Abstract
Traumatic events can have ripple effects on the survivor's intimate relationships and on his or her religious/spirituality (R/S) beliefs and practices. Although both of these outcomes have been examined independently, research has yet to consider the intersection of trauma, its impacts on partners and intimate relationships, and R/S. This exploratory qualitative study involved individual interviews with 20 participants, including 11 male married veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; or subthreshold PTSD) and 9 female married partners of male veterans with PTSD (or subthreshold PTSD). Interviews explored perceptions of the roles of R/S in how participants coped with the veteran's PTSD, both individually and as a couple. Participants described a wide array of responses in their R/S beliefs and activities, ranging from withdrawal and avoidance to deeper engagement and growth. Although many participants described drawing upon their R/S beliefs and practices to support their spouses, a few shared how female partners used R/S against their veterans in a hurtful manner. Couples described their spiritual bond with one another as facilitating communication and strengthening their relational bond. Implications for psychotherapy and future research are discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 368-374 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Psychology of Religion and Spirituality |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2017 American Psychological Association.
Keywords
- Couples
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
- Religion
- Spirituality
- Veterans