which we included 48 articles.ResultsTwo studies that reported on parental PTSD did not find evidence that parents were affected by their offspring’s experience. Nine studies that reported on PTSD in mainly adult children of veterans found only scant evidence that children were affected by their parent’s experienced PTE. Twenty-seven studies investigated PTSD symptoms in partners of veterans. Here results varied largely between studies with PTSD rates between 0 and 51 %.ConclusionsOverall, we found the strongest evidence of STS in partners of help-seeking veterans with PTSD. The lack of clarity provided by the currently available evidence suggests a pressing need for further work to examine this subject in more detail.

Health Spillovers among Military Spouses: Evidence from Active Duty, Veteran, and Surviving Spouses

“…Such information has important clinical implications and some studies have argued for symmetry in the specific health problems of service members and their spouses. For instance, research has explored the relationship between combat-related PTSD and a type of secondary traumatic stress disorder experienced by spouses (Diehle, Brooks, & Greenberg, 2017). The evidence on this precise linkage is limited.…”

“…The evidence on this precise linkage is limited. Research has shown that the PTSD of one spouse results only in general psychological distress in the other, if not PTSD-specific symptoms (Diehle, et al, 2017). Furthermore, research finds that fewer than 20% of those married to someone with PTSD attribute their own distress specifically to their spouse's military experience (Renshaw et al, 2011).…”

Post‐traumatic stress disorder: diagnosis and management

“…Research has shown that spouses and children of service personnel/veterans with PTSD can experience significant mental health difficulties, including secondary PTSD symptoms and emotional dysregulation problems, as a consequence. 13 The provision of psychoeducation to families, an assessment of families' own needs, as well as practical and emotional support, may be beneficial to support familial coping. Military-affiliated charities, such as the Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes or Combat Stress, may be particularly well placed to provide military-connected families with targeted advice and support.…”

Focusing on the mental health of treatment-seeking veterans

“…A recent review of secondary traumatic stress within the families of veterans concluded that there was little evidence that the parents or children are increased risk but that the same could not be said for partners 21. There is a growing body of work demonstrating that the partners of help-seeking veterans are themselves reporting a high burden of mental health difficulties 22–25…”