Abstract
Objective: Treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a commonly sought mental health service among military service members and veterans (SM/Vs). Such treatment is typically individually-based, despite many SM/Vs reporting a desire for greater partner involvement in treatment. This review examined couple-based treatments for PTSD among SM/Vs and their romantic partners. Method: A database search conducted in July, 2018 yielded 167 studies, of which 16 (10%) met inclusion criteria. Brief intervention summaries, effect sizes, and distress change scores (where applicable) are reported. Results: The 16 studies tested 7 interventions, which showed a reduction in self-rated and clinician-rated PTSD symptoms with large effect sizes observed in most studies. Relationship outcomes also improved for SM/Vs and their partners, with effect sizes ranging from small-to-medium for SM/Vs and small-to-large for partners. Conclusions: Couple-based interventions show success in reducing PTSD symptoms and improving relationship outcomes, offering several alternatives to individual-based interventions among partnered SM/Vs.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1737-1755 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical Psychology |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- couple therapy
- marital therapy
- military veterans
- posttraumatic stress disorder
- relationship adjustment
- relationship satisfaction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)