Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 5, 2026
07:17
Assessing the Effects of Music Listening on Psychobiological Stress in Daily Life
Published on: February 2, 2017
13.8K
Daily Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Accommodation and Relationship Functioning in Military Couples
Sarah B Campbell1,2, Keith D Renshaw3
1Seattle Division, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA.
Family Process
|September 15, 2018
Summary
Partner accommodation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms negatively impacts relationship intimacy for both veterans and their partners. This accommodation is a key target for couples therapy to improve connection.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Partner accommodation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is linked to reduced relationship satisfaction.
- The impact of accommodation on relationship intimacy remains understudied, particularly in veteran populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between partner accommodation of PTSD symptoms and relationship intimacy in male military veterans and their partners.
- To examine how daily PTSD symptom severity influences the relationship between accommodation and intimacy.
Main Methods:
- A 2-week daily diary study involving 64 male veterans with subclinical PTSD and their partners.
- Nightly assessments of veterans' PTSD symptoms and partners' accommodating behaviors.
- Simultaneous nightly reports of intimacy levels from both partners.
Main Results:
- Partner accommodation was significantly and negatively associated with feelings of intimacy for both veterans and their partners.
- The negative association between accommodation and intimacy was stronger for partners than for veterans.
- This negative effect was more pronounced when veterans reported lower daily PTSD symptom severity.
Conclusions:
- Accommodating behaviors can impede relationship intimacy, especially when PTSD symptoms are less severe.
- Therapists should address accommodation as a potential barrier to intimacy in couples therapy.
- Behavioral couple therapies can effectively target accommodating behaviors to enhance relationship functioning.
Keywords:
AccommodationIntimacyPTSDPosttraumatic Stress DisorderRomantic RelationshipsTEPTadaptaciónintimidadrelaciones íntimas亲密恋爱关系适应More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:27Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
564
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that arises following exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, forced displacement, or severe accidents. It significantly impairs individuals' ability to cope with daily activities and disrupts their emotional and psychological equilibrium.
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
564
02:12Relationship Formation
46.2K
What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...
46.2K
01:28Ending Relationships
192
The dissolution of intimate relationships presents complex emotional and psychological challenges, particularly when emotional bonds are strong, the relationship is long-standing, and perceived alternatives are limited. This distress often intensifies in romantic breakups, where the initiator may experience greater turmoil than the rejected partner. Contributing factors include residual attachment, guilt over causing pain, and uncertainty about how to manage the situation. The stress is further...
192
01:17Classical Conditioning in Daily Life
2.2K
Classical conditioning, a fundamental principle of associative learning, explains various phenomena observed in daily life, such as fear development, the placebo effect, taste aversion, and drug habituation. These applications demonstrate the profound impact of associative learning on human behavior and physiological responses.
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...
2.2K
02:18Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
19.5K
Intrinsically disordered proteins are a group of proteins that do not fold into specific three-dimensional structures. Their structural flexibility allows them to complement ordered proteins to perform functions that are inaccessible to rigid structures. They are more common in eukaryotes than prokaryotes and may either be exclusively intrinsically disordered or hybrid proteins, consisting of a mix of ordered and disordered regions. The absence of a rigid structure in these proteins can be...
19.5K
01:15Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
2.3K
For most patients, experiencing several weeks of polyuria, polydipsia, fatigue, and significant weight loss may indicate the presence of diabetes. Furthermore, adults displaying the phenotypic appearance of type 2 diabetes (particularly those who are obese and not initially insulin-requiring), may have islet cell autoantibodies, suggesting autoimmune-mediated β cell destruction and a diagnosis of latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). The categorization of glucose homeostasis is...
2.3K