Faculty Collaboration Database

PTSD in veterans, couple behavior, and cardiovascular response during marital conflict. Emotion 2021 Apr;21(3):478-488

Date

04/10/2020

Pubmed ID

32271047

DOI

10.1037/emo0000727

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85084701466 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   7 Citations

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with strain in marriage and similar intimate relationships, and such difficulties could contribute to associations of PTSD with risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Heightened cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) during stressful marital interactions may be an important mechanism in this regard. This study examined dysfunctional behavior during marital conflict as a mediator of the association of PTSD with heightened CVR during these interactions. In 64 couples comprising male military veterans and female partners, participants underwent a 17-min video-recorded conflict discussion, with assessment of blood pressure and cardiac sympathetic activation (i.e. preejection period). In half of the couples, veterans met interview and questionnaire criteria for PTSD. Behavior was coded for aspects of affiliation (e.g., warmth vs. hostility) and control (e.g., dominance vs. deference), as well as blends of these broader dimensions. Extending previous reports from this study, actor-partner mediational analyses indicated that PTSD contributed to larger increases in veterans' and spouses' systolic blood pressure during the interaction through effects of the individual's own expressions of low warmth. PTSD contributed to veterans' and spouses' greater cardiac sympathetic activation through effects of the individual's own expressions of hostile control (e.g., blame, criticism). Hence, expressions of low warmth and high hostile control contribute to effects of PTSD on veterans' and spouses' heightened CVR during marital conflict discussions, suggesting a mechanism linking PTSD with CVD risk and potential targets for risk-reducing behavioral interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Author List

Smith TW, Baron CE, Caska-Wallace CM, Knobloch-Fedders LM, Renshaw KD, Uchino BN

Author

Lynne Knobloch-Fedders Ph.D. Assistant Professor in the Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology department at Marquette University

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Cardiovascular Diseases
Family Conflict
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Middle Aged
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Veterans
Young Adult