Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Couple and Family Therapy

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy

  • 66 Accesses

Name of Concept

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Couple and Family Therapy

Introduction

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent and pernicious disorder characterized by intrusion symptoms (e.g., flashbacks); persistent avoidance of stimuli, emotions, and thoughts associated with the traumatic event; negative alterations in cognitions and moods (e.g., persistent negative emotional state); and alterations in arousal and reactivity (e.g., sleep disturbances; American Psychiatric Association 2013). PTSD is strongly associated with intimate relationship and family relationship problems. In addition, PTSD in one intimate partner is associated with psychological problems and caregiver burden in the other partner. In consideration of these associations, and of the potent role of social support in trauma recovery (e.g., Ozer et al. 2003), efforts have been made to develop couple- and family-based interventions for the treatment of PTSD. Couple- and family-based interventions for...

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

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington: American Psychiatric Association.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fredman, S. J., Vorstenbosch, V., Wagner, A. C., Macdonald, A., & Monson, C. M. (2014). Partner accommodation in posttraumatic stress disorder: Initial testing of the Significant Others’ Response to Trauma Scale (SORTS). Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28, 372–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macdonald, A., Pukay-Martin, N. D., Wagner, A. C., Fredman, S. J., & Monson, C. M. (2015). Cognitive–behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD improves various PTSD symptoms and trauma-related cognitions: Results from a randomized controlled Trial. Journal of Family Psychology, 30, 157–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monson, C. M., & Fredman, S. J. (2012). Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD: Harnessing the healing power of relationships. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monson, C. M., Fredman, S. J., & Dekel, R. (2010). Posttraumatic stress disorder in an interpersonal context. In J. G. Beck (Ed.), Interpersonal processes in the anxiety disorders: Implications for understanding psychopathology and treatment (pp. 179–208). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Monson, C. M., Fredman, S. J., Macdonald, A., Pukay-Martin, N. D., Resick, P. A., & Schnurr, P. P. (2012). Effects of a cognitive-behavioral couple therapy for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 308, 700–709.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ozer, E. J., Best, S. R., Lipsey, T. L., Tami, L., & Weiss, D. S. (2003). Predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder and symptoms in adults: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 52–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothbaum, B. O., Foa, E. B., Riggs, D. S., Murdock, T., & Walsh, W. (1992). A prospective examination of post-traumatic stress disorder in rape victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5, 455–475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shnaider, P., Pukay-Martin, N. D., Sharma, S., Jenzer, T., Fredman, S. J., Macdonald, A., & Monson, C. M. (2015). A preliminary examination of the effects of pre-treatment relationship satisfaction on treatment outcomes in cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 4, 229–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Candice M. Monson & Naomi Ennis

  2. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Steffany J. Fredman

Authors
  1. Candice M. Monson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Naomi Ennis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Steffany J. Fredman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Candice M. Monson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Jay Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Anthony Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. Employee Assistance Program, McLeod Health, Florence, SC, USA

    Farrah Hughes Ph.D., ABPP

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Allen Sabey Ph.D.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Monson, C.M., Ennis, N., Fredman, S.J. (2018). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_453-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_453-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation