Files
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an understudied, and often ignored epidemic among returning service men and women. Looking at PTSD through the lens of the relational framing theory, I posit that the effects of PTSD symptoms on the veterans perception will change the way the veteran frames a relationship with a romantic partner. Two studies examined this prediction. The first study examined the retrospective statements of 251 service members and their partners perspectives of their intimate partner relationship after the service member returned home. The statements included responses to how couples communicated during deployment and how their communication was challenged once reunited. Two independent coders read the statements and coded based on mentions of PTSD, IPV, dominance, affiliation and involvement. Using GLM to assess the relationship of mentions of PTSD to mentions of dominance and affiliation, there were no significant findings of PTSD leading to more mentions of dominance behaviors than affiliation behaviors. The second study was a primary data collection, wherein it was hypothesized that as PTSD symptoms increase, the relevance of a dominance frame and involvement should be more relevant than an affiliation frame in evaluations of relationship messages. Also, it was predicted that as experience with IPV increases the relevance of the dominance and involvement frame will also increase. For this study, 50 individuals self-identified as a spouse or loved one of a post-deployed service member completed an online closed-item assessment of their loved ones level of PTSD, IPV in their relationship and perception of dominance, affiliation and involvement in various scenarios. It was proposed that as mentions of PTSD increase the relevance of dominance and involvement should increase and as experience with IPV increases, the relevance of the dominance and involvement frame would also increase. Analyses indicated that as PTSD symptoms increased, the relevance of the dominance frame and involvement were not more relevant than the affiliation frame. In addition, as experience with IPV increased the relevance of the dominance frame also increased, but the affiliation frame did not. Implications of these results regarding pre and post deployment transitions from military to civilian life, changes in future recruitments and PTSD awareness with family members will be discussed.