Briana S. Nelson Goff

The Impact of Individual Trauma Symptoms of Deployed Soldiers on Relationship Satisfaction

Research traditionally has focused on the development of individual symptoms in those who experienced trauma directly but has overlooked the interpersonal impact of trauma. The current study reports data from 45 male Army soldiers who recently returned from a military deployment to Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) or Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and their female spouses/partners. The results indicated that increased trauma symptoms, particularly sleep problems, dissociation, and severe sexual problems, in the soldiers significantly predicted lower marital/relationship satisfaction for both soldiers and their female partners. The results suggest that individual trauma symptoms negatively impact relationship satisfaction in military couples in which the husband has been exposed to war trauma.

Trauma and Couples: Mechanisms in Dyadic Functioning

Research traditionally has focused on the development of symptoms in those who experienced trauma directly but overlooked the impact of trauma on the families of victims. In recent years, researchers and clinicians have begun to examine how individual exposure to traumatic events affects the spouses/partners, children, and professional helpers of trauma survivors. The current study reports data from a larger mixed-methodology study that includes qualitative interview data from 17 individuals, coded to identify the mechanisms that may affect the couples interpersonal functioning when there is a history of trauma exposure in one or both partners. The following primary themes were identified: role in the relationship, boundary issues, intimacy problems, triggers, and coping mechanisms. Areas for future research and clinical implications also are identified.

The Impact of Soldiers’ Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan: Secondary Traumatic Stress in Female Partners

Research traditionally has focused on the development of symptoms in those who experienced trauma directly but has overlooked the impact of trauma on the families of victims. More recently, researchers have begun to examine how individual exposure to traumatic events affects the spouses/partners of trauma survivors. The current study reports data from male Army soldiers who recently returned from a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan and their spouses/partners. The results indicated that increased trauma symptoms in the soldiers significantly predicted traumatic stress symptoms in the female partners, particularly soldiers’ avoidance symptoms. Areas for future research and clinical implications also are identified.

The effects of trauma-focused research on pregnant female participants.

Recent emphasis on the ethical conduct of researchers has resulted in a growing body of literature exploring the impact of trauma-focused research on participants. To date, pregnant women have not been widely included in trauma-focused research, possibly because they are considered a vulnerable population in research. The current research investigated how 41 expectant mothers responded to participation in a trauma-focused study. Overall, the results of this study suggest that trauma-focused research is well tolerated by pregnant women. Specific findings indicated that pregnant women considered more traumatized perceived greater benefits from participation. Best practices for conducting ethical trauma-focused research with pregnant women are provided. As well, recommendations for future research are outlined in an effort to further extend the ethical understanding of the benefits and costs of trauma-focused research with potentially vulnerable populations.

Factors That Differentiate Distressed and Nondistressed Marriages in Army Soldiers

Data from U.S. Army soldiers (N = 697) were analyzed to determine the factors that differentiate distressed from nondistressed relationships. Results show that most soldiers had relationship satisfaction scores that categorized them as nondistressed. In addition, soldiers in dual-military marriages had relationship satisfaction scores similar to those of soldiers in military-civilian marriages. Finally, several variables including rank, relocation status, relationship length, and relationship status differentiated distressed from nondistressed relationships. Implications for intervention programming and future research directions are discussed.

Federal Disaster Mental Health Response and Compliance with Best Practices

This study investigated the comprehensiveness of disaster mental health state plans and their adherence to published best practices in three states that experienced post-9/11 federally-declared disasters. There were 59 disaster mental health best practices used in this study to assess each state disaster mental plan’s compliance with best practices; the states demonstrated a range of adherence to the best practices. This research may serve as a guide for those developing disaster mental health plans and encourage further considerations in disaster mental health response.

Initial Treatment Decisions with Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Abstract Providing therapy for survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) can be a complex process with many critical decisions throughout treatment; however, literature that offers suggestions on how to proceed in therapy with CSA survivors is limited. In the current study, a qualitative, phenomenological methodology was used to explore the decision-making process in the initial stages of therapy. Participants included 11 national experts who offered suggestions to help facilitate therapy with CSA, responding to client disclosures, and determining treatment modality and focus. Although some experts had divergent views on how they would handle early treatment decisions, a number of concrete suggestions, as well as justifications, to support different choices when making initial treatment decisions are provided.

Disclosure of War Deployment Experiences: A Qualitative Study of the Relationship Impact on Military Couples

Using a qualitative method research design, participants were classified into one of two groups for the current study based on their self-reported disclosure of their deployment experiences to their spouses: low disclosure (n = 16) or high disclosure (n = 55). The high-disclosure group participants reported primarily positive functioning themes: support and active connecting, communication, relationship resources, and cohesion, as well as relationship distress. The low-disclosure group participants reported more mixed results: impaired communication, support and connecting, and understanding. In general, the results indicate the importance of communication as a key component of coping with deployment experiences for both soldiers and spouses.

An examination of the broaden-and-build model of positive emotions in military marriages: an actor-partner analysis

How emotional and cognitive processes combined to produce resilience in military marriages post-combat deployments was examined using the “broaden-and-build model of positive emotions” with 40 military couples. The model suggests that positive emotions expand, and negative emotions impede cognitive processes. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, the association between positive and negative emotions on insight-causation was examined. Actor and partner effects were found for service members’ positive emotions and spouses’ negative emotions but not for service members’ negative emotions and spouses’ positive emotions. Service members’ actor and partner effects were significantly stronger than those of their spouses. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

The Single-Trauma Couple

Abstract Trauma survivors and their spouses/partners who seek therapy may present with unique dynamics due to the effects of previous trauma. The current paper provides an analysis of a clinical case vignette for understanding the effects of trauma when only one partner reports a trauma historysingle-trauma couples. The description of the single-trauma couple includes the relevant trauma history, anecdotal case information, and a session transcript, which identify primary issues experienced by the couple. The authors emphasize the importance of using a “trauma lens” when working with couples and families to avoid overlooking important cues about the individual and systemic effects of traumatic stress. Clinical and research implications are also described.