Posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among female and male Veterans: The contribution of romantic relationship and friendship functioning

Abstract: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is characterized as the experience of positive psychological change following exposure to traumatic stress. However, studies examining the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and PTG have demonstrated mixed results. Further, although higher levels of social support have been shown to predict higher ratings of PTG, there are limited longitudinal findings regarding how interpersonal functioning may affect the association between PTSD symptoms and PTG. In this study, we examined interpersonal functioning in romantic relationships and friendships as mediators of the relation between PTSD symptom severity and PTG and examined potential sex differences among these associations. Participants were 1,427 veterans who completed self‐report questionnaires across three time points. A parallel mediation analysis indicated that romantic relationship, β = −.01, 95% CI [−.03, −.001], and friendship, β = −.02, 95% CI [−.04, −.001], functioning were both indirectly associated with PTG in the full sample. Moreover, sex‐stratified models indicated that romantic relationship functioning was a significant mediator for male veterans, β = −.02, 95% CI [−.05, −.01], whereas friendship functioning was a significant mediator for female veterans, β = −.04, 95% CI [−.08, −.01]. Together, these findings suggest that interpersonal functioning is an important factor in PTG, and targeting romantic relationship and friendship functioning in the context of trauma‐focused treatment may be valuable and can help build a pathway from PTSD symptoms to PTG among female and male veterans.

Read the full article
Report a problem with this article

Related articles

  • More for Researchers

    Examining the factor structure of the nine-item avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder screen in a national US military Veteran sample

    Abstract: Disordered eating is a prevalent and relevant health concern that remains understudied among U.S. military veterans. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a newly recognized feeding and eating disorder characterized by overly restrictive eating due to (a) picky eating, (b) lack of appetite, and (c) fear of aversive consequences related to eating. The Nine-Item ARFID Screen (NIAS) is a recently developed ARFID screening tool with initial validation studies demonstrating psychometric support. However, the psychometric properties of the NIAS have not been investigated in a veteran sample. To advance our understanding of ARFID screening tools that may be appropriate for use in veterans, the present study examined the factor structure of the NIAS using survey data from a large national sample of recently separated veterans (N = 1,486). Measurement invariance across key subgroups was tested in addition to exploring differential associations between the NIAS and related constructs. Results suggested that a three-factor model provided an excellent fit of the data and demonstrated scalar invariance across self-identified men and women, race and ethnicity, and sexual and gender minority (SGM) identity. Some subgroups had higher latent means on the picky eating (women, SGM, non-Hispanic Black), appetite (women, SGM), and fear (women) factors. The NIAS had some overlap with another measure of disordered eating and was moderately correlated with psychosocial impairment and mental health. Overall, the NIAS may be a useful screening tool for ARFID in veterans, given support for the three proposed subscales and equivalence across diverse identities.