Relationship Satisfaction of Veterans and Partners Seeking Couples Therapy: Associations With Posttraumatic Stress,...

Associations between symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and relationship distress are well-established in research examining Veterans and their romantic partners. Partner accommodation of PTSD symptoms has been identified as an important construct that has ties to both Veteran PTSD symptoms and relationship distress. However, our understanding of accommodation and PTSD has not been tested in couples who are seeking couples therapy. The present study sought to investigate the role of Veterans' PTSD symptoms, partners' accommodation, and depression of both, in relationship satisfaction in 181 couples (male Veterans and female partners) presenting for couples therapy at a VA medical center. Results suggest that in in this sample, accommodation by partners of Veterans is significantly negatively associated with their own and Veterans' relationship satisfaction. Depression of both members of the couple was also negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, while Veterans' PTSD symptoms were not consistently linked to relationship satisfaction of either partner. These findings highlight the importance of assessing for accommodation in couples therapy. Integrating modification of accommodation behaviors into couples therapy may help improve couples therapy outcomes.