Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Families

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Military Deployment and its Consequences for Families

Part of the book series: Risk and Resilience in Military and Veteran Families ((RRMV))

Abstract

A series of studies have demonstrated that post-traumatic stress disorder in war veterans may cause serious problems in husband–wife relationships. These problems reduce the relationship satisfaction in both partners and may cause redistribution of family roles. The increased burden placed on the wives may lead to burnout, transmission of post-traumatic symptoms and development of other mental disorders. In addition, PTSD symptoms have an immediate effect on the veterans’ ability to fulfill their parental roles, which certainly affects the children’s development. The 1991–1995 war in Croatia had many consequences on the war veterans, their families and civilians. For nearly two decades, the Regional Psychotrauma Center, in Rijeka, Croatia has been providing psychological help to war victims, majority of which are war veterans. Our clinical experiences, as well as the results of our studies, indicate that treatment of the traumatized veterans needs to include the wives. A systemic approach in treating the traumatized persons can improve individual functioning and couple functioning. Furthermore, it can minimize potential psychological effects on the children.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alessi, M. W., Ray, J. W., Ray, G. E., & Stewart, S. J. (2001). Personality and psychopathology profiles of veterans’ wives: Measuring distress using the MMPI-2. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(12), 1535–1542.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Turkait, F. A., & Ohaeri, J. U. (2008). Psychopathology status, behavior problems and family adjustment of Kuwaiti children whose fathers were involved in the first Gulf war. Child and Adolescent psychiatry and Mental Health, 2(1), 12. http://www.capmh.com/content/2/1/12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen, H. S., Christensen, A. K., & Peterson, G. O. (1991). Posttraumatic stress reactions amongst rescue workers after a major rail accident. Anxiety Research, 4, 245–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beckham, J. C., Feldman, M. E., Kirby, A. C., Hertzberg, M. A., & Moore, S. D. (1997). Interpersonal violence and its correlates in Vietnam veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53, 859–869.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beckham, J. C., Lytel, B. L., & Feldman, M. E. (1996). Caregiver burden in partners of Vietnam veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 1068–1071.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ben Arzi, N., Solomon, Z., & Dekel, R. (2000). Secondary traumatization among wives of PTSD and post-concussion casualties: Distress, caregiver burden and psychological separation. Brain Injury, 14(8), 725–736.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bisson, J. I., Ehlers, A., Matthews, R., Pilling, S., Richards, D., & Turner, S. (2007). Psychological treatments for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 190, 97–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calhoun, P. S., Beckham, J. C., & Bosworth, H. B. (2002). Caregiver burden and psychological distress in partners of veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15, 205–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caselli, L. T., & Motta, R. W. (1995). The effect of PTSD and combat level on Vietnam veterans’ perceptions of child behavior and marital adjustment. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51, 4–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chrysos, E. S., Taft, C. T., King, L. A., & King, D. W. (2005). Gender, partner violence, and perceived family functioning among a sample of Vietnam veterans. Violence and Victims, 20, 549–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coughlan, K., & Parkin, C. (1987). Women partners of Vietnam vets. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services, 25, 25–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, A. C., & Mellor, D. J. (2001). The adjustment of children of Australian Vietnam veterans: Is there evidence for the transgenerational transmission of war-related trauma? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35, 345–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, J., Smith, R., & Kudler, H. (1989). Familial psychiatric illness in chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 30, 339–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dekel, R., & Goldblatt, H. (2008). Is there intergenerational transmission of trauma? The case of combat veterans’ children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78, 281–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dekel, R., & Solomon, Z. (2006). Marital relations among former prisoners of war: Contribution of posttraumatic stress disorder, aggression, and sexual satisfaction. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 709–712.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dekel, R., Solomon, Z., & Bleich, A. (2005). Emotional distress and marital adjustment of caregivers: Contribution of level of impairment and appraised burden. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 18, 71–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dirkzwager, A. J., Bramsen, I., Adèr, H., & van der Ploeg, H. M. (2005). Secondary traumatization in partners and parents of Dutch peacekeeping soldiers. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(2), 217–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Figley, C. R. (1989). Treating stress in families. New York: Brunner/Mazel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Figley, C. R. (1995). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized. New York: Brunner/Mazel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Figley, C. R. (1997). Burnout in families: The systemic costs of caring. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Figley, C. R. (1998). Burnout as systemic traumatic stress: A model for helping traumatized family members. In C. R. Figley (Ed.), Burnout in families: The systematic costs of caring (pp. 15–28). New York: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Figley, C. R. (1999). Compassion fatigue: Toward a new understanding of the cost of caring. In B. H. Stamm (Ed.), Secondary traumatic stress: Self-care issues for clinicians, researchers, and educators. Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frančišković, T., Stevanović, A., Jelušić, I., Roganović, B., Klarić, M., & Grković, J. (2007). Secondary traumatization of wives of war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Croatian Medical Journal, 48(2), 177–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fullerton, C. S., & Ursano, R. J. (1997). Posttraumatic stress disorder: Acute and long term responses to trauma and disaster. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galovski, T., & Lyons, J. (2004). Psychological sequelae of combat violence: A review of the impact of PTSD on the veteran’s family and possible interventions. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 9, 477–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, K. (1998). Understanding the secondary traumatic stress of spouses. In C. R. Figley (Ed.), Burnout in families: The systematic costs of caring (pp. 47–75). New York: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glassman, J. N. S., Magulac, M., & Darko, D. F. (1987). Folie a familie: Shared paranoid disorder in a Vietnam veteran and his family. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 658–660.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haley, S. (1984). The Vietnam veteran and his pre-school child: Child rearing as a delayed stress in combat veterans. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 14, 114–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harkness, L. L. (1991). The effect of combat-related PTSD on children. National Center for PTSD. Clinical Newsletter, 2, 12–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harkness, L., & Zador, N. (2004). Treatment of PTSD in families and couples. In J. P. Wilson, M. J. Friedman, & J. D. Lindy (Eds.), Treating psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 335–353). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, B. K., Marmar, C. R., Fairbank, J. A., Schlenger, W. E., Kulka, R. A., Hough, R. L., et al. (1992). Problems in families of male Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 916–926.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jurich, A. P. (1983). The Saigon of the family’s mind: Family therapy with families of Vietnam veterans. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 9, 355–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaštelan A. (2012). Psihičke smetnje djece iz obitelji veterana oboljelih od posttraumatskog stresnog poremećaja (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Rijeka, School of Medicine, Rijeka.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaštelan, A., Frančišković, T., Stevanović, A., & Petrić, D. (2012). The relationship between father’s combat-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, mother’s secondary traumatization, and emotional and behavioural symptoms in their offspring; Pilot study. Collegium antropologicum. (Accepted for publishing).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., & McLeod, J. D. (1985). Social support and mental health in community samples. In S. Cohen & S. L. Syme (Eds.), Social support and health. New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klarić, M., Frančišković, T., Klarić, B., Kvesić, A., Kaštelan, A., Graovac, M., et al. (2008). Psychological problems in children of war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Cross-sectional study. Croatian Medical Journal, 49(4), 491–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klarić, M., Frančišković, T., Pernar, M., Nemčić Moro, I., Miličević, R., Černi Obrdalj, E., et al. (2010). Caregiver burden and burnout in partners of war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Collegium Antropologicum, 34(Suppl 1), 15–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klarić, M., Frančišković, T., & Salčin Satriano, A. (2010). Family and psychotrauma. Medicina Fluminensis, 46(3), 309–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klarić, M., Frančišković, T., Stevanović, A., Petrov, B., Jonovska, S., & Nemčić Moro, I. (2011). Marital quality and relationship satisfaction in war veterans and their wives in Bosnia and Herzegovina. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2, 8077. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v2i0.8077.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koić, E., Frančisković, T., Mužinić-Masle, L., Đorđević, V., & Vondraček, S. (2002, April). Chronic pain and secondary traumatization in the wives of the Croatian veterans treated for posttraumatic stress disorder. Paper presented at 3rd World Congress in neurological rehabilitation, Venice, Italy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Komar, Z., & Vukušić, H. (1999). Post-traumatic stress disorder in Croatian war veterans: prevalence and psychosocial characteristics. In D. Dekaris & A. Sabioncello (Eds.), New insight in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Proceedings, pp. 42–44). Zagreb: Croatian Academy of Science and Arts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulka, R. A., Schlenger, W. E., Fairbank, J. A., Hough, R. L., Jordan, K., Marmar, C., et al. (1990). Trauma and the Vietnam War generation. New York: Brunner/Mazel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulka, R. A., Schlenger, W. E., Fairbank, J. A., Hough, R. L., Jordan, B. K., Marmar, C. R., et al. (1988). Contracted reports of findings from the National Vietnam veterans readjustment study. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, K. D., Chatters, L. M., & Taylor, R. J. (2005). Social support, traumatic events, and depressive symptoms among African Americans. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 754–766.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lyons, M. A. (2001). Living with post-traumatic stress disorder: the wives’/female partners/perspective. Issues and Innovations in Nursing Practice, 34, 69–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maloney, L. J. (1988). Post traumatic stresses of women partners of Vietnam veterans. