The Double-Edged Sword: The Role of Empathy in Military Veterans' Partners Distress (original) (raw)

2017, Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy

The existing literature has shown that war veterans' posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are associated with high levels of distress in their female partners. According to the literature, spouses' empathy for their spouses can be a risk factor for their own mental health. However, this subject has not been examined among veteran couples. The current study therefore investigated both the direct and moderating contribution of females' cognitive and affective empathy to their own PTSS and depression symptoms, above and beyond the preexisting traumatic events of the women's own lives and the veterans' PTSS. Participants were 300 Israeli men who had served in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War and their female partners, all of whom completed survey questionnaires. Results revealed that although cognitive empathy can play a positive role for the female in the aftermath of a traumatic event, affective empathy can potentially make a negative contribution to her distress. Women...

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Marital Adjustment Among Israeli Combat Veterans: The Role of Loneliness and Attachment

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy , 2017

Objective: War trauma may foster ramifications for marital relationships. Veterans may feel that no one can understand them and thus impact their relationships. The current study aims to shed light on the role that posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), loneliness, and attachment orientations may play in marital adjustment among combat veterans. Method: Participants were 504 veterans who served in the Lebanon War in 1982. Results: Analysis revealed that higher PTSS levels were related to lower marital adjustment and that the indirect path of this relation through loneliness was significant. Furthermore, attachment orientations moderated the direct link between PTSS and marital adjustment, but failed to moderate the indirect effect through loneliness. Conclusions: A sense of isolation should be addressed in therapy, as well as the interpersonal expectations of the veteran.

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