The authors conducted a meta-analysis of the literature on associations between trauma survivors' PTSD symptoms and the (a) relationship quality and (b) psychological distress of intimate partners. Results yielded a small combined effect size (r = -.24) for the association between PTSD and partners' perceived relationship quality. Gender and military status moderated this association with a larger effect size for female partners of male trauma survivors than for male partners of female trauma survivors and a larger effect size for military samples than for civilians. The effect size of the association between PTSD and partners' psychological distress was moderate in magnitude (r = .30). Analysis of hypothesized moderators indicated this association was stronger among military than civilian samples. The association was also stronger among samples of survivors who experienced traumatic events in the more distant past compared with those who experienced more recent events. Results support the systemic impact of one family member's PTSD symptoms and highlight areas for future research.

Research with combat veterans and their spouses has documented the harmful impact of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) on relationships, yet few studies have evaluated theoretically based models of relational processes among these couples. In this study, the authors tested 2 moderators of the association between male combat veterans' PTSS and their female spouses' reported relationship quality based on Bodenmann's (1997, 2005) systemic transactional theory of dyadic coping. We hypothesized that supportive dyadic coping and common dyadic coping would moderate the association of PTSS and spouses' relationship quality. Hypotheses were supported. The degree to which a veteran's PTSS was negatively associated with his spouse's relationship quality depended on whether she perceived him as supportive when she experiences stress (i.e., supportive dyadic coping) and the degree to which she perceived the couple as working together to manage difficulties (i.e., common dyadic coping). The significant interactions of PTSS with supportive and common dyadic coping accounted for 11.95% and 10.58% of the variance, respectively. Tests of conditional effects showed veterans' PTSS was only significantly negatively associated with spouses' relationship quality when supportive and common dyadic coping were low. Findings highlight the importance of adaptive dyadic coping behaviors as a protective factor for spouses of veterans and hold implications for research and practice.