Secondary traumatization among wives of Israeli POWs: the role of POWsʹ distress

Background The aim of the study is to examine secondary traumatization of wives of former prisoners of war (POWs) as manifested in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, additional psychiatric symptoms, and marital adjustment. In addition, it assessed the role of several contributors to the wivesʹ secondary traumatization: the husbandʹs PTSD, the level of his verbal and physical aggression, and the wifeʹs level of self-disclosure. Methods The study compared three groups of Israeli wives: wives of POWs with PTSD (N=18), wives of POWs without PTSD, (N=64), and a control group of wives of veterans without PTSD (N=72). Results The highest level of distress in all measures was endorsed by the wives of POWs with PTSD. Moreover, in addition to husbandʹs PTSD and captivity, both the manʹs aggression and the wifeʹs selfdisclosure played a role in the wifeʹs level of distress. Conclusions The findings show that the husbandsʹ PTSD was more strongly associated with the wivesʹ secondary traumatization than their captivity