Couple forgiveness, self-differentiation and secondary traumatization among wives of former pows

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Abstract

This study explored secondary traumatization among wives of former POWs. Forgiveness and self-differentiation were investigated for their role in wives'mental and marital distress. Participants included wives (N = 82) of former Israeli POWs (18 with PTSD [posttraumatic stress disorder] and 64 without PTSD) and a control group of 72 women whose husbands fought in the war but who were neither POWs nor suffered from PTSD. Compared to the other two groups, wives of former POWs with PTSD reported lower couple forgiveness and self-differentiation. High self-differentiation predicted low emotional and marital distress, whereas high couple forgiveness reduced only marital distress. Self-differentiation moderated the relationships between couple forgiveness and both types of distress. Findings highlight the challenges women face when living with partners with PTSD.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)924-937
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Social and Personal Relationships
Volume27
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2010

Keywords

  • Couple forgiveness
  • PTSD
  • prisoners of war
  • secondary traumatization
  • self-differentiation

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