TY - JOUR
T1 - Two Perspectives on Accommodation of PTSD Symptoms
T2 - Partners Versus Service Members
AU - Kenny, Jessica J.
AU - Allen, Elizabeth
AU - Renshaw, Keith
AU - Bhalla, Arjun
AU - Fredman, Steffany J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Psychological Association
PY - 2021/7/19
Y1 - 2021/7/19
N2 - When military service members (SMs) experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intimate partners may respond by accommodating these symptoms. Although prior research has found that this type of accommodation, as self-reported by the partner, is associated with individual and relationship distress for both members of the intimate dyad, little is known about how SMs directly perceive the frequency of partner accommodation and the distress they experience regarding this accommodation relative to the reports from the accommodating partner. The present study examined SMs’ perceptions of partner accommodation of SM PTSD symptoms and partner self-report of accommodation of SM PTSD symptoms in a nontreatment-seeking sample of 259 Army couples consisting of a male SM and a female civilian partner. Both partner and SM reports of partner accommodation were significantly and positively related to SM PTSD symptom severity and both SM and partner depressive symptoms and hostility and were significantly and negatively related to both SM and partner marital satisfaction. When considering the average frequency of partner accommodation of SM PTSD symptoms, SM reports and partner reports evidenced general agreement. In contrast, partners reported being more distressed, on average, about their accommodation than SMs were about the partners’ accommodation. Clinical implications of the findings and the utility of cross-informant perceptions of partner accommodation in clinical and research settings are discussed.
AB - When military service members (SMs) experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intimate partners may respond by accommodating these symptoms. Although prior research has found that this type of accommodation, as self-reported by the partner, is associated with individual and relationship distress for both members of the intimate dyad, little is known about how SMs directly perceive the frequency of partner accommodation and the distress they experience regarding this accommodation relative to the reports from the accommodating partner. The present study examined SMs’ perceptions of partner accommodation of SM PTSD symptoms and partner self-report of accommodation of SM PTSD symptoms in a nontreatment-seeking sample of 259 Army couples consisting of a male SM and a female civilian partner. Both partner and SM reports of partner accommodation were significantly and positively related to SM PTSD symptom severity and both SM and partner depressive symptoms and hostility and were significantly and negatively related to both SM and partner marital satisfaction. When considering the average frequency of partner accommodation of SM PTSD symptoms, SM reports and partner reports evidenced general agreement. In contrast, partners reported being more distressed, on average, about their accommodation than SMs were about the partners’ accommodation. Clinical implications of the findings and the utility of cross-informant perceptions of partner accommodation in clinical and research settings are discussed.
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U2 - 10.1037/cfp0000184
DO - 10.1037/cfp0000184
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85127277632
SN - 2160-4096
VL - 11
SP - 273
EP - 289
JO - Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice
JF - Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice
IS - 4
ER -