Posttraumatic growth among spouses of combat veterans: Adaptive or maladaptive for adjustment?

Sharon Dekel; Yafit Levin; Zahava Solomon

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.09.018

Posttraumatic growth among spouses of combat veterans: Adaptive or maladaptive for adjustment?

Psychiatry Res. 2015 Dec 15;230(2):712-5. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.09.018. Epub 2015 Sep 12.

Authors

Sharon Dekel¹, Yafit Levin², Zahava Solomon³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
³ Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel; I-Core Research Center for Mass Trauma, Israel.

PMID: 26384572
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.09.018

Abstract

We examined the relationship between posttraumatic growth (PTG) and distress in spouses of trauma survivors. A sample of spouses of combat veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur War were assessed using questionnaires pertaining to PTG, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress, in 2004 and 2011. Applying cross-lagged modeling strategy, higher PTG levels predicted higher depression and anxiety levels above and beyond initial distress. Thus, psychological growth in spouses of survivors appears to signify subsequent distress.

Keywords: Longitudinal study; Posttraumatic growth; Secondary traumatization.

MeSH terms

Adaptation, Psychological* / physiology
Adult
Aged
Combat Disorders / diagnosis
Combat Disorders / epidemiology
Combat Disorders / psychology*
Female
Humans
Israel / epidemiology
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
Spouses / psychology*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Survivors / psychology
Veterans / psychology*