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 58, 122–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marmar, C. R., Weiss, D. S., Metzler, T. J., Delucchi, K. L., Best, S. R., & Wentworth, K. A. (1999). Longitudinal course and predictors of continuing distress following critical incident exposure in emergency services personnel. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 187(1), 15–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, P. H. C. (1990). Recovering from the war: A woman’s guide to helping your Vietnam veteran, your family, and yourself. New York: Viking Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matsakis, A. (1998). Vietnam wives. Washington, DC: Woodbine House.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCann, I. L., & Pearlman, L. A. (1990). Vicarious traumatization: A framework for understanding the psychological effects of working with victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 13, 584–585.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mileti, D., Drabek, T. E., & Haas, J. E. (1975). Human systems in extreme environments. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado, Institute of Behavioral Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson Goff, B. S., Crow, J. R., Reisbig, A. M., & Hamilton, S. (2007). The impact of individual trauma symptoms of deployed soldiers on relationship satisfaction. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 344–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson Goff, B. S., Crow, J. R., Reisbig, A. M. J., & Hamilton, S. (2009). The impact of soldiers’ deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan: Secondary traumatic stress in female partners. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 8, 291–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson Goff, B. S., Reisbig, A. M., Bole, A., Scheer, T., Hayes, E., Archuleta, K. L., et al. (2006). The effects of trauma on intimate relationships: A qualitative study with clinical couples. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76, 451–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson Goff, B. S., & Smith, D. (2005). Systematic traumatic stress: The couple adaptation to traumatic stress model. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 31, 145–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neria, Y., Nandi, A., & Galea, S. (2008). Post-traumatic stress disorder following disasters: A systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 38, 467–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearlman, L. A., & MacIan, P. S. (1995). Vicarious traumatization: An empirical study of the effects of trauma work on trauma therapists. Professional Psychology, 26, 558–565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rabin, C., & Nardi, C. (1991). Treating post-traumatic stress disorder couples: A psychoeducational program. Community Mental Health Journal, 27(3), 209–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riggs, D. S., Byrne, C. A., Weathers, F. W., & Litz, B. T. (1998). The quality of the intimate relationships of male Vietnam veterans: Problems associated with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 11(1), 87–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenheck, R., & Nathan, P. (1985). Secondary traumatization of children of Vietnam Veterans. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 36(5), 538–539.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenheck, R., & Thomson, J. (1986). “Detoxification” of Vietnam War trauma: A combined family-individual approach. Family Process, 25, 559–570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruscio, A. M., Weathers, F. W., King, L. A., & King, D. W. (2002). Male warzone veterans’ perceived relationships with their children: The importance of emotional numbing. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15, 351–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scaturo, D. J., & Hardoby, W. J. (1988). Psychotherapy with traumatized Vietnam combatants: An overview of individual, group, and family treatment modalities. Military Medicine, 153, 262–269.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, Z. (1998). The effect of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder on the family. Psychiatry, 51, 323–329.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, Z., Waysman, M., Belkin, R., Levy, G., Mikulincer, M., & Enoch, D. (1992). Marital relations and combat stress reaction: The wives’ perspective. Journal of Marriage and Family, 54, 316–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, Z., Waysman, M., Levy, G., Fried, B., Mikulincer, M., Benbenishty, R., et al. (1992). From front line to home front: A study of secondary traumatization. Family Process, 31, 289–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevanović, A. (2012). Sekundarna traumatizacija supruga veterana oboljelih od posttraumatskog stresnog poremećaja (Unpublished professional dissertation). University of Zagreb, Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verbosky, S. J., & Ryan, D. A. (1988). Female partners of Vietnam veterans: Stress by proximity. Issues in Mental Health and Nursing, 9, 95–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Cambierieva 15, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia

    Tanja Frančišković & Aleksandra Stevanović

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Mostar, K.M. Viševića Humskog 39, 88000, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Miro Klarić

Authors
  1. Tanja Frančišković
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aleksandra Stevanović
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Miro Klarić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tanja Frančišković .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Military Family Research Institute, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

    Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth

  2. Dept. Medical & Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    David S. Riggs

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Frančišković, T., Stevanović, A., Klarić, M. (2014). Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Families. In: MacDermid Wadsworth, S., Riggs, D. (eds) Military Deployment and its Consequences for Families. Risk and Resilience in Military and Veteran Families. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8712-8_15

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation