Associations among PTSD symptoms, fear of emotion, and couple communication difficulties: A between-person dyadic analysis

Steffany J. Fredman, Jeesun Lee, Yunying Le, Emily Taverna, Amy D. Marshall

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study investigated between-person associations among PTSD symptoms, fear of emotion, and perceived couple communication difficulties in a dyadic context among 64 trauma-exposed, mixed gender community couples (N = 128 individuals) using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model. Individuals with higher PTSD symptoms endorsed greater fear of their emotions (βMen = .72; βWomen = .49), and those with greater fear of their emotions reported lower levels of constructive couple communication (βMen = −.19; βWomen = −.21) and higher levels of self-demand/partner-withdraw communication (βMen = .20; βWomen = .25) and partner-demand/self-withdraw communication (βMen = .26; βWomen = .33) with their partners. Additionally, women whose partners had higher PTSD symptoms endorsed greater fear of their emotions (β = .30). The most robust indirect PTSD-communication links were between (a) individuals' PTSD symptoms and their perceptions of partner-demand/self-withdraw communication when accounting for associations with fear of their emotions and (b) men's PTSD symptoms and women's perceived partner-demand/self-withdraw communication accounting for associations with women's fear of their emotions. Men with higher PTSD symptoms also reported greater self-demand/partner-withdraw communication (β = .28), independent of their fear of emotion. Couple-based treatments for PTSD that promote emotional tolerance and are sensitive to gender differences in how PTSD symptoms relate to each partner's perception of the man-demand/woman-withdraw communication pattern may improve trauma survivors' relationship functioning and increase the potential for relationships to serve as a conduit for recovery from PTSD.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number104666
JournalBehaviour Research and Therapy
Volume184
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2025

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Associations among PTSD symptoms, fear of emotion, and couple communication difficulties: A between-person dyadic analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this